On 14 Oct 2011, the NSW government officially declared 15th October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day across Australia’s most populous State. The NSW government also announced that it will place pressure on the Australian federal government to declare this Day across the country. At the bottom of this article is a link to how you can help, simply by forwarding an email on to your federal MP.

“We began lobbying the NSW and federal governments in May 2008, when we first learned that this Day being recognised overseas,” said Nicole Ballinger of NSW. “Both our State and Federal MPs – Shelley Hancock and Joanna Gash, respectively -- have been very supportive from the beginning.

“But until March this year, Shelley was in the Opposition, and Jo has been throughout this time,” Mrs Ballinger explained, “So this was an uphill battle until Shelley’s party won the election. She and our State Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner, then worked very quickly on getting this matter pushed through.”

Since 2008, Mrs Gash has been fighting for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day to be declared across Australia. In 2010 she gained bi partisan support for the matter, but further lobbying was required. Under the guidance of Mrs Gash (as well as Mrs Hancock) since 2008, Mrs Ballinger has written to MPs, Health Ministers and Special Senators, as well as to NSW Premiers and Australian Prime Ministers.

“It seems that there’s been so much on the agenda, and ‘15 October’ is just not on it,” explained Mrs Ballinger. “So unfortunately much of the correspondence I have received back from those in power has reflected ‘buck passing’, skirting around the issue, or being simply dismissive.

“The Rudd Government simply advised me that they had ‘…no formal process for the Government’s consideration of proclaiming national days’,” she continued, “So when the Gillard government took over, I wrote to them and asked them to please consider establishing such a process. They replied that ‘…the Australian government is not intending to establish [such] a formal process…’ So it’s been a long road.”

Jo Gash is continuing to fight for the national declaration of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. She remains in the Opposition, so this matter is still an uphill battle for her. But she’s working hard at it, and you can help. Just click on this link and you can forward an email on to your federal MP, asking them to support this motion when Mrs Gash next raises it in federal parliament.

Thank you for your support. Together, we’ll get this Day declared nationally!

 http://15october.com.au/?page_id=193