Activities of QAWF to date

Since our official inception our representatives have given presentations on water fluoridation to Lismore Council, Logan Council, Hervey Bay, Palm Island and Warwick Councils. Our members have also sent numerous submissions to Maryborough, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Cooktown, Lithgow, Tenterfield, Gosford, Mt Gambier and various Victorian Councils to assist associates in other states who are facing forced fluoridation of their water supplies.

Until mid 2007 when the forced amalgamation of councils was announced, Warwick Council was in the process of organizing a referendum on water fluoridation. The Queensland Government had agreed to pay $70,000 to pay for the referendum to be conducted by postal ballot and was also to pay for a 4 week advertising campaign promoting the YES case for water fluoridation. The Queensland Government repeatedly refused to pay to assist the NO case, but despite this, QAWF Inc members distributed flyers, personally letter dropped Warwick and undertook a vigorous advertising and letter writing campaign in the 2 Warwick local newspapers.

Recently our members and other associated concerned people around Australia have sent submissions to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) opposing the proposed fumigation of foods with a fluoride fumigant gas, that has until now been used a termite poison. This is of great concern to us as it means much more fluoride will be entering the food chain as fluoride residues will be allowed in many common foods; as much as 30 times that is allowed in fluoridated water but there will be no required monitoring of the fluoride residue. See here for a QAWF submission to APVMA.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand had scheduled on Dec 12 2007 to release for public comment, a proposed change to legislation that would allow fluoride be added to bottled water, but has now delayed this until 2008 apparently in a political move. QAWF Inc members will be placing submissions that fluoridated bottled water, if approved, must be very clearly labeled with the concentration and the type of fluoride chemical added to bottled water. Additionally we will be requesting that a warning on the bottles, that infants under 12 months of age not consume fluoridated water as per the 2006 advisories from the American Dental Association and the (US) Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

With the Premier Anna Bligh’s announcement on Dec 5 2007 that she had made the decision to forcibly fluoridate almost all of Queensland water supplies, QAWF Inc is now commencing a campaign to recruit new members to help contest this decision. We will to lobby all Queensland MPs and are considering legal and any other action to prevent forced mass fluoridation medication of the Queensland population.

QAWF is a self-funding non-profit organization.

QAWF Inc and it’s members gain no financial benefit from water fluoridation, or from preventing water fluoridation. We also gain no financial benefit from the sale of any fluoride product or service, or any substitutes for these.

Merilyn Haines President Dr A Macqueen Treasurer Ms J Beauchamp Secretary

B App Sc PhD Biological Sciences