Here’s an interesting little example of spin — or perhaps politics. The federal government has finally struck a deal on the price of the cervical cancer vaccine, so the school vaccination program will commence next year.
Now, some of us may recall that Tony Abbott is the Federal Minister for Health. Yet the articles in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and probably most other news media have John Howard making the announcement. (And his smiling mug shot accompanies the headline on the SMH’s front page online, which is a pretty gruesome sight.)
On the Government website, under Health, Tony Abbott modestly inserts himself into the press release in paragraph five.
I am left to wonder if this is a case of:
- John Howard wanting to take all the credit for what he knows will be a popular move
- Tony Abbott disassociating himself from the decision for religious reasons
- Apart from wanting to take all the credit, John Howard sending a signal that Abbott is not his choice to inherit the leadership.Â
What do you think?
Janet Howard is a cervical cancer survivor.
Ian Frazier is Australian of the year.
I think Howard fully understands the importance of this issue. Its not a small thing, it has international implications. Good on the PM for giving a damn on this issue, and making it a mainstream issue. FOr once i’m right behind him.
Regardless of all that shit from Canberra, it’s genuinely great that we face the prospect of declining incidence of cervical cancer.
This issue was the sort of thing that seems like a minor issue at first, a one-day wonder, which builds over time and eventually weighs down any attempt to lift the government vote at election time.
Abbott should have seen the problem for what it was, rather than blithely assuring us that the machinery of government is chugging along nicely, thanks very much. Whenever a minister does this, it’s an indication that the government has been in power too long. The fact that he didn’t augurs badly for his prospects.
Howard’s wife and daughters have clearly gotten to him. Given the choice between losing office and kicking one of his favourite ministers up the backside, he’ll choose the latter every time. Loves being in office, he does. Abbott can come along for the ride too so long as he plays by the rules and knows who’s boss. When you talk about inheriting the leadership suz, you’re assuming that Howard wants to give it up.
Abbott is distancing himself from this. The virus is spread by sexual intercourse, a process I’m not sure he fully understands. This is another one of these issues where there are “religious” group which don’t comprehend the human condition properly, much like the use of condoms to stop other STDs.
I don’t know about “populism.” PBAC’s decision not to recommend listing was the right one judging by the fact that the company has now reduced the price. Part of PBAC’s evaluative role is to ensure that the PBS is paying “best price.” Abbott has the power to reject the PBAC recommendation (that presumably would have been “populist”) and direct listing anyway but negotiation looks to have been the sensible route to take.
Geoff, I mean ‘populism’ not directly in relation to decisions about the vaccine itself, but in Howard wanting to hog all the glory for this announcement.
Although it plays well in the media as Aussie doctor discovers new miracles drug that prevents HPV / cervical cancer but drug is denied to women by catholic health minister.
It is important to keep in mind the back story on this.
The makers of Gardasil, Merck, are in fierce competition with GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix to see who can get in first with monopoly contracts for HPV vaccine worldwide.
The invented here in good old Oz line plays well in the lobbying war, but it means we are paying for a large part of the estimated $1.2 billion (R&D Marketting) it took to get Gardasil to market.
Normally the PBAC has better bargaining chips and the situation is reversed with the R&D (and marketing) $ recouped largely overseas, primarily USA, and PBAC can bargain for a more marginal price.
If we could have waited a few months until competing alternatives came on the market, Cervarix or even better a generic, we would save millions and improve more lives with our health dollar.
But that isn’t such an exciting story – is it.
Yes, well perhaps there wouldn’t have been such a reaction had we not a Health Minister who has admitted having “ethical issues” about the vaccination, and who is quite clearly not good on women’s health.
Perhaps if we had a Health Minister who respected facts and science and women’s decision-making faculties we may not have been so quick to judge.
Some of us weren’t quite so confident as you that it would have been negotiated quickly and fairly – rather we used past experience and decided that public shaming was the only thing that would work.
You’d be correct were it any other medicine than this, FXH, but there was no such certainty with this particular vaccine.
“This is another one of these issues where there are “religiousâ€? group(s) which don’t comprehend the human condition properly, much like the use of condoms to stop other STDs.” So true.
Slightly off track but can’t miss the opportunity to mention again, the failure of Steve Bracks to allow condoms in prisons. Not sure whether this is an “ethical issue” for the Premier but a little “public shaming” might be in order here too. The dangers are so great for the prisoners and overall community, it’s pretty scarey to contemplate.
Gardasil will thankfully be out there ,at least, to help make up for that sort of negligence. Not really concerned about who gets the credit for it.
ABC TV news showed Howard and Abbott standing together at the ‘press conference’ to make the announcement. Presumably both of them spoke (I didn’t see the whole thing). Still, usually such an event would be the province of the health minister only – it doesn’t require the involvement of the PM. I’m sure with this Howard is engaging in damage control and credibility spin.
FXH, I’m largely in tune with your analysis – and then there is the issue of the very limited testing that’s been done on this drug. It’s been rushed to market. However, Anna’s points are strong ones too.
Abbott has been sidelined on the announcement because he quite clearly made a bad call about this. Ian Frazer is the Australian of the year and this cervical cancer vaccine is big news and a great Australian scientific success story. All Abbott could see was that somehow using this vaccination would encourage the young ‘uns to get it on (because, you know, there are lots of kids out there who don’t have sex because they are afraid of genital warts). His ideological issues were a long way out of step with the public on this and Howard should have picked up on this when the first decision was being made. He’s cleaning up the mess now, I’m sure Abbott got more than a little bit told off because of all this.
I think the whole thing looks as if it were planned from the beginning. The PBS spending is just business. You have a bunch of money to spend, and an almost infinite list of worthy causes to spend it on. You have to make judgement calls on the relative worth of spending $Xmill on cervical cancer vs $ynill onprostate cancer etc etc. Just business – most bang for the buck etc.
Faced with a drug company wanting to charge too much for Gardasil (did I spell that right?), the Govt says that they won’t put it on the list. Normally, the drug company would say “Ahaa – I smell a rat – the Govt is bluffing”, but by having Tony Abbott make the announcement, with his known religious reservations, the bluff is made credible, and the drug company caves in.
Brilliant negotiating, consumate politics, huge kahoonas.
There are issues with the vaccine – its not proven that it will offer immunity against a virus with a range of mutations, which are increasing. The health message HAS to encompass the use the condoms – giving a vaccine that may offer only partial protection without reinforcing the safe sex aspect is appalling public health policy. I’ll support Howard when I see his health minister promoting condom use.
“I’ll support Howard when I see his health minister promoting condom use.”
Sounds like your practicing safe politics there Bernice.
PeterTb’s theory is a good one if it was true. It would be a political masterstroke. The drug company was pushing a ridiculous price, maybe they the government played them? I wouldn’t normally credit them with the brains, but it could be possible. If so I offer them a hat-tip.
Bernice is spot-on. While this vaccine is good, it is far from perfect and it is meant to be used alongside traditional safe-sex practices. I think that one of the big benefits of this vaccine however is that the HPV virus (well the version that leads to cervical cancer) can be transmitted by skin to skin contact in the genital region. I don’t want to draw a diagram, but condom’s don’t always offer protection from the virus (though they definitely help). The vaccine just reduces the odds of being affected by the disease by reducing the proportion of the population that can transmit the virus. My figures might be wrong but apparently the vaccine is only successful 70% of the time.
I think it’s that it only covers most but not all strains of HPV. I think it’s pretty much completely effective on the strains it covers.
I think you may be confused – its that 70% of cervical cancer is associated with HPV, so therefore the HPV vaccines can only, at max, protect against that 70% of cervical cancer. There are other “causes” of cervical cancer.
Ta for the clarifications!
I wouldn’t normally credit them with the brains
Good advice not to underestimate your enemy. These guys are hard-nosed businessmen who work as a team to achieve their goals. The same team approach can be seen in negotiations with the states over GST and water rights, in foreign relations and of course in Parliament. Very few of the ministry’s actions are accidental.
The opposition needs to learn from them.
I think this vaccination for cervical cancer should start as soon as possible.Yes it’s 70% successfull but this is more than 0% after all.
Suz
I hate to break it to you, but the only spinning being done on this issue is by you and your post. Does everything have to have some subterranean evil other agenda in Suz’s world?
Hello there,
I just found this site/this page and think it’s a very good point that I overlooked then.
Yes, it was Johnny hoWARd who made this announcement.
And I believe it was important to convince the general public agree on this new vaccine. I mean, yes “Janet Howard is a cervical cancer survivor” as somebody wrote. Therefore it sounds such a wonderful solution for that health problem if it comes out of a survivor’s husband.
I personally wonder why Aussie parents are not asking questions when hoWARd is eager to do some experiment on his population even before his boss manages to.
It’d be interesting if we can find out who owns Merck and/or who’s their shareholders just like Rummsfeld’s Aspartame and Tamiflu which are killing many.
Again,
Why Aussie parents are not asking questions at all?
Merck to Halt Lobbying for Vaccine for Girls
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/business/21merck.html?ei=5088&en=a1e54a0b7dd69131&ex=1329714000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print
The safety of the new cervical cancer vaccine should open for debate.
http://www.informyourself.com.au/Gardasil.html
Cervical Cancer Vaccine?
http://www.informyourself.com.au/articles.html
Jesus you lot are a bunch of innocents. Do you think that this is a cure for cervical cancer? ha ha.. get a life you put too much godlike status into capiitalistic motivated research. Don’t you know by now that ‘ cures’ are not what drug companies “invent” but hope! for the hopeless, they live on womens fear… no talk about prostate cancer on the tv or anywhere else eh? why is that? Because Men are seen as weak if they get help for themself esp when it’s a masculinity associated health problem.
Get real girls n boys.. do you really want to stick your ten year old daughter with yet another money making peice of crap? try some healthy living and don’t get sick in the first place.. give medicine the flick it was invented by men for reasons other than looking after your health.
google ross horne and learn about things that dr’s don’t learn. fresh fruit forget the rest.
Good rave eh.. but I mean it
Neil
Just look at all the stories they tell about how they almost have a cure but it will take another ten years to develop it and they still need another billion dollars to finish the work. The policy makers and the public keep buying this and give them more money. While the only real cures are in alternative medicine which help you build up your immune system; works for Aids and Cancer both. Aloe vera is a great natural healer and was proven effective in 70 percent of the cases back in the late 80’s. Why has this been suppressed? For close to 20 years people have been cured using electricity to destroy parasites and restore the body’s immune system. Wake up! It’s time to start living outside of the box that their world is putting you in.