Consumer Movements Needed Now!

“ I thought I saw a movement. It was. It was. I’ve seen a movement being born. It is truly a marvellous experience of human ingenuity and passion”. MadQuarry Dictionary, 2013

The truth is that everything that we have come to value in our society can be traced back to a group of committed people passionate about their cause. Public health, education, sporting, women’s rights, disability rights. All  results of a few people who started a movement, created followers and the rest is history.  

In relation to social care, the hard work of people in the 1970’s and 1980’s was rewarded through government funded programs and organisations . We saw the growth and professionalisation of  the “advocacy sector”across aged care, disability, mental health, education, health care, womens services, domestic violence and so on.  Government invested in advocacy and have been in the process of divesting  themselves from it ever since.

But should advocacy be funded? Is it an activity that can remain impartial despite its reliance on government or other sponsors? Should it even be funded?

Whatever the “business model”  social and health care consumer movements are needed in a context of significant reform. These movements need to be driven by equity and fairness and like other movements before them they need to be driven by human ingenuity and passion.

Contact us if you want to share your thoughts or learn more about consumer movements, activisim  and social capital.