Andrew Bretherton

Andrew Bretherton is a passionate human rights advocate and unionist. Andrew became an advocate for people with ME when he himself was diagnosed in 2015. Andrew is actively campaigning for better conditions and to stop the abuse of people living with ME. He has spoken for various ME organisations in Australia and in the UK.

Andrew has worked with a number of organisations including Millions Missing, Emerge Australia, ME Australia, Victorian Greens, 88 Days And Counting, Tom & Mia’s legacy, Migrant Workers Hub and the Migrant Workers Centre actively fighting against modern slavery, for the improvement of migrant workers rights in Australia, and for the rights of people with M.E.

He has also given evidence to the Australian modern slavery inquiry 2016 and cross examined for the Inquiry into the horticulture award

Andrew is currently leading a Call For Change Australia petition (an Australian Version of Dr. K.N. Hng, a.k.a Robin Brown's Petition to the UK parliament) to submit to the Australian Disability Royal Commission and Australian Parliament to investigate the violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation currently occurring in the ME and CFS community due to outdated guidelines, policies and research.

Illness
Andrew was studying a B.A. of Psychology and Sport Science, working professionally and heavily involved in his local community when he caught glandular fever (EBV) and shingles and was struck down with M.E. He attended a well known hospital fatigue clinic and an exercise health clinic in Melbourne where he was recommended the therapies GET/CBT and high doses of dexamphetamines. Andrew found this treatment exploitative, abusive and said it reduced his functionality to the point where he was housebound and could no longer work or study. He later attended Dr Donald Lewis clinic CFS discovery where he received proper medical care before it closed in 2019.

Andrew experienced many cases of diagnosis discrimination and found the process of applying for social supports (housing, national disability insurance scheme, disability support pension) in Australia discriminatory simply because services excluded him from support because he had the “ME or CFS”  label.

In 2019 his apartment complex flooded and through no fault of his own Andrew found himself homeless and was admitted to hospital where he experienced further medical abuse where the hospital tried to “cure” his M.E. with psychiatric treatments (e.g. more GET/CBT and antidepressants)

It took Andrew 3 years to access the DSP and NDIS. Andrew believes had he had early access to appropriate services then he would be much less impaired then he is now and could have possibly avoided what happened to him.

Advocacy
Andrew has publicly called for more biomedical funding and said that having ME was like "A Slow Death” - Triple J hack - 2017 he said that recommending graded exercise therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy for the condition is “just garbage” - Insight - 2018 on his experience with the insight program he said “It’s not often you get a chance to confront your abuser, so it was therapeutic for me in that sense. I only regret that they focused more on outdated modes of practice, but we do need people to stand up and put forward the message of real science and show that these dinosaur practices of treatment (graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy) are harmful to patients.”  ME Australia - 2018

In 2018 Andrew gave evidence to the Inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia on behalf of Tom & Mia’s legacy and his partner at the time. Andrew’s statement:

“My partner is currently working on a farm for her second year visa. She's Chinese. When we were discussing her coming here, I told her that Australia has workplace and safety laws that can protect her. Even utilising and knowing these services and procedures myself, it has been extremely hard to get her fair pay and conditions, and my partner is currently still being exploited. I would love to tell you more, but my partner and her workmates are petrified that if I speak to you today not only will they lose their opportunity to stay in Australia but they'll also be at risk of physical harm. (For context her room was knocked on late at night and they were demanding which “backpackers boyfriend” called the farm and company and got the union involved) What was said earlier about Asian workers versus European workers being harder or better is (just an example of) cultural exploitation. Farmers, hostels and contractors are (actively) taking advantage of backpackers of Asian backgrounds. There's a saying in China that “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down”, so traditionally it is not part of their culture to speak out against their employer. When I spoke to my partner about coming to Australia, she was surprised by all our working and safety rights that we have here, as they do not exist in her country, (China) unlike in Australia and Europe.

I'd also like to address some other issues with you today, the first being piece rates. Piece rates are being used as a legal loophole to exploit women and backpackers out of decent pay conditions. At the moment, backpackers' employers decide what the average competent worker is and then off this decide what the rate of pay will be. I would call for this to be abolished or at the very least government regulated rather than farm regulated, as it is currently in other working sectors. In Australia we regard ourselves as giving equal pay to women, but with piece rates, women are consistently earning less than men. I understand that this is because of the physical nature of the work, but keep in mind these women are working the same hours and same conditions as the men on the farms. The other issue I'd like to bring up is the myth Australians don't want to work on farms or are too lazy for farm work. When looking for work for my partner's  second year visa, which took almost six months, I also believed this myth that farmers are desperate for Australian workers, so I would call these farms myself as an Australian looking for work, and then the farmer or contractor would say that there is no work available. My partner would then call the same place after me this time as a backpacker asking for the same work, and automatically she was offered the job! But well under the award wages. At the community meeting yesterday I also spoke to a local resident who also had trouble obtaining work here in the area (Mildura). He believes he was turned down for the same reason, and I believe he's still looking for work.

There are two avenues to find farm work in Australia. One is legitimate sources like the government harvest trail website, Seek and the other job networks online. These seem to have very few regional farming jobs available, but then there are the unregulated social media or apps, in which there are literally hundreds of farming jobs available (for backpackers). Australia regards itself as the land of the fair go, but, having personally experienced what my partner is going through, and through working with Rosie, I can honestly say I no longer believe this to be true.”

In 2021 Andrew was acknowledged for his work on migrant worker rights in the book “Far From Home” - by Rosie Ayliffe.

Andrew also actively participated on behalf of 88 days and counting into variation of the Horticultural Award 2020 cross examining witnesses and providing statements for temporary migrant workers in Australia.

Positions held:
Emerge Australia - Video media and live streaming - 2018

ME Australia - Social Media Engagement officer - 2018 - onwards

Millions Missing - Guest speaker 2019

ME action network promo - 2018

Call for Change UK - Voice Over/ Narrator

Call for Change Australia - Organiser - 2021

Victorian greens people with disabilities working group Co- Convenor 2018 - Current

88 days and counting - Organiser 2016 - present

Tom and Mia’s Legacy - Organiser and Spokesperson 2016 - present

Migrant workers centre - Volunteer

Media Coverage:

 * Andrew speech for Missing Millions at Melbourne Rally


 * SBS - Insight - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (2018)


 * ME News Australia - ‘Insight’ on chronic fatigue syndrome: Andrew’s experience (2018)


 * 'A slow death': what it’s like living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * Living with Chronic Fatigue
 * Nightlife - ABC Radio (at 37:20)


 * ME action network promo

Other Advocacy work:

 * Andrew’s speech on Slavery outside Parliament House Melbourne. February 2021