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 2017 and cross examined for the Inquiry into the horticulture award

Andrew is currently leading the Call for Change for ME patients Australia petition 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to investigate the violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation currently occurring in the ME and CFS community due to outdated guidelines, policies and research.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 Disability Support Pension (DSP) and National Disability Insurance Scheme (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 2017, Andrew gave evidence to the Inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia in a private capacity.

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 the variation of the Horticultural Award 2020 cross-examining witnesses and providing statements for temporary migrant workers in Australia.

Positions Held

 * Emerge Australia - Community Engagement Officer - 2017, Video media and live streaming - 2018
 * ME Australia - Social Media Engagement officer - 2018 - onwards
 * Millions Missing - Guest speaker in Melbourne, 2019
 * MEAction network promo - 2018
 * Call for Change UK - Voice Over/ Narrator
 * Call for Change for ME patients 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

Talks and interviews

 * Andrew speech for Missing Millions at Melbourne Rally
 * 2018, SBS - Insight - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * 2018, ME News Australia - ‘Insight’ on chronic fatigue syndrome: Andrew’s experience
 * 2017, 'A slow death': what it’s like living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * Living with Chronic Fatigue
 * 2019 ME Australia - Millions Missing
 * 2019, Nightlife - ABC Radio (at 37:20)
 * MEAction promo

Other Advocacy work

 * 2021, Andrew’s speech on slavery outside Parliament House, Melbourne

Online presence

 * Twitter
 * Facebook
 * Instagram
 * LinkedIn
 * Website/Blog
 * YouTube

Learn more

 * Call for Change for M.E. Patients - petition