Dear Friends
First, thank you!

Whether you:
· Donated to help us with Strive for 5
· Used the VotersVoice tool to click, send, and reject
· Signed Stand Up Now Australia's petition—delivered to Minister Butler with over 45,000 signatures before the deadline
· Printed and distributed flyers
Your efforts made a real difference. They continue to show that Australians are stepping up—educating politicians, engaging their fellow citizens, and paying attention.

We also sent our own letter to the WHO - rejecting the International Health Regulations, stating clearly that no democratic process had been followed.
On behalf of all Australians, we sent a letter directly to WHO Director-General Tedros, stating: We do not consent. And we meant it—no Australian has.
Despite all of this, we have received no indication—nor do we expect—that Health Minister Mark Butler rejected the 2024 International Health Regulations (IHR) amendments on behalf of Australia by the required deadline of Saturday 19 July 2025.
We are deeply disappointed.

Did any countries reject or abstain?
While Australia remained silent, other countries acted to protect their ability to make health decisions independently, and to uphold their people’s rights.
To date, we understand that at least 11 countries have abstained or rejected the amendments. In addition to Israel, the United States, and Italy, the following countries have also notified the WHO of rejection or abstention:
Russia, Iran, Bulgaria, Poland, Jamaica, Romania, Paraguay, Guatemala, and Slovakia.
· The United States formally rejected the amendments, citing threats to civil liberties, free speech, and national sovereignty.
· Italy rejected them, declaring they unjustifiably interfere with the sovereign right to set national health policy.
· Israel refused to join, insisting that crisis management must remain with elected domestic authorities—not unelected international bureaucrats.

These nations echoed the very concerns we have all been raising for the last two years. Yet our government refused to listen and act. What has our Health Minister done to Australia?
We must also remember that the 2022 amendments to the International Health Regulations, which shortened the rejection window from 18 months to 10 months, were themselves rejected by Iran, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Slovakia. These countries now have until 19 March 2026 to reject the 2024 amendments.

What Happens Now?
Because Australia did not formally reject the 2024 IHRs, they are now binding under international law. That means they are not yet Australian law, but implementation is now required.
· A National IHR Authority must be established in Australia to report to the WHO on our compliance.
· WHO-driven mechanisms must now be incorporated into Australian legislation—including health surveillance systems and censorship frameworks.
Australia is expected to implement the 2024 IHRs into domestic law by 19 September 2025. This is where we will now turn our attention: educating politicians and pushing back at the legislative level. For that, we will need your continued help, so stay tuned for our next email.

What’s Next?
Not all is lost. We already have our eye on new projects to keep educating politicians and informing the public.
In the meantime, take a breath. Don’t live tomorrow’s troubles today.
We’ll be in touch again soon with the next steps you can take.
Thank you for standing with us!

In unity,
Barbara Mavridis on behalf of The Operations Team
Aligned Council of Australia