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ME/CFS South Australia Inc supports the needs of sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and related illnesses. We do this by providing services and information to members.
Disclaimer
ME/CFS South Australia Inc aims to keep members informed of various research projects, diets, medications, therapies, news items, etc. All communication, both verbal and written, is merely to disseminate information and not to make recommendations or directives.
Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed on this Web site are not necessarily the official views of the Society or its Committee and are not simply an endorsement of products or services.
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Billboard scandal – complaint upheld!
November 1, 1999
The Advertising Standards Board has upheld the complaint! In a letter addressed to complainants, the Board said the advertisement breached Section 2 of the Advertiser Code of Ethics.
Section 2.1 of the code provides that: “Advertisements shall not portray people in a way which discriminates against or vilifies a person or section of the community on account of race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, age, sexual preference, religion, disability or political belief.”
The Hamilton Island billboard constituted “vilification of a section of the community on account of their disability” according to the Board. The Hamilton Island company issued a statement saying it had never intended to cause offence. The offending advertisement has been removed.
September 18, 1999
Australians with CFS were up in arms over a billboard sighted at Melbourne and Sydney Airports showing a couple in a dinghy lazing in a tropical resort, with the caption “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” E-mails and phone calls flooded the offices of Hamilton Island Enterprises and advertising firm Campaign Palace, who produced the ad. Protesters contacted the Advertising Standards Board, complaining that the advertisement trivialises a serious condition, depicting it as comparable to a holiday. The billboard was said to insult sufferers by implying their condition is not real and they may be malingering. Photos of the ad sprang up on the Web, with one site receiving 1,200 hits in only 24 hours. Chat groups in the US expressed their dismay.
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Registered Charity 3104
Email:
sacfs@sacfs.asn.au
Mailing address:
PO Box 322,
Modbury North,
South Australia 5092
Phone:
1300 128 339
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday,
10am - 4pm
(phone)