Last weekend junior Labour Minister Leslie Huckfield declared that money being spent on hospitals should go instead to factories. For factories read private industry.
But while Huckfield was putting private wealth before national health, the trade union movement in Australia was making clear its commitment to the opposite choice by launching a 24-hour general strike (its first ever) in defence of the national health system there, "Medibank"
What sparked off the Australian general strike was an attempt by the conservative Liberal-National Country coalition headed by Malcolm Fraser to change the basis of the Medibank system, introduced by the last Labour Government. Fraser's proposal COMMUMIST LEAGUE - a huge increase in the voluntary tax levy which finances Medibank -would mean that the greatest burden of financing the system would be put on the working class.
At the same time the change would encourage the wealthy to opt out of Medibank altogether and into private practice. In essence it is the same story as the attack on the NHS and the defence of private practice which is taking place in this country.
The reaction of the Australian labour movement was clearly demonstrated last Monday when literally millions of workers gave a massive display of opposition to the Fraser scheme. And already there are promises of further action and a series of 'rolling strikes. few days before the general strike took place the president of the up a deal with Fraser, but Fraser's stubbornness prevented any compromise emerging.
even less success in stopping the ment at Fraser's policies. Throughout June a whole series of strikes
Racism Red Weekly 15 July 1976