Socialist Party Australia - For a national 24 hour strike to save Medicare!

The SP has been campaigning on this issue, raising 7000 signatures on petitions, working with others on pro-Medicare rallies, and getting out the propaganda against the cuts. However, the only organisations with the strength to stop the Federal government are the trade unions.

For once Labor got it right: Tony Abbott has been given the Health Ministry to cut Medicare to shreads.
The Federal Government wants to dismantle bulk billing, PBS, and continue the cuts to the public health system.
Relatively free health was forced on the ruling class due to the massive pressure of the organised working class movement in the past. Now the neo-liberal agenda of every Government means privatisation of health and massive spending cuts. Every last stone of the economy not yet in private hands is being turned over in the search for profits.
Labor, who support economic rationalism, are in no position to defend Medicare beyond cheap rhetoric. This shows the need for a new workers’ party.
For millions of Australians the health system today is becoming a major headache of queues, expensive medicines, a search for a doctor who bulk bills and underresourced public hospitals.
In 1991-92 the public spend $5.5 billion of their own money on health care, this rose to $12.3 billion in 2001-02. The SP has been campaigning on this issue, raising 7000 signatures on petitions, working with others on pro-Medicare rallies, and getting out the propaganda against the cuts. However, the only organisations with the strength to stop the Federal government are the trade unions.
Union members are suffering. Unions can not stand apart from this battle. A national 24 hour strike to defend and extend Medicare would gain massive sympathy and put the Government on the backfoot.
It would open up the possibility of building a real campaign to win on this issue. SP members in all unions are pushing for this demand. Health care is union business!