Ahead of its official campaign launch tomorrow, the ALP has released another television advertisement on Medicare.
The ad comes at the end of a week that began with an ad featuring former Prime Minister Bob Hawke talking up the prospect of the Turnbull government privatising Medicare. [Read more…]
Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke has appeared in a Labor Party advertisement on Medicare.
It was Hawke’s government that introduced the current Medicare scheme after winning the 1983 federal election. Medicare came into operation in 1984. It was essentially the same scheme legislated by the Whitlam government in 1974 but dismantled by the Fraser government after 1975.
In the advertisement, Hawke warns against the privatisation of Medicare. He says that the only reason for establishing a taskforce to investigate privatisation is if you intend to do just that. [Read more…]
The Australian Greens have reaffirmed their opposition to any further privatisation of Telstra.
The decision dashes any hopes the government may have had over the past two days following Senator Bob Brown’s suggestion that he would be prepared to trade support for Telstra privatisation in exchange for a halt to land clearing the logging of old growth forests.
Brown now says he made an error of judgement because of his enthusiasm for the environment.
At the party’s National Council meeting today, the following motion was carried unanimously: [Read more…]
Treasurer Peter Costello has commented on privatising Telstra.
His remarks came in the light of calls by the ALP’s Mark Latham to promote share ownership amongst Australians. [Read more…]