Australians protest against healthcare, education cuts

Thousands of Australians have taken part in a demonstration against healthcare and education cuts.

More than 5,000 people participated in the Sunday demonstration in Sydney’s Central Business district.

The protesters denounced the recent government plans to slash healthcare and education budgets which is expected to have an impact on a large portion of the country’s population.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Commission of Audit has submitted a set of proposals, detailing deep cuts to government payments and services.

The plan recommends that the coalition government slash family payments, and cut spending on core public programs such as healthcare and education by requiring patients and students to pay more.

Last February, hundreds of Australians took part in another Sydney protest against a potential move by the Liberal-National government to introduce an upfront “co-payment” for a visit to a doctor.

General practitioner consultations are currently covered by the Medicare public health scheme, and any shift toward a “user pays” model will pave the way to the outright abolition of the country’s so-called Medicare program, which covers those that can least afford costly medical expenses.