In an appeal to voters ahead of the May 17 elections, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged Sunday to invest US$5.4 billion in the country’s healthcare system.
According to surveys, voters’ top concern is the expense of living.
Albanese has not yet disclosed the precise election date as his three-year term draws to a close. However, unofficial campaigning has already begun.
“Just as every Australian wants the best healthcare for their family, our government wants the best healthcare for every Australian,” the prime minister told a rally in the Tasmanian city of Launceston.
Medicare, which has offered universal healthcare since 1984, would receive an additional Aus$8.5 billion (US$5.4 billion) from Albanese’s center-left Labor government.
The government claimed that by 2030, 90 percent of medical visits would be free for patients, and additional funds would be provided for physician and nurse training.
In response to the most recent spending pledge, Peter Dutton, the head of the conservative opposition, stated that if elected, his Liberal-National coalition will equal the Aus$8.5 billion Medicare commitment.
“Without sound and prudent economic management something Labor is incapable of investments like this cannot be delivered,” his coalition said in a statement.
The Australian published a Newspoll study this month that shows support for Albanese’s Labor Party is nearly tied with the opposition coalition.
According to the report, a hung parliament with no single party holding a majority could arise from the poll results being repeated in the election.
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