The Government’s About To Finally Give Up On That Whole “Make Poor People Pay To See A Doctor” Thing

It’s the would-be policy that’s inspired street protests, massive online campaigns, and viral speeches at memorials. It’s been dead in the water for months, with well more than half of the Australian Senate standing in its way, and proved so unpopular it sent the government’s approval ratings into the toilet (among other things) and united pretty much every doctors’ and nurses’ association in Australia against it.

Now it looks — finally — like the dreaded $7 GP co-payment plan, which would partially end free universal healthcare in Australia, is about to be put down for good. The ABC reported earlier today that Tony Abbott is seeking to ‘reboot’ the government over the Christmas break to give the Coalition the faintest whiff of avoiding annihilation come the next election. Part of that strategy? Kicking the $7 co-payment to the curb.

Apparently Abbott told Coalition members they would need to scrape off “one or two barnacles” before year’s end to start turning things around, which makes him seem so optimistic it’s kind of cute, in a way, like a kid trying to wish a dead goldfish back to life. Abbott said he was “willing to go back to the drawing board” on healthcare reform, presumably to come up with something equally horrible and inequitable but couched in cuddly language or hideously convoluted legalese so it’s not so easily picked apart.

That only leaves university fee deregulation, the terrible treatment of asylum seekers, the dodgy national security and privacy laws, the veiled and open Islamophobia, [INSERT MOST OTHER GOVERNMENT POLICIES HERE], and the brooding cloud of malicious incompetence that’s buzzed around the government like a cloud of angry hornets to get rid of. Given that Australia’s newest independent Senator and Church of YOLO adherent Jacqui Lambie has guaranteed she’ll never, ever vote for the government’s higher education reforms, that one could follow before too long as well.

That’s all ahead, but in the meantime if you marched, signed, Shared or Tweeted your distaste for making poor people pay to see a doctor, pat yourself on the back. You done good.