Fightback!

Fightback! was a radical economic policy package proposed by John Hewson, then leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, in November 1991. It was 650 pages long.

Key elements

The key elements of Fightback! were:
* Radical changes to industrial relations, including the abolition of awards and the elimination of automatic entitlements to unemployment benefits after nine months on the dole; [http://www.henrythornton.com/article.asp?article_id=3506]
* Radical changes to Medicare, including "abolition of bulk-billing except for veterans, war widows, pensioners, health card holders and the disabled" and "provision of gap insurance for medical bills". [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/16/1052885399735.html]
* The introduction of a goods and services tax (GST) at a 15% rate;
* A $13 billion personal income tax cut, directed largely at the middle and upper-middle classes;
* A $10 billion cut in government expenditure partially offset by increasing other areas, including $3.6 billion in selected government programs on social welfare;
* The abolition of State payroll taxes and substantial cuts in petrol excise duty and proposed schemes for savings;
* The sale of a number of government-owned businesses. [http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bp/1997-98/98bp01.htm]

After a negative reception to the Fightback policies, Dr Hewson reconsidered Fightback! and relaunched it in December 1992. The major changes were to remove the goods and services tax on food and child care through zero rating and provision for a Rebuild Australia fund for new public works. Changes to Medicare, the $10 billion cut in government expenditure and Jobsback package of labour market reforms remained unchanged. [http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bp/1997-98/98bp01.htm]

Following the Liberal Party's loss at the 1993 federal election, in April 1994 Dr Hewson declared the Fightback! policy to be 'Dead and Buried'. [http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bp/1997-98/98bp01.htm]

Many of the proposals were however ultimately adopted in some form over the period of the Howard Government.

External links

* John Harrison, [http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bp/1997-98/98bp01.htm The GST Debate - A Chronology] , Australian Parliamentary Library, Economics, Commerce and Industrial Relations Group, Background Paper 1 1997-98, 22 September 1997.
* John Quiggin, [http://www.uq.edu.au/economics/johnquiggin/JournalArticles92/Fightback92.html Fightback and One Nation: A comparative analysis] , "Australian Tax Forum" 9(2), 127­54, 1992.
* John Quiggin, [http://www.uq.edu.au/economics/johnquiggin/news94/Fightback9212.html Fightback without the Food Tax] ] , "Australian Financial Review", 12 December, 1992.
* Peter Boyle, [http://www.greenleft.org.au/1993/89/4526 Hewson is a health hazard] , "Green Left Weekly", 24 February 1993
* Steve Painter, [http://www.greenleft.org.au/1993/90/4470 What the Liberals would do to our lives] , "Green Left Weekly", 3 March 1993.