Thousands of people marched across Australia to show their disapproval of the Abbott government policies introduced since the September 7 election.
Australians are not new to protests, having protested the Franklin Dam, the Iraq war and other specific causes, but it seems there are no signs big enough to list all the grievances aired around Australia and in Hyde Park yesterday against the new government.
The budget featured high on the agenda of course, inequality, cuts to health spending, education and welfare, but almost every policy was well represented and under attack. Fiscal, environmental, immigration, foreign affairs, attacks on universal health care, the ABC, access to tertiary education and fast, reliable broadband were all there.
One thing everyone agreed on was that Australia is not a better place since the election. The Coalition won on a ticket of ‘Stop the Boats’ and ‘Cut the Carbon Tax’ both of which have earned them international attention….for all the wrong reasons. All the rest were polices either not discussed or in direct and stark contradiction to what was promised during the election campaign …lies.
So for the third time this year, a crowd that ranged from 3000 to over 20,000 (depending on who you ask) hit the Sydney CBD streets on a sunny Sunday afternoon to show the Abbott Government they do not have our support. Marches were also held in Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle and Melbourne which drew the largest support.
