Wait, weren't you Aussies telling us you had free national health care? 
How is that funded? (Oh never mind, probably off-topic, anyway.)
G'Day Lloyd, no mate, the TAC is different from Medicare, (Medicare isn't "free", it's charged to taxpayers at 1% of gross income, so pretty cheap, really, although, like most government managed systems, it's far from perfect) the TAC charge covers road accident only injuries, as you know injuries from road accidents are probably about the worst injuries you could suffer, and so the initial surgery/s and ongoing treatment like physio-therapy, prosthetic limbs etc, and in the case of people temporarily or permanently disabled, the TAC also provides financial compensation.
Our Medicare system would be totally overwhelmed if it had to fund accident victims too, and certainly couldn't fund lifetime income support, etc. The TAC charge only covers injuries, and does not insure against vehicle damage. I've got comprehensive insurance on my BMW and Triumph, and the cost was pretty good I thought, $500 a year to insure my $32,000.00 bike, plus $1000.00 worth of riding gear and another $1,000.00 worth of "personal property". (clothes etc) plus 20,000,000.00 of "public liability".
20 years ago when I had my Harley Sportster, comprehensive insurance for anything other than a Jap bike was 10% of the market value of the bike, per year. Ouch!
