Well it's not robbery as there seems to be no electoral pressure to abolish it, and it's generally in line with Australian concept of mateship and supporting your neighbour.

A minimum wage worker pays more like 1k in taxes per year towards healthcare, still somehow "$1000 for a couple of stitches" strikes people more than "$1000 for nothing at all", and somehow people seem to be grateful to the "free healthcare" for getting a 4-man 10-hour surgery "for free" rather than their neighbours. Go figure.