A Brief History of Westfund

In 1929 Jack Lang the former Labour Premier of New South Wales legislated that coalminers were required to have Ambulance Officers at the minesite and access to a doctor.

The Miners Union collected and arranged the payment to the Ambulance Officers and Doctors, which was deducted from the miner's wages. All the coalmining and other mining areas in Australia operated in a similar way to fund their communities' health care arrangements.

These arrangements for miners' health care continued through to 1953 when Dr Earle Page a Country Party stalwart introduced Voluntary Health Insurance, which was supported by subsidies under the National Health Act.

Jim Wilson a Mining Union official, registered the Western District Mineworkers Medical Benefits Fund, (now Westfund) under the National Health Act in November of 1953, and operated a Medical and Ambulance Scheme referred to as a contract system of health insurance, where the Members paid a fee to the Fund for a nominated Doctor. The doctors' were paid by the Fund on the basis of how many Members nominated the particular doctor. This plan closed in 1966 when the local Lithgow doctors converted to fee for service from the patient.

Many other mining areas in Australia operated similar health plan systems. Westfund is the last mining based Health Fund in Australia possibly the world.

Our recent growth and expansion of the Fund has reminded the Fund, Board and Staff that we should not forget from where the Fund began, and more importantly to remind us of our reason for being here, "to provide the best possible health care for Members".

2004 is our 75th year of continuous service and we believe the miner and his pit pony remind us of the spirit and the commitment of those early miners to this community.

That spirit and commitment continues for our Members today and for the future.