Australia, The Nanny State

[Australian rePublic]

Driving 2km/h over the speed limit is not obscure. DIY work is not obscure. Drinking water is not bloody obscure. With the exception of maybe laser pointers, how is anything I have stated obscure?


It's 2 kilometres per hour, not 2 miles. 2 kilometres. That's about 1 1/5 mile per hour

It might sound stupid but there are 3 things you need to take into account. 1. Often you won't be charged and there is definitely nothing on your criminal record, 2. If you haven't done anything wrong recently normally you can appeal and get off. If your appeal does get rejected, it is only 1 demerit and a $123 dollar fine. 3. There is really no excuse for speeding. Speedometers are very accurate these days and cruise control is also very good so it is much harder to 'accidentally' speed.

it's very easy to accidently speed. Some people can't afford to pay $100+ for stupid things, nor can they afford to lose a point from their license every time they press the accelerator a bit too hard. And yes, yes it is enforced. Cops are obligated to enforce it

[The Hazar Amisnery]

I feel like this will only fuel the whole 'police state' thing that the rest of the world likes to talk about. We are still a perfectly great country with a great culture and great everything. Just because we dont have the same level of 'freedom' as America doesnt automatically make us oppressed. A few strict laws wouldn't hurt.

[Australian rePublic]

I feel like this will only fuel the whole 'police state' thing that the rest of the world likes to talk about. We are still a perfectly great country with a great culture and great everything. Just because we dont have the same level of 'freedom' as America doesnt automatically make us oppressed. A few strict laws wouldn't hurt.

I'm not comparing us to America. I'm comparing us more to places like Canada, or Europe, or New Zealand. America is in its own category, and poorer countries are generally too poor to be nanny states, even if they want to. The only country that Australia really compares to in this regard is Singapore, and I don't know who's worse. Hey, maybe that's why our two countries get along so well

[Infected Mushroom]

I think it’s a point of pride that Australia values public safety to a greater extent than many other Western states, and is at times willing to strike a difference balance between security and civil liberties. I don’t think it’s egregious, and if it’s something that jibes well culturally, politically, and socially with Australians, then who am I to criticize it?

I mean, you voted for the leaders who legislated that way so.

[The United States of Naru]

I think it’s a point of pride that Australia values public safety to a greater extent than many other Western states, and is at times willing to strike a difference balance between security and civil liberties. I don’t think it’s egregious, and if it’s something that jibes well culturally, politically, and socially with Australians, then who am I to criticize it?

I mean, you voted for the leaders who legislated that way so.

I wholeheartedly agree. We are more willing to put the community above the individual whilst still holding onto very good levels of personal freedom. I believe it comes down to 2 factors: firstly, we didn't have to fight for independence, rather we requested it and that request was granted. Secondly, on a similar vein to the first, there is no bill of rights as such meaning this (frankly excessive) level of individual freedoms in our culture.
Overall, this has lead to a society that is more collectivist than places like France and the US.

[Perikuresu]

I think it’s a point of pride that Australia values public safety to a greater extent than many other Western states, and is at times willing to strike a difference balance between security and civil liberties. I don’t think it’s egregious, and if it’s something that jibes well culturally, politically, and socially with Australians, then who am I to criticize it?

I mean, you voted for the leaders who legislated that way so.

I think his argument is that it leads to abuse of power, but I'm pretty sure that comes hand in hand with politicians anyways

(I'm still concerned on the new law passed that allows Police to hack into our devices considering they rushed it through parliament during a pandemic, and the clampdown on journalism and whistleblowers with the ABC raids (relating to whistleblowers iirc), arrest of Friendlyjordie's producer, the inaction on Julian Assange, and Witness K, all of which happened under the Liberals whom he supports)

[Australian rePublic]

I think it’s a point of pride that Australia values public safety to a greater extent than many other Western states, and is at times willing to strike a difference balance between security and civil liberties. I don’t think it’s egregious, and if it’s something that jibes well culturally, politically, and socially with Australians, then who am I to criticize it?

I mean, you voted for the leaders who legislated that way so.

I think his argument is that it leads to abuse of power, but I'm pretty sure that comes hand in hand with politicians anyways

(I'm still concerned on the new law passed that allows Police to hack into our devices considering they rushed it through parliament during a pandemic, and the clampdown on journalism and whistleblowers with the ABC raids (relating to whistleblowers iirc), arrest of Friendlyjordie's producer, the inaction on Julian Assange, and Witness K, all of which happened under the Liberals whom he supports)

All those things are disgusting abuses of power. This, plus the nanny state, are why Australia desperately needs a civil rights bill. Like I said, most people in power wo 't abuse it like that, but the few who do need their power limited. As for the nanny state, it's a combination of laziness and/or corruption tied in with apathy. No body voted for it, but rather, it's the easy way out, and the people who actually care enough to do anything about it are unable to. I don't support the Liberals, but they're better than Labor.

[Page]

I feel like this will only fuel the whole 'police state' thing that the rest of the world likes to talk about. We are still a perfectly great country with a great culture and great everything. Just because we dont have the same level of 'freedom' as America doesnt automatically make us oppressed. A few strict laws wouldn't hurt.

There are no free countries. America is hella oppressed and Australia is hella oppressed with sugar on top.

[The H Corporation]

I feel like this will only fuel the whole 'police state' thing that the rest of the world likes to talk about. We are still a perfectly great country with a great culture and great everything. Just because we dont have the same level of 'freedom' as America doesnt automatically make us oppressed. A few strict laws wouldn't hurt.

There are no free countries. America is hella oppressed and Australia is hella oppressed with sugar on top.

Especially Latin America and South America

[Dazchan]

"Forced to travel"? I can't speak for rural areas, but I've never lived anywhere that didn't have at least three different polling stations within a ten-minute walk of my house.

Isn’t there a long line up?

Rarely. The longest I've had to wait to enter is about 15 minutes. Normally it's less than five. Remember - the government expects everyone to vote, so the polling places are set out to move people through as quickly as possible. As others have said, the queue for the sausage sizzle is often longer than the queue to vote.

[Infected Mushroom]

Isn’t there a long line up?

Rarely. The longest I've had to wait to enter is about 15 minutes. Normally it's less than five. Remember - the government expects everyone to vote, so the polling places are set out to move people through as quickly as possible. As others have said, the queue for the sausage sizzle is often longer than the queue to vote.

I can get behind the policy if I’m given a statutory holiday for it on another day other than Election Day. I don’t want money,I don’t want sausages, or a tax break (I want a free time “surplus”). A full day off on another date and you get my support for the policy.

[Australian rePublic]

Isn’t there a long line up?

Rarely. The longest I've had to wait to enter is about 15 minutes. Normally it's less than five. Remember - the government expects everyone to vote, so the polling places are set out to move people through as quickly as possible. As others have said, the queue for the sausage sizzle is often longer than the queue to vote.

The lines are a bit longer in this part of Sydney, but still, it's not exactly 3 hours long

[Infected Mushroom]

The way I see it, if NS categories were real USA and UK might be Inoffensive Centrist Democracy while Australia would be more likely shift back and forth depending on issues between Inoffensive Centrist Democracy and Moralistic Democracy.

I’m not sure about free trade and economic policy. How’s economic, trade and workplace regulation in Australia compared to the rest of the West? NZ is very derugulated in some ways right? How does Australia rate?

Could swing WA categories.

[CoraSpia]

I think it’s a point of pride that Australia values public safety to a greater extent than many other Western states, and is at times willing to strike a difference balance between security and civil liberties. I don’t think it’s egregious, and if it’s something that jibes well culturally, politically, and socially with Australians, then who am I to criticize it?

I mean, you voted for the leaders who legislated that way so.

The problem is that we see a balance needing to be struck. The security element only needs to exist to protect the liberty from external threats that may try to take it away, not to protect people from themselves. This is what all of the countries mentioned on this thread have got fundamentally wrong.

[Unified Communist Councils]

I was thinking about the need for debate and discourse. I'm somewhat torn on the issue. We can implement rules to stop hate speech and the advocacy of diminishing the rights of people but it gets called authoritarian. My problem with this logic is that all rights of people especially those of minority groups are relative to the social, political and economical climate.

At what point are debates and questions shouldn't be challenged in a liberal society. To me, it seems like every 10 to 20 years race realism and bigotry takes place due to the scapegoating economic/social conditions on marginalized groups.

Just looking at our recent history whenever there is economic and social anxiety, bigotry seeps into our discourse to protect power structures and neoliberalism. It's 2019 and we're still talking about race realism, we actually regressed in LGBT rights and so forth. I mean that we just saw Trump destroying trans and LGBT rights where you can be fired for being trans. What happens when slavery or genocide becomes palatable in our society?

Since the debate is always open doesn't it mean that the rights of an individual are relative?

[Infected Mushroom]

I think it’s a point of pride that Australia values public safety to a greater extent than many other Western states, and is at times willing to strike a difference balance between security and civil liberties. I don’t think it’s egregious, and if it’s something that jibes well culturally, politically, and socially with Australians, then who am I to criticize it?

I mean, you voted for the leaders who legislated that way so.

The problem is that we see a balance needing to be struck. The security element only needs to exist to protect the liberty from external threats that may try to take it away, not to protect people from themselves. This is what all of the countries mentioned on this thread have got fundamentally wrong.

So would you be okay with Australia having US style gun ownership policies and legalizing hard drugs?

[CoraSpia]

The problem is that we see a balance needing to be struck. The security element only needs to exist to protect the liberty from external threats that may try to take it away, not to protect people from themselves. This is what all of the countries mentioned on this thread have got fundamentally wrong.

So would you be okay with Australia having US style gun ownership policies and legalizing hard drugs?

Yes, same with Britain where I live. In fact US-style gun ownership policies are far too strict.

[Page]

The problem is that we see a balance needing to be struck. The security element only needs to exist to protect the liberty from external threats that may try to take it away, not to protect people from themselves. This is what all of the countries mentioned on this thread have got fundamentally wrong.

So would you be okay with Australia having US style gun ownership policies and legalizing hard drugs?

What do you mean by "legalizing hard drugs"? That crystal meth is sold at the gas station? Or just that people are no longer imprisoned for possessing and using it? And for that matter, what do you define as a hard drug? Most governments would probably call LSD and shrooms hard drugs even though they are definitely not.

But yeah, legalization is the way to go, even for hard drugs. Not necessarily an unregulated selling side but definitely no force of law on the possession side. Indeed, most of the negative consequences of addiction come from the consequences of society rather than the consequences of the drug itself. While I definitely support offering rehab to addicts, it should always be an option, if someone prefers to keep using, it would be a good thing to facilitate that use as safely as possible. An opioid addict could go get precisely measured, chemically pure doses every day and live a pretty normal, functional life.

[Australian rePublic]

Please sign my petition:
https://www.change.org/p/the-australian ... anny-state

[DistantLands]

Yeah, all they do is urinate on the Shrine of Remembrance and makes them look stupid.

I'm not crediting the anti-lockdown protestors nor their cause. I'm just saying that there are things which are permanently taking away our freedoms far more than Covid ever would. Quite frankly, no one will take you seriously when you unnecessarily turn violent. My big question is, what's the governor-general doing about all this shit?

Have no f*cking idea lol.