Nanny State
Ideas & Liberty / Nanny State
A core focus of the Institute of Public Affairs is examining paternalist government regulation. Much contemporary social regulation is designed to shield individuals from voluntary risk-taking behaviour. However, having the government assume the role of risk manager is damaging to the principle of individual responsiblity.
News
Defend nannies to oppose the nanny state
The Australian Childcare Alliance wants to get its hands on all Australia's children. Currently, their expressed gripe is with nannies, who they...
Nudge nudge, wink wink, nanny soaks the poor to fatten the budget
As the "beer up, cigs up" headlines of yesteryear illustrate, governments have long imposed taxes on consumer products as a quick fix to plug...
Convergence Review is clever, subtle ... and worrying
One pregnant sentence in the Convergence Review says, "It is important to note that the current Australian Press Council regime where members can...
No granny chic in nanny state shtick
Risk-averse paternalism makes for a perverse reversal of freedoms. The nanny state isn't a cheap Tory slogan. It is a threat to our free, open,...
Regulating from a distance: Finkelstein, politics, power
The structure of the News Media Council proposed by Ray Finkelstein is complicated. The council would consist of a chair and 20 other members. Half...
Pre-commitment policy will punish all gamblers
One of the criticisms of proposals to restrict the use of poker machines is that it will hurt non-problem gamblers in the cause of helping problem...
It's time for tax reform
Australians are over-taxed. And, to paraphrase Kerry Packer's immortal phrase, governments don't spend our money well enough to deserve any more of...
One savings account we don't need
How could a Liberal support a sovereign wealth fund? A number of Liberal MPs have recently been publicly floating the idea of a sovereign wealth...
Is the nostalgia surrounding the Button Steel Plan misguided?
In late August, BlueScope Steel announced it would close a blast furnace in Port Kembla and a hot strip mill in Hastings, southern Victoria, as...
Have the media watchers undermined press freedom?
It's not hard to see where the media inquiry is headed. The terms of reference were released last week. The inquiry will look at "the effectiveness...
