Why I voted NO to Labor in Victorian State election

Perhaps I should begin by coming out clean with regards to my own political leanings – and ‘leanings’ are all they are. I tend towards individual liberalism with a ‘social conscience’. In practical terms, this means that there are a number of areas in which, over the course of the history of Australian political parties, each has embodied ideals which I support.

Of late – ie, over the past ten years – Australian Labor has moved further and further away from that with which I feel comfortable. A few examples: I entirely support State management (read ‘ownership’) of our common wealth of water, of electricity production, our roads, and telecommunications infrastructure (its retail is different); and on another note, education (at both the school and tertiary levels) needs to be freely available to each and everyone. This latter does not mean that curricula design and delivery ought to be in the hands of government bureaucrats: quite the opposite! nor does it mean that Independent Schools should not exist: again, quite the opposite – and in fact would advocate that EACH and every school be independent of government bureaucratic interference!

Historically, much of the above (except for the last point) has been held pretty much in common in the Liberal, Labor and Democrat parties. Yet of more recent times, much of the above has been rejected in common by those same parties. When the Federal Democrats ‘sold out’ to Labor just over a decade ago, they effectively made themselves irrelevant.

Why not Labor

Over the past decade, Vic Labor has undertaken or introduced so many diminishments within our social fabric that there is no way I could vote for them ahead of Liberal. In the current state of play, the parties that appear to have the most liberalist views are the Liberal Democrats and the Sex Party: if the latter gets significant votes, it will be, first and foremost, for that impulse (mind you, I do NOT agree with all views of each of these parties: for example, the Sex party has indicated that it wishes to promulgate a centralist view with regards to sex education).

Let’s go through some of the main points against Vic. Labor in terms of its record over the past ten years.

V.I.T.

For myself, ‘no vote for Labor’ is first and foremost due to the establishment of this bureaucratic ‘jobs for the mates’ in the body of the VIT. It remains pure and simply an insult to teachers and education in general.

As I have already written about this in a previous entry, I’ll leave it here at that, and refer the interested reader to ‘VIT – Victoria’s Insult to Teaching‘.

This insulting body has to be abolished. It may have its proper place within a Soviet or Nazi-style regime, but has no place in a democracy that claims to promulgate freedom.

Bill of Rights

The introduction of the ‘Charter’ of so-called human rights is terrible. On this issue, and though the Liberal Party-based Menzies Centre has published an excellent book Don’t leave us with the Bill, it is with former NSW Labor Premier Carr with whom I agree the most, though I have other reasons as well.

Basically, such a Bill or charter gives a false sense of security. No Bill or Charter of ‘Rights’ in the USSR, USA, or anywhere else has prevented discrimination against, for example, women (women for years had no vote despite the Bill) nor race (legal slavery operated even with the ‘sanction’ of the Bill), nor indeed even LIFE (the USA still has the Death Penalty!).

Instead of our legislators (ie, our politicians) focussing on, firstly, ensuring that laws are just and reflect as best as possible this all-too-important notion of Justitia; and, secondly, focussing on how to best develop social programmes that ensures or encourages and assists those in need, there will be a constant reference back to an ill-devised document that will itself, over time, inevitably take on shades of meaning never intended.

This regressive Charter has to be abolished.

Pet micro-chip implants

Within the last five years, Labor introduced a compulsory sub-cutaneous electronic implant in puppies.

This is but a thin end of the wedge. There are now already all too many companies that are developing these implants for human use. I can easily see how easily a future Labor could introduce these micro-chips in, for example, criminals who are generally abhorred for crimes genuinely horrendous. Then for those loved ones who have severe cases of dementia. etc.

Despite this, of course, the number of dogs put down every year has increased, and more recent legislation (which should be considered criminal) will kill even more pets which have been abandoned or lost.

I am pleased that our two dogs are old enough to not have to have been micro-chipped.

OHS legislation

Back in the Kirner days, the OHS had become totally insane. Unfortunately, Labor has returned us to that situation.

The range of electrical parts one can purchase has been radically reduced; op shops cannot sell various electrical second-hand items; electrical cords have to be periodically ‘tested’ and tagged; harnessing and clothing has been specified; and the list goes on!

Of course each work place needs to be safe, but the extent to which changes have occurred has in many instances little to do with genuine safety, but rather bureaucratic nannyism.

Road Theft.y cameras & surveillance

It’s quite interesting that the last couple of weeks appears to have had few mobile speed cameras on the roads.

It’s also insane that the Labor government has ‘outsourced’ fines to a foreign company. In other words, not only has this terrible form of State income targeted (often) those least able to pay (as well as caused incredible pressures for bread winners losing their license), but parts of the fines are lining the pockets of a foreign company.

When the fines were originally developed, cameras were non-existent, and thus, though high, relatively ‘fair’ as the risk of being fined far lower.

The very fact that there are now so many cameras on our roads and other places is also quite worrying, and has already passed the point of inappropriate State surveillance. On this, it seems the Liberal party are as illiberal as Labor.

from Eastern Freeway to Feeway

The extension of the Eastern Freeway had been costed and planned prior to Labor coming in to office. Coming in, they did what I do not think anyone would have expected of a Labor government: they privatised the road and it became a fee-paying road, thereby ensuring that only those drivers who can afford (and choose) to pay the toll utilise a road built in large part from our common taxes.

&c…

The list could in fact be extended significantly: from discussions with regards to environmental issues; to state interference in the re-building in areas affected by bushfires and inappropriate interpretation of laws as to ‘crime scenes’ to block traffic in affected areas; to the desalination plant (and the rejection of numerous reports that showed it for what it is); to the excessive lowering of speed limits in too many areas; to the body searching of teenagers (and others) at the whim of police… and the list goes on!

Shame on you Labor!