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The Nanny State

liberty-nanny

The state is supposed to set a framework in which people can live peacefully together. Recently, governments around the world have been inclined to go beyond this traditional role. Instead of issuing some basic rules in which we can live our lives as we please, they are now trying to prescribe specific ways of life. Can this ever be justified or are government nannies just infantilizing society?

Publications

  1. Invisible Hand versus Visible Fist: Securing the Future Wealth of Nations

    P.J. O'Rourke | 01 Nov 2009 | Occasional Papers

    In the 25th John Bonython Lecture, PJ O'Rourke presents his views of the economic and financial crisis that is shaking the... Read More...

  2. The False Promise of GP Super Clinics Part 2: Coordinated Care

    Jeremy Sammut | 20 Jun 2008 | Policy Monographs

    The report’s author Jeremy Sammut examines the evidence for the Rudd government’s plan to use GP Super Clinics to boost... Read More...

  3. OPINION: There’s No Such Thing as a Free Parking Space

    Krystian Seibert | 04 Jun 2008 | POLICY Magazine

    Minimum parking regulations ensure there’s plenty of space for our cars at the shops but we pay a hefty price for it.

  4. The False Promise of GP Super Clinics: Part 1: Preventive Care

    Jeremy Sammut | 06 May 2008 | Policy Monographs

    Dr Jeremy Sammut examines the evidence for preventive care programs to help make the Medicare system sustainable, given the... Read More...

  5. The Long Eye of the Law Closed Circuit Television, Crime Prevention and Civil Liberties

    Caspar Conde | 14 Apr 2004 | Issue Analysis

    The NSW Law Reform Commission is considering a proposal that all closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance camera footage... Read More...

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Opinion & Commentary

  1. Beer and a fag? Forget it: matron is watching you

    Luke Malpass | 07 May 2010 | Spectator Australia

    There is a new type of paternalism behind the latest taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, says Luke Malpass in Spectator Australia, ... Read More

  2. Look to punks, not drunks, for good laws

    Jeremy Sammut | 22 Feb 2010 | The Sydney Morning Herald

    Melbourne’s reputation as gloomsville and the puritanical capital of Australia has been enhanced recently by the Victorian ... Read More

  3. Nanny state can’t save us from ourselves

    Jessica Brown | 27 Jan 2010 | The Sydney Morning Herald

    Is it ever appropriate for the government to legislate to protect us from ourselves?... Read More

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Ideas@TheCentre

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