By Deanne Jeffers
IN 2019, something significant happened whereby, for the first time, Australia’s democracy status was downgraded from ‘open’ to ‘narrowed’, in what perhaps should have been a stark glimpse at the ensuing years.
Pandemic and disaster rules aside, lockdowns and mandates put to rest, several decisions made by Governments have encroached on the freedoms of Australians. This year the State Government made headlines when the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Parks (DELWP) proposed new park regulations giving the body new authorities to control activities and areas in 51 parks across Victoria, 25 of which have had no previous restrictions, including Shepparton Regional Park.
The proposal includes fines of more than $900 – or five penalty points – for bushwalkers caught walking on a non-designated track and more than $1,800 for climbing rocks, abseiling or hang gliding in a prohibited area.
This same year, new laws were passed in Victorian Parliament that will see peaceful protesters faced with fines of up to $21,000 or 12 months in jail for protesting the State Government’s logging activities.
From 2001 to 2021, Victoria lost 1.60Mha of tree cover, equivalent to a 25 percent decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 517Mt of CO²e emissions, according to Global Forest Watch.
NSW has passed similar laws with fines up to $22,000 for people protesting on public roads, rail lines, tunnels, bridges or industrial sites.
Australia is known for its ‘nanny state’ laws, legislating the toughest cycling laws globally, enforcing plain packaging on tobacco products, smoking bans, and in some areas, local council’s charge for picnic permits to eat with friends. One hour could set you back $85.
Hunters have criticised amended legislation that they say stops them from sharing their kills with friends.
Controversially, a national road advocacy group have proposed that males should not be allowed to gain a driver’s license until they are 21 years old, following a series of high-profile deaths and serious injury crashes.
While the distance between People and Parliament contributes to progress being lost in translation, it is clear over 20 years, our free will has been encroached upon – that happened before 2020, without us ever noticing it.
No matter what side of the coin you are on, one thing is certain – freedom in Australia narrowed in 2019 and it is becoming slimmer. What role does Government play in our lives, and on the eve of the state election, how should your representatives, at all levels of government, uphold your rights?
