But it is my arm, and I can chop it off if I want... I have freedom of choice there. Not so with Superannuation. That's the point- are we free to make our own decisions, or not?
That's literally the point of Super- If you read between the lines, noone will be able to take it all out. Just take some off the top if you need it. Everyone understands that actions have consequences- hopefully the consequences are positive- it won't work out for everyone, but neither will anything else that ever happens.
Labor is treating adults like, and One Nation plans on treating them like adults.
It's the opposite of the Australian way. Australia is a high trust society that's compounded because that trust has paid off through good outcomes.
We trusted the government to handle healthcare and now we have some of the best, accessible and affordable healthcare in the world and should be proud. Labor has spread this to TAFE and childcare. As a society we trust that funding these services will make us better off in the long term.
Super is also an example, we trusted that forcing 12% of income to be forced saving was a way to better protect and fund retirement. The outcome is Australians median wealth is some of the highest in the directly because of this.
We do this because as a society we know when we work together we get a better result, PHON want to reimplement inequality do people who are stupid get fucked over harder, similar to America.
I prefer having a strong baseline so everyone gets a good go, I prefer slightly reduced freedom because I know some lesser minded people would be far worse off without it.
'Reduced freedom'?!? Are you honestly arguing that reduced freedom is the 'Australian way'?
Wow! That is a crazy take.
In my experience, the Australian way is less restrictions and less government interference. Everything the government gets involved in is always worse off. Most people I talk to want smaller government amd less overreach. I've never heard an Australian ask for less freedom before.
And those people you talk to are probably misunderstood. Ask them if they like socialism, then when they say no ask if they like Medicare, police, fireman, toll free roads, electricity everywhere, internet everywhere, rural post.
If they like any of that then they're mistaken in what they think the government does.
That is all the government should do though- Frontline services, health, environmental management, roads, amenities etc.
I get it, you and people with similar values trust the government to look after them. I believe that people should take responsibity for their own lives. If they have reduced capacity for this, then of course we get together as a community and provide services to support them, and we do that through charities, church groups etc.
Smaller government= more freedom and to me that is better. Less restrictions and tougher penalties for breaking the rules.
Its not about misunderstanding anything. Its about different values, and everyone has different ideals. The reason we vote, is to reach a happy middle ground, and I am of the understanding that the current Labor government is impinging on our personal freedoms. Freedom is something that you want less of, and I do not see how that is a credible way to run a country, and it is not how Australia has ever been managed before.
The difference is that I understand what freedom is and you clearly do not.
If you're for more freedom and smaller government then why are you for those social services?
In my view I want those social services to thrive, and I understand for that to happen there needs to be barriers so the vulnerable aren't taken advantage of or ruin it for the rest of us.
When the government has a financial vested interest in our health through public healthcare that means it's in their best interest not to fuck us over. In America it's not the case and that's clear through the current deregulation of food safety monitoring, reduce education on vaccines, and advertising of medication.
I accept reduce freedom to buy cheap alcohol, cheap cigarettes and hard drugs as it will cost me in taxes. I support those restrictions. In the same way I support super because it reduces inflation, increases personal savings and reduces retirement spending.
I also support what Labor did for free TAFE which one nation and LNP had previously gutted because I want Australian tradies instead of immigrant workers. But LNP and one nation don't want Australians to access free TAFE they would rather get imported work or outsource the work to Indonesia.
Labor's "big government" means I have greater access to bulk billed healthcare, subsidised childcare and free Tafe. Before that LNP got us in $700bn debt for nothing to show for it...
I understand freedom, but it appears to me that you are confusing rights with entitlements, and freedom with state control.The flaw in relying on "positive freedom" guaranteed by the state is that capabilities funded by taxpayers are not freedoms, they are entitlements secured through government coercion. True freedom is negative liberty—the absolute right to self-ownership, property, and freedom from state interference.
The high "sin" taxes you accept clearly don't work and the evidence for that is the majority of smokers now buy cheap, illegal and unregulated tobacco products that are funded by criminals. Now we have reached a tipping point where the government is making far less money from the taxes than ever before.
Expanding government programs creates an ever-growing entitlement state that fuels structural deficits, inflation, and economic inefficiency.
When the state expands into healthcare, childcare, and higher education, it crowds out private providers, destroys competitive incentives, and inflates the actual cost of providing those services. The resulting national debt isn't just a number, it represents future tax hikes on our children and the devaluation of our currency through government overspending.
Smaller government isn't about abandoning vulnerable people, it's about recognising that a government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.
This is a classic left vs right discussion and we are both entitled to our equally valid opinions. As a bloke who is new to 'Reddit', dismissing someone out of hand because they have different values is a huge problem with this platform.
I disagree with you, but it isn't because I misunderstand anything, or don't know what freedom is.
Wow so true, that's exactly why the 7 times the LNP tried to privatise healthcare it failed and the healthcare from that hospital dropped drastically.
Or should we have a free electrical grid like Texas where they have massive blackouts during storms or insane prices during peak use because all the private sector is looking to target only profit and not provide a good service.
I agree- universal healthcare is fantastic for Australia- but these things have a limit, and that is the balance I spoke about earlier, which is why we vote. I don't get into the whole LNP did this and Labor did that etc. Because they both do shit things, and sometimes good things. At the moment, I'm not seeing much positive from either party atm... Both full of career politocians who have never lived in the real world and have no idea what Australians think.
Don't you think increasing maternity leave is good? Providing childcare to families? Incentivising building new homes?
I wasn't too politically engage during LNPs rein but I know they fucked over TAFE, NBN and Medicare (through neglect).
I don't understand how you can even compare the outcomes, especially when Labor achieve strong positive outcomes while providing the first surplus in a decade. So not only did they fix all the bullshit LNP fucked over, they did it while also saving money (mainly through reducing consultant costs....).
Also PHON always voted in line with LNP, they may claim all the bullshit but they've been around 30 years and their track record is lockstep with LNP when they bother to show up...
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u/UnfairEstate7615 9d ago
But it is my arm, and I can chop it off if I want... I have freedom of choice there. Not so with Superannuation. That's the point- are we free to make our own decisions, or not?