If you are in any doubt about the danger of big government I would direct your attention to the State of Victoria.
A State Premier has effectively created a police state and destroyed the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of business owners. He has curtailed freedoms and liberties under the spurious guise of public health. Laws are being selectively enforced according to the perceived 'merit' of the perpetrator's actions and skin colour.
What sort of a state is it when a junkie can go out to get a fix and shoot up in a suburban street with impunity but you can be arrested for walking your dog after 8pm?
The State of Victoria reminds me of the famous quote from US President Gerald R. Ford.
A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
That's exactly what we are seeing in Victoria today.
A bloated government, empowered by a feeble opposition and a public who have long embraced the cosy cocoon of ignorance, are now making their power felt.
Power is dangerous because it corrupts, and generates an insatiable hunger for ever more. That's why our societal system is designed for checks and balances. An electorate holds politicians to account. The parliament holds governments to account and the free media provides a scrutinising eye over everything.
But what happens when those traditional levers break down? That's what we are now experiencing.
In Victoria, despite the gratuitous abuse of office and taxpayer funds by the Andrews' government, the people continued to re-elect them. In the upper house, instead of principled and committed parliamentarians to scrutinise legislation, the rigged system delivered the balance of power to an assortment of misfits and leftists.
That has enabled the Andrews' government to rule under 'emergency powers' and operate without the scrutiny or approval of parliament.
The opposition, whose task it is to hold the government to account has been missing in action for so long that they no longer know how to do their job. That weakness has emboldened the government to do almost whatever they want.
The media too have failed the community. Most have peddled the myths and falsehoods attached to COVID-19 to help convince the populace that every breath was a matter of life and death. They have not been unbiased reporters or examiners of fact. Once again, they have been reduced to cheerleaders for a political tribe.
Naturally there have been some notable exceptions to this.
This blog (are we really media?) has been forthright from the beginning. The evening Sky News team were also early to wise up to the abuse of power by State Premiers. Adam Creighton from the Australian has been a champion of common sense too.
But the lefty media outlets, including their ABC, have been largely silent on the assault on our liberty and traditional governance standards. We shouldn't be surprised given the left leaning nature of the people in power in Victoria.
For the rest of us, it is clear we can no longer rely on the traditional institutions to protect and defend our rights and freedoms.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
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