As a consumer society encourages the reality and perception of cultural disarray — from sexting to obesity — the state takes over control of life that would once have been the preserve of cultural norms or the individual conscience.
Nanny state
Why Big Tobacco’s ‘so no to a nanny state’ campaign should go up in smoke
Big Tobacco have used a range of tactics to fight Labor’s proposed plain packaging legislation. But governments should encourage healthy choices and the term ‘nanny state’ has been associated with our best health reforms, writes Rob Moodle.
Tobacco Nanny, paternalism and public health
This week the tobacco industry launched a nation-wide media campaign in an attempt to stop the government introducing plain packaging tobacco products. Luke Buckmaster and Matthew Thomas discuss the parameters of paternalism and the nanny state.
The nanny state is here: “sorry sir, you’re too fat to buy a burger”
There’s a major change coming to consumer credit laws — credit providers can only lend if it is in the client’s best interest — that has nanny state written all over it and no one’s making a fuss. Do we really need to be protected from ourselves? asks Stephen King.
Income management the ultimate form of nannyism
Rather than invoking nanny, let’s have an informed discussion about income management rooted in some sensible analysis of its potential benefits and costs — including the likely harms, writes Melissa Sweet.
It’s time to let the government into our pantries
The obesity epidemic is costing Australia $8.3 billion a year, and the death toll continues to rise. Self-regulation has failed, says Michael Smith: it’s time to embrace the nanny state.
Rumours of the nanny state’s demise greatly exaggerated
Tony Abbott was punching below weight last night and was, as one observer noted, showing all the symptoms of the “depression of opposition”, writes Melissa Sweet.
Election promises be damned, Rudd must abandon populism
Kevin Rudd promised that Labor’s decisions on policy would be “evidence based”, but the evidence belies that so far, writes Mark Bahnisch.
