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You're making the mistake of conflating Australia's COVID-19 restrictions with this legislation, when they're entirely unrelated. These digital powers were some

by dtn 5y ago

You're making the mistake of conflating Australia's COVID-19 restrictions with this legislation, when they're entirely unrelated. These digital powers were something Australia has sought for many years- under the good ol' reasons of terrorism and child safety. The recent hubbub surrounding Australia's restrictive COVID-19 measures were possibly the best thing that could happen for our government- when our vaccination numbers rise, the public health restrictions will rollback, whilst the digital legislation will continue on unabated.

umanwizard 5y ago
> You're making the mistake of conflating Australia's COVID-19 restrictions with this legislation, when they're entirely unrelated. They’re related in that both are examples of a level of authoritarianism that seems extreme by the standards of other Western countries.
- dtn 5y ago
  One can point to Australia's COVID death rates (~4 per 100,000) in comparison to the United States and the United Kingdom (~200 per 100,000) and make a case for that. This legislation is far less justifiable, and should have no reason to exist. By associating the two issues, you are weakening the case against it.
  - SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
    Is it good practice compare a very large island that has 2/3rd the population of California, or it’s 1/10th the population density of the whole of the USA? Seems like a flawed argument for at least a dozen more reasons.
    - dtn 5y ago
      I'm not interested in pursuing this debate, but I will point out that our highly urbanised population means that it's not as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.
  - umanwizard 5y ago
    There is some justification for nearly all authoritarian laws. One can point to the low crime rate in Singapore relative to the United States, for example. People who oppose authoritarianism do so because it's not worth the cost, not because terrorism, child abuse, and disease aren't real problems.

by dtn 5y ago

umanwizard 5y ago

> You're making the mistake of conflating Australia's COVID-19 restrictions with this legislation, when they're entirely unrelated. They’re related in that both are examples of a level of authoritarianism that seems extreme by the standards of other Western countries.

dtn 5y ago
One can point to Australia's COVID death rates (~4 per 100,000) in comparison to the United States and the United Kingdom (~200 per 100,000) and make a case for that. This legislation is far less justifiable, and should have no reason to exist. By associating the two issues, you are weakening the case against it.
- SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
  Is it good practice compare a very large island that has 2/3rd the population of California, or it’s 1/10th the population density of the whole of the USA? Seems like a flawed argument for at least a dozen more reasons.
  - dtn 5y ago
    I'm not interested in pursuing this debate, but I will point out that our highly urbanised population means that it's not as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.
- umanwizard 5y ago
  There is some justification for nearly all authoritarian laws. One can point to the low crime rate in Singapore relative to the United States, for example. People who oppose authoritarianism do so because it's not worth the cost, not because terrorism, child abuse, and disease aren't real problems.