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I'm not clear on what GP's connection to vaccinations is, but for what it's worth, Australia has recently implemented some very authoritarian covid policies des

I'm not clear on what GP's connection to vaccinations is, but for what it's worth, Australia has recently implemented some very authoritarian covid policies despite it being sparsely populated. People are only allowed to leave their homes for two hours a day and everyone is required to take pictures of themselves inside their homes at regular intervals to prove their location to the police. Violators are being shot with rubber bullets, and yet despite the severity of these measures, the total number of deaths in each state can be counted on your fingers.

nitrogen 5y ago
everyone is required to take pictures of themselves inside their homes at regular intervals That is... bizarre. Very bizarre. Do you have a link to read more?
- chroem- 5y ago
  An overview: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/pandemic-australia-still-liberal-democracy/619940/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/pandemic-a... Allowing people to leave their house for up to an hour of exercise: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58277503 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58277503 Firing on protesters: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/21/victoria-covid-update-rubber-bullets-fired-on-second-day-of-construction-protests-which-block-freeway https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/21/victo...
  - BigJono 5y ago
    "violators" aren't being shot with rubber bullets. Nazi fuckwits are being shot with rubber bullets after being given hours to leave their violent protests of their own free will before attacking police with projectiles and charging at them. I watched the entire thing live, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. The Guardian also did an expose on the instigators of those protests are accessed a group chat where the organisers were discussing how to slowly introduce the "Jewish question" to the crowd they'd managed to rile up.
    - chroem- 5y ago
      They're trade unionists. Not exactly the type of people I would put at the top of my suspected "nazi fuckwits" list.
      - SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
        Well, perhaps they need to move up your list now. The "anti-lockdown protests" have consistently attracted some very unpleasant kooks, cranks and opportunists, from the "5g mind control" lot to the "international banker conspiracy" lot. It's omni-nutty. Piers Corbyn is a regular at the UK ones. In the US, I am sure that all roads lead to QAnon and their anti-Semitic totalising conspiracy theory. The intensity and nature of crankery is shifting.
        nitrogen 5y ago
        I'm sure all those "kooks, cranks and opportunists" had breakfast, too. Should we start calling French toast a conspiracy? Last year when people (in the US) were protesting, violent protests were called "mostly peaceful" because it was claimed that there was a peaceful majority and an opportunistic minority. Why be so eager to do the opposite now and taint the majority with the odd few? In other words, someone off the rails agreeing with a large group on one issue doesn't mean the whole group is off the rails.
        SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
        > someone off the rails agreeing with a large group on one issue doesn't mean the whole group is off the rails. No, it means that the "nazi fuckwits" and "off the rails people" are _recruiting_ and doing so where the audience is worked up and receptive to their radicalisation.
        nitrogen 5y ago
        What should we expect when we are pushing any disagreement whatsoever out of the mainstream? I was vaccinated the day I was able to be, but if I started browbeating everyone else around me who was slower, they'd just cut off contact and start associating with people who weren't total jerks to them. If the only ones who are listening to the disagreeing moderates are radicals, we should expect an increase in radicalization.
- angelzen 5y ago
  https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-two-largest-states-trial-facial-recognition-software-police-pandemic-2021-09-16/ https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-two-la... From what I can garner, there are such systems on trial, though as of Sept 16 the trials were on a voluntary basis.
  - tinus_hn 5y ago
    Why would you run trials of this Big Brother system if you weren’t considering making it mandatory?
    - angelzen 5y ago
      There are facts and there is my personal opinion. Personally I find this technology extremely worrisome and there is a good chance they will make it mandatory before long.
jwilliams 5y ago
There are some half-truths in there, but otherwise what you're saying is misleading. For example, there is a (quite small) trial of facial recognition for home quarantine of international travelers. Now that's a topic worthy of discussion - But it's an extraordinary leap to say everyone is taking pictures of themselves (i.e that's just not true at all). It's similar for most of your assertions. There have been quite a number of strict rules in different parts of Australia at different times. Most are now being wound back in line with vaccination rates.
- chroem- 5y ago
  It looks like you are correct that the surveillance app is limited to anyone who has crossed state or national borders in the last two weeks. That being said, the Australian government has not relinquished its emergency powers, and is instead pushing for additional powers such as mandatory internet ID.

nitrogen 5y ago

everyone is required to take pictures of themselves inside their homes at regular intervals That is... bizarre. Very bizarre. Do you have a link to read more?

chroem- 5y ago
An overview: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/pandemic-australia-still-liberal-democracy/619940/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/pandemic-a... Allowing people to leave their house for up to an hour of exercise: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58277503 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58277503 Firing on protesters: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/21/victoria-covid-update-rubber-bullets-fired-on-second-day-of-construction-protests-which-block-freeway https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/21/victo...
- BigJono 5y ago
  "violators" aren't being shot with rubber bullets. Nazi fuckwits are being shot with rubber bullets after being given hours to leave their violent protests of their own free will before attacking police with projectiles and charging at them. I watched the entire thing live, you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. The Guardian also did an expose on the instigators of those protests are accessed a group chat where the organisers were discussing how to slowly introduce the "Jewish question" to the crowd they'd managed to rile up.
  - chroem- 5y ago
    They're trade unionists. Not exactly the type of people I would put at the top of my suspected "nazi fuckwits" list.
    - SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
      Well, perhaps they need to move up your list now. The "anti-lockdown protests" have consistently attracted some very unpleasant kooks, cranks and opportunists, from the "5g mind control" lot to the "international banker conspiracy" lot. It's omni-nutty. Piers Corbyn is a regular at the UK ones. In the US, I am sure that all roads lead to QAnon and their anti-Semitic totalising conspiracy theory. The intensity and nature of crankery is shifting.
      - nitrogen 5y ago
        I'm sure all those "kooks, cranks and opportunists" had breakfast, too. Should we start calling French toast a conspiracy? Last year when people (in the US) were protesting, violent protests were called "mostly peaceful" because it was claimed that there was a peaceful majority and an opportunistic minority. Why be so eager to do the opposite now and taint the majority with the odd few? In other words, someone off the rails agreeing with a large group on one issue doesn't mean the whole group is off the rails.
        SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
        > someone off the rails agreeing with a large group on one issue doesn't mean the whole group is off the rails. No, it means that the "nazi fuckwits" and "off the rails people" are _recruiting_ and doing so where the audience is worked up and receptive to their radicalisation.
        nitrogen 5y ago
        What should we expect when we are pushing any disagreement whatsoever out of the mainstream? I was vaccinated the day I was able to be, but if I started browbeating everyone else around me who was slower, they'd just cut off contact and start associating with people who weren't total jerks to them. If the only ones who are listening to the disagreeing moderates are radicals, we should expect an increase in radicalization.
angelzen 5y ago
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-two-largest-states-trial-facial-recognition-software-police-pandemic-2021-09-16/ https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-two-la... From what I can garner, there are such systems on trial, though as of Sept 16 the trials were on a voluntary basis.
- tinus_hn 5y ago
  Why would you run trials of this Big Brother system if you weren’t considering making it mandatory?
  - angelzen 5y ago
    There are facts and there is my personal opinion. Personally I find this technology extremely worrisome and there is a good chance they will make it mandatory before long.

jwilliams 5y ago

There are some half-truths in there, but otherwise what you're saying is misleading. For example, there is a (quite small) trial of facial recognition for home quarantine of international travelers. Now that's a topic worthy of discussion - But it's an extraordinary leap to say everyone is taking pictures of themselves (i.e that's just not true at all). It's similar for most of your assertions. There have been quite a number of strict rules in different parts of Australia at different times. Most are now being wound back in line with vaccination rates.

chroem- 5y ago
It looks like you are correct that the surveillance app is limited to anyone who has crossed state or national borders in the last two weeks. That being said, the Australian government has not relinquished its emergency powers, and is instead pushing for additional powers such as mandatory internet ID.