compared to most of the "developed world" Australia IMO does...

compared to most of the "developed world" Australia IMO does indeed feel like a police state. It feels like the government here tries to get involved in every facet of our lives as if its a normative good - IE for the sake of it. I don't mean so much like "martial law" eshale mentioned above, I mean more public, administrative law

i'm of european extraction and I tell you the difference is striking... and for the most part, people seem to get on just fine there without the nanny / police state... here in australia we just cop it on the chin as the laws and regulations get more broad and punitive over time.

bloated public sector thats required in order to interfere and regulate with our lives doesn't help with cost of living issues in oz either. its a self-fulfilling prophecy: the bigger the public sector gets the more regulation IE FINES / $$$ need to be collected to support it ... the more regulation you have the bigger the public sector needed to administer and enforce the regulations... like jabba the hut on steroids

perfect example - the new Ministry of Carbon that will soon be created to pointlessly shuffle money around the economy... wonder how many new slacker public sector jobs will be needed for that doosie

the glaring and ever-increasing over-regulation of almost everything in this country is ridiculous