Andrew L. Urban.
“There will be no removal of masks to consume alcohol outdoors.” With that single rule, Daniel Andrews demonstrated how to (mis)use the power of political office. He showed how to revel in it. Exhibit A: take a look at Andrews delivering this covid restriction and watch how he positively relishes having the righteous power to impose such stupid rules as forbidding the removal of covid masks when having a drink.
That was perhaps the pinnacle of his cynical, arrogant use of pandemic ‘health’ regulations. He should have been laughed off the microphone, but he got away with it. He relished getting away with it; he could do anything, no matter how illogical or stupid or even undemocratic. He had the power.
The Labor government’s dream of their anodyne-sounding but dastardly Duty of Care legislation is dressed up as being about child safety just as covid mask restrictions were dressed up as being about health safety. That’s the old ‘keep you safe’ con beloved of governments wishing to keep THEM safe.
It is a draconian piece of legislation that should never be contemplated, as Gemma Tognini warns (The Australian, Oct. 7, 2026) The legislation would give the power to use fake IDs that can merrily pump out AI-generated information without any accountability, but it does so in the face of existing Australian laws (federal and state). It is a frightening, unprecedented assignment of power to censor and push whatever the government wants, without any oversight, scrutiny or guardrails.
“It allows whoever is in that role to create fake identities (it’s hard to call them sock puppets and treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves). It allows them to “exercise power”, whatever that means,” per Tognini. “And the provisions assigned under the planned legislation would supersede all federal and state laws. Read that again. Ultimate power. Laws that assign extraordinary, excessive, unchecked powers to a non-elected individual who can create fake IDs online, access our information, watch and record any kind of material it likes, and in some circumstances have these fake online accounts engage with users.
“I don’t know about you but in Australia, don’t we call that an online scam?”