Albanese loves to ban things. But PM, your prohibition fixation’s not working |
One slogan summed up the spirit of the 1968 youth uprisings in France: it is forbidden to forbid. It was the essence of the ’60s and ’70s, which birthed protest chic and a culture of transgression. The young left demanded liberation. Then they grew up. And thought better of it.
The Albanese government loves to take away freedoms. Credit: Michael Howard
The Albanese government loves to take freedoms away. This week, it’s been trying to ban what it calls “hate speech” – though the draft bill was defined so broadly you may as well leave off the modifier. Last month, it banned social media for under 16s. The year before, recreational vapes.
But to the prime minister’s great chagrin, Australians aren’t letting themselves be treated like children. And that includes the children.
The report card on the vapes came in last year. Amber Shuhyta, who heads up the government’s fight against illegal puffing, estimates that 95.7 per cent of the e-cigarette market is now illicit. Recreational vaping remains popular. What’s more, despite millions spent on anti-smoking ads, real cigarettes are “cool” again. But in Australia, the price of legal cigs is through the roof due to government taxes. So now, a bit over half of all smokes consumed here are illegal. The tsarina of nicotina estimates that it’ll go up if smoking rates increase.
It’s a case study of government failure. Unless you’re an economist looking for a real-life example of how the Laffer Curve works, in which case it’s pretty much perfect. The theory predicts the revenue taken in........