State of Emergency Extended- Good or bad? [Edited]

So as I write this post the premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, is proposing to extended the deceleration of a state of emergency in this state by another 12 months. While the principal is sound the bigger question is is it the right thing to do?

In theory yes it probably is the right thing to do- fundamentally we don’t know how long the virus will be around for and we went the “authorities” to be able to respond in a way that is strong and is the best course of action for the public.

HOWEVER!!

The details of being in a constant state of emergency is quite troubling and is very anti democratic; frankly if you ask me this is how despots and dictators start; no need to worry about Donald Trump in the United States when we have our own wannabe dictators in Australia!

The biggest problem I have with it is that it consigns powers onto the police minister (currently Lisa Neville) that allows them to veto or override any legislation that is determent to the governments response to the state of emergency. This one power is probably one of the most anti democratic and authoritarian hiding in plain sight! Say what you want, but this is the most dangerous power you could possibly place upon an individual- WHO ISN’T EVEN THE LEADER OF THE STATE OR THEIR POLITICAL PARTY!

As crazy as this hypothetical is I’m about to pose it is all too feasible; what’s stopping her from doing away all pieces of legislation so we end up in a totalitarian society where her word is Gods?

In theory nothing is. And this power is converted into an INDIVIDUAL- never mind an echo chamber of individuals! Handing that much power to an individual is frankly bonkers- I mean it’s bonkers whatever way you look at it but if you at least had it used by some sort of “council” at least you are not at the whim of one person. Yes the problem with a committee is you end up with group think/echo chamber/ whatever you want to call it, but there is in theory at least some sort of check in balance for a potential despot

This leads to another vital point in my opinion- where is the sunset clause? Answer; there isn’t any!

in recent times we’ve seen fairly draconian pieces of legislation enacted by the Federal Government in the name of “national security” (urgh!), but these at the very least have some sort of check and/or balance in them- be they of a judicial or legislative nature. Often these are provided for by a so called “sunset” clause- that is the legislation automatically stops being legislation after a certain time frame .

But where is the sunset clause in Andrews’ 12 month state of emergency deceleration? No where to be seen! No matter what side of the political divide you fall on (most of us are ALP or Liberal Party and this is what I am referring to [apologies to my readers who aren’t!]), this must start ringing alarm bells in your head; after all where is the harm in having a sunset clause which provides a finite end to this situation? There literally isn’t- if the situation is different in a year you address it then or close to the time frame when the declaration is set to expire!

For all the individuals out there saying there is no need to have a sunset clause because the ALP is “above board”- I shall respectfully disagree. They are essentially Liberal Party Lite, on the opposite side of the same coin as the Libs, with just as many dishonesty and morally repugnant behaviour as the Libs. In recent times we’ve had branch stacking by both sides (what a surprise- NOT!). Andrews refusing to answer any questions over the botched hotel quarantine response and my personal favourite Andrews saying he’s done the right thing by “sacking” a minister for homophobic, sexist and foul behaviour despite the fact said minister is known for such behaviour and Andrews in the past saying he’s a good guy!

And let me pose this question; why are you afraid of having checks and balances in place for most “hot topic”pieces of legislation? Checks and balances ensure that democracy itself is safeguarded from being misused!

The opinion is out on how good an extended declaration of state of emergency is going to be in Victoria; at the very least it has the potential of being very dangerous to the state of democracy!

EDIT- 12:12P.M 25 August

So it appears the legislation has been blocked in the upper house of Victoria by the opposition and the cross benches.

And wouldn’t you know? The reason for blocking it is a lack of oversight.

The big question now is what will the Government do to get their way; will their negotiate and allow a sunset clause or other form of oversight to their legislation or will they belittle the members of the Senate for not bowing down and instantly approving?

My gut instinct is that they will complain like they normally do that things didn’t go their way!

How to Be An Ally

If you’re like me, you find your inspiration not from the celebrities and the sport stars; it’s from the real shining stars that are people that run close to us in our social circles. 

And when you see these inspiring people you want to ask yourself how can you be an ally? 

I’m no expert but in my view here’s my personal suggestions. 

Spread the word via social media.

The advantages and disadvantages of social media could be argued until the cows come home but what can’t be denied is the power of it. 

By simply reading about the stories of some awesome people who I’m honoured to call a friend, it inspires me to help me in any way that I can. And one of the small ways is by sharing the word on my social medias- I’m no means an influence (urgh how I hate that word!) but I have some awesome people on my pages and if I can get the word out to them, then hopefully they’ll share it to their friends and so on. Why it doesn’t seem like much- knowledge is power and we have an obligation to better ourselves; after all some conditions are so rare that we need to find a way to get the information out so we can find a way for more research and funding. 

Listen and support. 

I’m no expert but the support and love we give to each other is probably some of the most powerful things we can do as fellow human beings. 

I’m honoured to know some of the best people around- hell I can’t even remember how I met them! But this person is such an inspiration and a star, that anytime I see what they’re up to it inspires me to be a better person.

Be supportive and don’t act holier than thou.

Like with anything in life, unwarranted advice does more danger than good. After all unless you’re in the situation yourself you really have no clue on how the person is feeling and while your advice may be well meaning; to the individual you came across as nothing but a know it all.

In this situation just listen, be supportive and empathise; a friendly ear is always appreciative and by simply letting the person know you are there; it is more effective and does a world of good.   

It’s a short list really, but to be a good ally you have to be supportive and take your cues from the person/group- the path to hell is often laid with good intentions and in a time like these days, it’s best to take a step back and calm down.    

Turning 30

So even though my 30th isn’t untill the end of March (the 29th), my party is in a few days so I’ve decided to write a fw words (even if it’s at 0500 in the morning!)

I'm not one to really give two hoots about age and getting older; after all it’s not like any of us get out of this alive is it? All we can do is really make the most of our time on this planet and be the best we can do. 

For me, the last few years have found me on the right track (boom tish!) I’ve finally managed to enter the industry I’ve aimed for for a very long time and I’m plodding along at a steady pace, all while aiming to get where I want to (I won’t say what as I don’t want to jinx it but if you ask me face to face I’ll tell you- putting it online would make it all too real!)

While my career is going great guns, I’m pondering about my personal life. For me my friends are my family and I’ve been lucky enough to have found two friends who really are my brothers; hell everyone in my company agrees with me about one! And that’s ok; after all as an individual I thrive (for a lack of a better word) on people who can help me become a better person and my two brothers do this; they accept me for who I am and challenge me to be better and I know they are there for me when times get tough as I am for them. 

The rest of the people in my life I also truly love; after all I believe we meet people for a reason and we should encourage each other to be the best we can be and to be more loving and helpful to one another; there’s too much bullshit in the world and hate and who has time for that? 

I know I don’t!

As for my love life- meh. It’s certainly not what I thought it would be that’s for certain. And sometimes yes I long for a deeper connection with someone; this I cannot nor will not deny. 

But I am what I am and that’s ok. Life is messy and ugly and unexpected and we are along for the ride; the best we can do is accept what we can change and aim to make a difference to peoples lives no matter how small or big; after all a simple smile, a gesture or a compliment can go a long way. 

So I guess turning 30 for me is just another day in my life; my party will be small but intimate and the people going are all people that hold a special meaning to me.

And to my two brothers, thank you! 

Musings

So I haven't posted in a while so I thought (yeah, yeah I know I've said this before!) I'll try to get back into the swing of things.

I wanted to put down a few words about an experience I had last year.

My dream job finally got advertised and to cut a long story short; I didn't get it nor even an interview. This despite (both in my mind and friends who work for the company) thinking and saying to me I would be the perfect person for the position.

Anyway; it got me thinking as to how we deal with disappointment and how life doesn't go according to our grand plans. Now first thing I will have to say is that while I was disappointed that I didn't get the job, I realised that I wasn't as upset as I thought I would be.

Yes; I was slightly pissed for a day or two after the news, but then I got some perspective. Maybe it had to do with my good friend pointing out to me the job would have been late shifts and/or overnight shifts (god help me!); or maybe it was just me maturing as a person; but it wasn't as heartbreaking as I thought it would be.

Why?

Quite possibly it's because I still am employed and despite the politics and some of the bullshit going on there; complaining about not getting my dream job is a first world problem. I mean, I'm employed in an essentially full time job doing a position that on a whole I quite enjoy doing. Compare this with the many millions of others in the world that's homeless, destitute or needing a helping hand while society ignores them as if they don't exist.

Perspective isn't it?

Anyway, what got me thinking about it was this link that I saw on the Huffington Post. While not directly related; it's to do with the stigma of doing things alone. 

It's well worth a read and pondering about. 

Take care everyone!