Liberal Democratic Party

It's not enough to disapprove

Everyone disapproves of things that others do. But if we prohibit all the things we disapprove of, nobody will be free.

Smoking, drinking, gambling, eating and certain recreational activities are good examples. While they might be entitled to give advice about the risks, regulators are increasingly taking personal choices away from individuals based on disapproval of the choices they might make.

Current Events

National Conference 2012

The 2012 National Conference of the Liberal Democratic Party was held on 5 February at the City Convention Centre in Melbourne.

Formal business included reports, election of National Executive members and approval of policies.

The guest speaker was Mr Chris Berg. Chris is a Research Fellow with the Institute of Public Affairs, a regular columnist with the Sunday Age and ABC's The Drum, and an award-winning former editor of the IPA Review.

His presentation is in three parts. The first is below. Click here and here for the second and third parts.

No Internet Censorship

The government wants to censor the internet and control the flow of information. But freedom of speech is central to a free, democratic society as it allows people to challenge authority and express their personal opinions..

The Private Realm

When the Athenians established democracy around 508 BC, they recognised there should be a distinction between the public and private realms.

Aristotle described the public realm as the site where people consent to or contest the laws, contracts, covenants, or principles of community that govern personal and social conduct. The private realm was defined by the hearth and home, remaining the place of family, comfort and individual identity in which the government had no role.

The distinction still exists. We acknowledge that some issues are the legitimate responsibility of the government - such as national defence and the criminal justice system. However, we also know that some belong in the private domain and are not the government’s business. Few would want the government telling us what to wear, regulating our intimate relationships or telling us how much chocolate we can eat, for example.

The carbon tax - useless and pointless

Whether or not the world is getting warmer, and whether humans are contributing, the proposed Carbon Tax is bad policy. The Liberal Democratic Party believes there will be far less misery if society is simply encouraged to adapt to the changing climate, allowing market responses to proceed and providing support to any people or countries that are genuinely adversely affected.