Tuesday, 30 August 2022

 Mr QUILTY (Northern Victoria) (13:19): This government treats Victorians like children. It thinks the average person is stupid, reckless and incapable of looking after themselves. It puts restrictions and controls on risky behaviour even when everyone involved is willing to accept those risks. It is a terrible way to view people, and this belief slides all too easily into appalling behaviour towards people. We saw this play out through the pandemic: all government action was aimed at forcing children to obey rather than trusting adults to make sensible choices. Whether it is choosing to drive at a sensible speed, choosing on occasion to get on the beers, choosing to have a punt, choosing to vape, choosing to use cannabis or choosing to take a job or start a business, they are our choices to make. All choices carry risk and consequence, but free people make choices. We are not the property of the government to be protected from ourselves.

It is time we got rid of the nanny state attitude and let people make their own choices. It is time the government started treating us like adults. We can make decisions for ourselves. We know our own circumstances, and we bear the consequences of our own actions. These are our choices to make about our own lives. We do not need the government to hold our hands and protect us from ourselves. Whether it is about something small like wearing a bike helmet or something large like seeking experimental medical treatments, adults should have the right to make their own choices. We each only have one life, and it is up to us to decide how we spend it and what risks we take with it. The Liberal Democrats have a vision for a Victoria where adults are free to choose for themselves. The Liberal Democrats believe the government should treat Victorians like adults.