I mentioned Steve Smith Syndrome before. Aus cricket captain who authorized the use of sandpaper to alter a cricket ball (cheating). After he was caught out, he fronted the press saying (paraphrased):

I acknowledge mistakes were made, i will learn lessons from that and become an even better leader going forward.

Poor old Steve didn't get away with that line, but many higher-ups do. That's why they call em higher-ups. Classic example today. Police officer (Kristian White - appropriate name at least) was called to a nursing home, whereupon he tasered (to death) a 95 year-old dementia patient. White's final words before zapping her were: Bugger it!

Colonial Australia was founded as a police state. That formative shit doesn't evaporate. Either it's overthrown, or (more likely) it becomes entrenched.

Covid, in the modern era, enabled a great leap forward in that entrenchement.

Aus became the most draconian Covid regime on the planet, topping even CCP. Set a bunch of world records.

Dan Andrews was the highest-profile advocate of this crackdown on Freedom in Australia. Several acts of disturbing police brutality have been posted on this thread under his extremist rise to fame.

In my opinion, the surge in this police-stateness can be linked to the cultural shift Andrews championed. How-the-fuck-else does a trained police officer think that tasering a 95 year-old is a reasonable thing to do? Something is wrong with the training.

Golden rule: When something is wrong with management, use the Steve Smith Defence

Police Commissioner Karen Webb: I could've done things differently but I can't change that now, really I'm looking forward, already thinking about what are out areas of focus for 2025.

They love looking forward - God forbid the area of focus be to examine wtf just happened there under your watch? Can't go there coz that would make us accountable. That's not how it works in the real world. Instead Karen identified cracking down on domestic violence and gang violence as the emerging focus areas.

That's fine, but where's the crackdown on the government training program that resulted in an Aus police officer tasering a 95 year-old? Or the thinking that produced this notorious incident from Andrews' dark ages. https://formosahut.com/forum/index.php?id=3844

As Joe Rogan pointed out - Aus Gov never would have dared to institute such an autocratic Covid-rule if it's citizens still had guns to resist it. At least pose that perception.

It's a thorny question - i can see both sides - but can you trust the government to be the only ones armed? Once you give that shit up - you never get it back. The Taiwan Indigenous wars with the Japanese were fought over that same power shift.