Political correctness and the obsession with "safety" is ruining our lives. Our overprotective government is sucking all the fun out of life. The simple fact is that the "do-gooders" have stopped us from doing many of the things we have always enjoyed doing - e.g., try taking photo's of your kids/grandkids at a swim carnival.

I have family links to Thailand and near our home there is a poor but very well run orphanage which I support with donations. Several months ago, a well-meaning foreign supporter decided to give the kids a treat. He organised a bus and took about 28 children (plus supervising staff of the orphanage) on a day out to a major local shopping centre. The kids enjoyed a great day out - a wander through the shops, a great lunch......rides in the amusement park........swim in the olympic sized pool etc. There was no "paperwork", no police checks, no insurance requirements and as should be the case, THE KIDS CAME FIRST.

Try doing something like that in Australia without a lawyer and a project manager.

You are so right kfchugo. The worst of this is that there seems to be no way of reversing the situation. This PC crap is only going to get worse. I will never understand why or how we have developed these situations. Most Council parks, do not have playgrounds anymore, because of the cost of insurance cover for practices that are not Council's fault. Having a little knowledge of the law, I am somewhat baffled that schools are allowed to have playgrounds anymore.

I have to agree Innes and also see no way of reversing this trend. In my opinion, we are becoming a society of blame. In our youth, if someone had an accident, it was recognised as such and we generally took the attitude of "poo happens".

These days however, whatever the problem, there is an immediate focus on who is at fault or "who can we sue". Even our OH&S;laws or focussed this way......whatever the cause of an accident, someone MUST be at fault and it is almost always the employer.

Our government is legislation crazy.......every time there is a major problem, they feel obliged to introduce legislation so that it never happens again. Every time, we lose a little more of our civil liberties. Look at our gun laws (I am not a gun fan) but a couple of crazies kill people with guns and suddenly guns are illegal. Now, honest people have great difficulty owning a gun, but naturally, crims have no problem getting one.

Call me cynical, but I think that Australia is no longer the "lucky country" and we have done it to ourselves.

It is interesting that you should raise the gun laws kfchugo. A few years ago, I new a gent who dealt in guns. He was ecstatic about the introduction of the gun laws. He told me that there was no shortage of illegal guns & the laws effectively doubled their value overnight.

I agree with all that is aid above--we are over zealous with all these darn laws--an accident it just that--and we have to take responsibility for our selves--it has taken much fun out of life for many--they won't allow you to take photos of the kids--but they have cameras all over the place to film EVERYONE! As far as the guns laws go--like you say--it only got the honest people to hand them in --the criminals sill have them and will continue to have them.

I agree with all of the above. It is absolutely crazy now. A friend of mine tripped in a shopping centre, mainly because she was wearing really high heels and was rushing - her fault entirely. The first person to arrive to "assist" was a security guard with a declaration for her to sign stating that it was not the fault of the management. She signed because it was her fault, but was somewhat concerned that no care or concern was shown until after she had signed the form.



We have got to the stage when people think twice before helping someone Who would admit to being an off-duty doctor/nurse at an accident.? What a sad indictment on our society.



Another friend has just done a full day course on "political correctness", which has virtually taken away half our vocabulary.



So yes, where are we heading?

I slipped over in the shopping center--was not my fault--there was a grape on the floor which I did not see--NO ONE even came to help me--when I managed to get up --very shaken--the manager took me out the back and got me to sign something--I was too shaken to remember just what it was--I was bruised and sore for a week --and they did ring me--a day later--but I was OK and never made a claim.