It has been said that, in a non-democracy, you have a president for life; in a democracy, you have a bureaucracy for life. Unqualified for anything politicians rely too heavily on unelected public servants who appear to be running the show.

The best example of this is the shadowy AAT, which is continually overturning decisions made by the Minister for Immigration.

Why do Australian voters tolerate this nonsense? Public servants are actually running Australia, which is why the country is rooted.

Even if you write directly to a politician, it is highly unlikely the politician will sight your letter, preferring to allow a public servant to answer you with a standard, party-approved response.

While this writer might be interested mainly her own hobby horse, this article is most vital to all aspects of mis-governance in Australia, and it should be heeded.

Australia is rooted.

Susan, good (Victorian) links, but helpful for dealing with bureaucracy how ? We all know they are "adept" at dodging questions and they learn this at an early age, when representing their constituencies as local councillors and such on their way up the Cherry Tree and off to Malfunction Junction in Canberra. After all a camel is only a horse designed by a committee.

I have a treasured copy of the Hunters Hill Council Centenary (1961) and et voila inside is a lovely photo of the bespectacled Councillor Herr Howard, later to become Fuhrer Howard.

Are you familiar with Arthur Chresby ? Each and every Australian has a powerful weapon within their grasp, it's called the 'Australian Constitution' and for a while as a law student I quite despised it & considered it anachronistic and out of touch with modern day Australia. Once I had unpacked what Chresby advises ( to exercise 'Your Will') - in the written form by letter or email, this becomes a potent device and it is unique to Australia...no other Westminster System country has anything quite like it. If only it could be utilised to its fullest potential, most pollies would be in fear of it. Alas, it is not even mentioned, or taught in law faculties around Australia, let alone at schools. Sad to say most children today know more about the US Constitution than our own.

Here's some links to Chresby's article.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Chresby

http://www.peoplesmandate.iinet.net.au/your_will_be_done.pdf

Agree, and a good enough reason for a complete clean out or responsible senior staff with every change of government! If only to make these folk accountable for their advice or what they write as law?

And yet another reason for a bill of irrevocable rights, one of which must has to be, a citizens initiated referendum.

Argue about the number of necessary signatures? Not whether we should or should have one, which would/should be a cornerstone of any genuine democracy!

Nonetheless these bureaucratic instruments ought to have a time limit of say, three months, unless ratified by debated legislation? Otherwise, why bother with elections?
Alan B.

The recently elected Labor government in WA has a mandate to go through the WA bureaucracy like a packet of salts. First cab off the rank will be pink slips for the bloated mandarins in CEO positions created by Barnett's Libs, to be followed closely by a mega-merger drastically reducing the number of government departments. The expense saved will fill some of the zillion-dollar black hole left by the Libs and make possible some modest infrastructure spending with the emphasis on WA jobs rather than outsourcing work to foreign companies as the Libs did.

Barnett's replacement by business speculator Mike Mahan will help guarantee Labor's Mark McGowan a long period in office to repair the massive budgetary damage done by the Libs and get WA back on track with (wait for it!) jobs-n-growth.

{
At a dinner party Churchill says to his dinner companion, "Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?"
The woman responds, "My goodness, Mr. Churchill. I suppose I would."
Churchill replies, "Would you sleep with me for five pounds?"
She answers, "Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?"
Churchill answers, "Madam, we've already established that. Now we are haggling about the price."
}
(from http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-turn/2011/02/we_simply_haggling_over_the_pr.html)

Once you accepted democracy, you have already established your agreement that other people (i.e. a "majority") have a right to control your life.

The rest, such as whether they may do it by legislation or by regulation, is just haggling over the price!

My thoughts on this subject always come down on the off side to home schooling.
One could be totally negative and draw an inference from the article which says homeschoolers are elitist in their view of the school system, and wish simply to be non conformists.
Implying as this article seems to, that scrutiny by the State into the non conformist element in society which they are, is an attack on the Democratic rights of the citizen generally, is a long bow.

But to take the bait, and conclude the world is becoming more painted into a corner by bureaucratic regulation, does state the obvious.