I wonder what the Minister for Respect is going to do about the waiting queues at hospitals or the chronic lack of support for youth in crisis?

Why don't they just have a Minister for Spin and forget about it! But wait, they are all Ministers for Spin. Ooops, now officers from the Department of Respect will be around to kick in my door to cart me off to the pokey for disrespecting the government.

George Orwell this is all your fault.

If the ministers only task is to teach respect it must be good.
A recent death on a beach is one I know about wild seas most of the time.
Sharks take fish of your line ten feet out, no place to swim ever.
never patrolled never safe.
I have fished for years there seen sharks cutting my tailor in half, watch in fear as holidaying mums and dads let the kids swim, tell them please get them out, to be told we are beach goers it is OK.
Young drivers die in numbers too big to think of each year, see they do not respect safe drivers, fail to understand we all can speed some faster than them, lack of respect kills.
yes it seems strange but we educate about smoking a whole host of things do we educate about day to day living?

Pynchme: you have made a factual point here; although my daughter's generation do not seem as critical as our generation [for obvious reasons]; it is my daughter who pulls me up on occasion when I fire up on the odd moral and value issues pertaining to other adults in my generation. Her friends and selves would never have just stood aside and allowed a man to sweat it out changing their tyre. They would indeed assist..AND...they would have offered to buy a case of beer for him as I did when two harley davidson guys gave me a lift when stranded with my mountain bike one hot summers day being attacked by a large unrelenting magpie pecking me.

I'd go for a 50% figure of the population exhibiting the ungrateful disrespectful behaviour. How do I estimate? Look at the old door opening scenario anywhere around Australia. How many people actually bother saying thank you or nodding their head in acknowledgement or appreciation. Such a simple trivial little acknowledgement.

How many people actually slow down or stop for a person with a significant limp or blind person? Out of 10 or 15 cars generously spaced well apart to slow down; one vehicle did so recently to allow a guy with a shocking limp stagger across a 60km suburban road. He turned and waved and smiled. My heart melted. It should have been me happily waving and smiling at him. How the hell would those families enjoy going through what this man endures daily putting in a walking effort? THAT is the key question people really need to ask themselves. One day, they may well find themselves in a disabled situation as we all know. Having said all of this, I am at times guilty of disrespect towards different people. Am honest and working on it

we are unique I agree with your every word.
And I note others are using the word respect in other threads.
IF we can get over the minister, if we can focus on why Victoria did it.
And given recent events including another incident with arrests this time, it seems needed to me.
Given the possible impact on that states income, and reputation, it can not harm them.
And who can say some do not need to learn respect.
We have ministers for sport so many ministers, it is the roll of a manager/minister to drive his/her needed outcome.
One mans weekend, mine three young teenage girls standing across the whole doorway of the do it your self big shed.
Me struggling with an armful including a heavy object .
Quote, excuse please young Lady's, answer how rude?
me get out of the doorway thanks[calmly have a nice Aussie day.
young miss rudes? build a bridge and get over it.
I will not be changing tyers for that self centered mob, well not true men of my age mostly will always jump in to help any one, but not all of us.
life skills are needed and respect for others, at least as much as we have for our selves can not hurt.

One of the flaws that I see in Australia is that there is too much respect for authority. People give too much credence to what the government, the church or other authority figures tell them. They don't question enough.

We need less of that kind of respect if we are to have a functioning democracy.

david f

Next you will be asking people to think for themselves and to take some responsibility for their own decisions.

A slippery slope towards (horror of horrors) taking care of themselves and modelling the behaviour they would like to see in others.

However that would all be against the trend towards the establishment of the Nanny State of Victoria. New flag to have large pink boob on it, tattooed "The Guvermint Always Knows What's Best for You".