Hasbeen,
The good old days weren't really that good, I just did a brief search and the rates of incarceration in 1930 were double what they are today and in real terms it would appear that crime generally was far worse in the past than it is now. Today there are about 10,000 people incarcerated in NSW, in 1930 it was around 7500, but in 1915 there were around 13500 inmates, adjust that for population size and the picture is startling, Australia didn't have a safe and orderly society until the 1950's.

Belly,
Who's the "we" who pay for the actions of the feckless and indolent?
I don't pay any tax because I only earn about 48K a year and have two kids, the vast majority of Australians would be in a similar position, I'm skeptical of the quoted "average" wage being 70, it'd really be more like 50 a year.

Jay that just means our judges are are bleeding hearts, or on instructions not to give custodial sentences, as we don't have enough holiday camps to accommodate all the crims.

Those who lived through the 50s & 60s know damn well how much safer it was to wander a dark street at night, even as a kid, than it is today. As I said elsewhere, we did not even have a key for the front door.

The fact that a crook can have 64 charges treated as "first offence" today should tell you our governments don't want too many convictions, that is if you want to see the truth.

Look in the right places & I'm sure you will find a bunch of statistics generated by government funded academics to agree with you. The problem is that there enough of us with real time experience of those times, & these fairy tales just don't hold water when tested.

Work that gets the hoods off the streets, & tired enough to go to bed at night is the first logical requirement, but I'd still rather see a lot of the money spent on more cops.

I do not come here to kick a dole receiver.
But to underline the very real waste and sense of entitlement, three generations of one familly on dole until they can convert to pension should stop.
The truth is we must change at some time or spiral down to the American system.
Some may need reminding, much of what we do here is in truth Socialism.
And cuts have been big in this area in Queensland and Victoria.
Government support for child minding, health,public transport and Education are in part welfare.
Subsidized medical costs for pensioners and pensions are subsidized.
YES know JOM said he pays no tax, WRONG.
GST and pay as you earn are only part of our tax, GST, not against it but it is often a tax on a tax take fuel tax.
I only want to remind if we do not reform we are in danger of seeing most go.
We can reform.
And get side benefits, if we implement my idea that fines will be taken from welfare, not short visits to prisons.
Or the smashed public housing must be paid for, from welfare.
We may see a reduction of these events.
And that is a benefit.

Introduce National Service ! Give people dignity & stop pampering the hangers-on.
Cut the public service pays & benefits by 15 %. Introduce flat tax. The solutions are out there, people just don't want to give an ounce.
Have lotteries to overcome the housing affordability & create income. Above all, create Laws which make illegal activities actually illegal.
Only do this if you want a better society of course.

A lot of what you say Indi has to do with policy why not get Abbott to use these ideas of yours, so you can put your ideas to the test.