RR 31/10

TELEVISION coverage showing Victoria police being attacked with rocks, glass bottles, and rotten fruit, is cause for every Victorian to reflect; to declare — in the most strident terms — enough-is-enough; to assert their backing for the police; and to vociferously condemn the antisocial behaviour which is contaminating our lives and freedom of movement. The irresponsible, over-indulged minority must be held accountable for their lawlessness.

Let there be no equivocation: the rocks were not found on the side of the road, nor did the glass bottles fall from the sky. They were brought to the rally with an evil purpose: to be used as weapons against the police. There was criminal intent to cause bodily harm to sworn, law-enforcement officers.

Successive governments disgraceful legislative failure to maintain law-and-order, and their seeming paucity of jurisdictional penalties for offenders, has brought the state to this lamentable pass. The containment of communal uneasiness is a government imperative; however, the relentless agitprop is platitudinous, oftentimes exasperating, chatter which does nothing to ameliorate the serious challenges. While it may support a political agenda it is not evidenced by research based evidence.

Crime is widespread in Melbourne and regional Victoria — and across the Nation. Comparatively, state statistics demonstrate Victoria has a significantly higher and rapidly increasing crime rate particularly for violent offences, motor vehicle theft, unlawful entry, and armed robbery — leading to the state’s highest recorded crime rate. Too many serious incidents are reason for public disquiet.

Melbourne is no more, nor less, hazardous than any other of the capital cities; nor is it by definition, ‘dangerous’; however, it does, like major cities everywhere, require a degree of vigilance in the navigation. Patently, there is an element of risk on the streets, and on public transport, but it does not follow rationally the CBD should be avoided.

Too often we hear the vacuous mantra of “citizens’ rights” — an inalienable entitlement to protest at will; to nudge the status quo; to voice dissention centred on the international human rights charter championing freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association. There is a corollary — a simple but profound proposition: rights are not immutable but privileges granted by the state. Under the full democracy of the Crown we enjoy rewards denied many. Approximately 93.4-percent of the world is not fully democratic; 39-percent live under inflexible, authoritarian rule.

The preamble and 30-articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are fine words and in a Panglossian world would fashion a universal utopia; however, we have allowed the intent to be distorted and exploited by fundamentalists, conspiratorialists, bigots, right-wing extremists, anti-social trouble-makers, and the despots of the world, who would impose their jaundiced, warped ideologies.

It is fallacious to posit all protests foster equality and inclusivity — irrespective. There are those dark forces — collectives of treacherous dissidents — who would divide the Nation and spread their social venom; who hubristically suppose they are outside the law and free to behave with impunity. Bafflingly, the premier has rejected calls for “protest permits” requiring rally organisers to submit an intention notice to police seven days prior.

It is time for the majority of the Nation to retrieve the privileges usurped by those who would bend us to their will; and for the government to render impotent those recalcitrants flouting the law for their own benefit.

Roland can be heard with Brett Macdonald radio 3BA — Monday 10.40am. Contact: [email protected]