You might enjoy a pastime now but whatever it is the government will put an end to it.
Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen, said the Federal Government was coming across as wowsers, determined to put an end to anything people might enjoy.
Mr Christensen was commenting on the introduction of new packaging regulations for the tobacco industry, which comes hot on the heels of a call for pokies regulation and increased taxes on alcohol.
“If smoking is so bad that you have to put a rotten eyeball on the front of the packet, then just ban it,” he said. “If you’re not going to ban it, then the government shouldn’t be interfering with a company’s right to carry on a legal business.”
Mr Christensen said the new regulations would do little to stop people from smoking but the real impact would be felt by the small shop owners.
“This Labor Government is determined to interfere with everyday people who are simply seeking some enjoyment out of life,” he said. “People shouldn’t have to go through fingerprinting, a retinal scan, and a cavity search just to have a flutter on the pokies.
“Just because a small minority of people have a problem with something does not give the Gillard Government licence to impinge on everyone’s lifestyle. What’s next? Are we going to put pictures of a rotten lung on beer bottles or regulate the telling of dirty jokes?
“Smokers are already subjected to a huge range of regulations but it’s still legal. They have already tried to tax the hell out of alcopops and now they are setting their sights on pubs and clubs with a plan to blow up the pokies.”