[RG]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/spe...-1225846638975

Originally Posted by Herald Sun

AUSTRALIAN Grand Prix driver Mark Webber has been accused of insensitivity towards victims of road trauma and their families.

Webber branded Victoria a nanny state yesterday, saying the growing number of rules and regulations left him feeling as though he needed to read an instruction book before getting out of bed.

Early voting by heraldsun.com.au readers appeared to back him up, with almost 80 per cent agreeing with him.

But the State Government hit back last night.

Are we over-regulated? Tell us, which laws do you think are unecessary? Add your comment below.

Minister Tim Holding, staunchly defending anti-hoon laws, said: "I don't think that anyone who has lost a loved one because of road trauma would think that Victoria's anti-hoon laws are too harsh."

His comments come amid weekend carnage in which five people died on our roads as Victoria appeared to be on the way to recording its worst road toll in five years.

Webber's outburst followed police catching Lewis Hamilton fishtailing in St Kilda on Friday night.

Webber, a two-time Grand Prix winner, said Australia had changed since he left for Europe, and he spent his time here dodging ridiculous speeding and parking rules.

"I think we've got to read an instruction book when we get out of bed - what we can do and what we can't do," he said.

"It's certainly changed since I left here - it ****es me off coming back here, to be honest. It's a great country but we've got to be responsible for our actions, and it's certainly a bloody nanny state when it comes to what we can do."

Tim Wilson, of the Institute of Public Affairs, agreed, saying: "If state and federal governments get their way, it's about to get a lot worse.

"The Federal Government has plans to increase taxes on what people can do, to try and tell people what they should be eating, drinking, and smoking.

"There's even talk about the need to introduce exercise classes during work hours.

"The encroaching nanny state is just going to get worse and worse and worse," he said.

"It's about time that governments pulled their heads in and realised that we should have a bit of choice and a bit of responsibility in our lives."

Mr Wilson said the response to inner-city violence was another example: "Everyone is being penalised for the behaviour of a couple of d---heads."

I agree with him and thank god someone who gets media attention has finally come out and said it. I don't particularly agree with what Hamilton did but still.

As for Mr Holding's comments, I think the water minister should stick to water related issues......