LIBERTARIAN ELECTED TO AUSTRALIAN SENATE! CLASSICAL LIBERAL MOVEMENT ON THE RISE?

LIBERTY IN THE LAND DOWN UNDER?

David Leyonhjelm will be the new senator from New South Wales.

Libertarian leaning politicians in Australia have surged forward in recent elections championing values such as legalizing concealed weapons, marijuana and euthanasia. David Leyonhjelm will be the new Senator for New South Wales and is in a balance of power position, meaning any legislation passed will need to go through him.

Leyonhjelm is described thusly:

“David has had an interest in politics since the early 1970s when, as a member of Young Labor, he worked on the It’s Time campaign to help end military conscription. The following decade he joined the Liberal Party in an effort to promote economic freedom, resigning in 1996 in disgust at John Howard‘s extremist gun laws. He has a classical liberal outlook, favouring individual choice and freedom over government intrusion.“

The Courier Mail reports on the victories of the classical liberals (Note they are referred to as “fringe”):

The party’s national treasurer and top NSW Senate candidate David Leyonhjelm, who resigned from the Liberal Party in 1996 disgust at John Howard’s gun reforms after the Port Arthur Massacre and has also been a member of the Shooters Party, said Australians should have a right to carry hidden weapons for their own protection.

“We’re a libertarian party, so we believe the government should get itself out of people’s lives and leave them alone,” Mr Leyonhjelm said.

“We are pro-guns. We believe people should have the freedom to carry weapons. Just like in Israel or in the United States, if you can prove yourself of good character then you should certainly be able to carry a gun in order to protect yourself.”