Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm says continuing discussions by the University of Sydney’s executive team to ban sugar soft drinks has a lot more to do with nanny-state thinking than concern for anybody’s health.
“I remember a time not so long ago when university students were treated like adults and trusted to figure things out for themselves,” Senator Leyonhjelm said. “While academics once railed against authoritarians, these days the academics want to tell the rest of us how to live.”
Senator Leyonhjelm points out that the University of Sydney’s own studies demonstrate the whole thing is a waste of time.
“If the University of Sydney decides to go ahead with a ban, it will demonstrate that University management does not trust its own research. What’s worse is that it will show they don’t trust their own students when they get thirsty. Let’s hope that we can put more trust in them in a couple of years’ time when they become lawyers, engineers, doctors and dieticians.
“If soft-drinks are banned, soon they won’t allow students on campus without hats, or to go on excursions without signed notes. In the meantime, I would encourage some enterprising business students to set up their own soft-drink speak-easies.”
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Contact Gavin Atkins at Senator Leyonhjelm’s office on 0448 164 844.
