Originally Posted by
cxorcist
While not communists, the Ozzies are certainly on the socialist spectrum with extreme taxation, regulation, and high benefit levels.
If by "socialist" you mean having some sort of welfare state then yes I guess so. But that is the American definition of socialist. Conservatives in most developed countries regard a welfare state as a mark of a civilised society. At a quick look, the top marginal tax rate in Australia appears to be 47%. That's far from extreme - I grew up in the UK when the top marginal tax rate was 85%.