It’s a good time to be a Conservative in Australia

Christopher Rath celebrates the successes of conservatism in Australia - and proposes a benchmark on how a future Abbott Government could be judged: 

It’s a good time to be a Conservative in Australia…. And when I say conservative, I refer to contemporary conservatism that is still rooted in the socially conservative tradition of Edmund Burke and the economic liberalism as espoused by Adam Smith. Previously this conservatism had been the driving force behind the Thatcherites, the Reaganites and the Howardites (if such a word hasn't been used then I would be its founder and strongest adherent). 

Obviously I don't mean that Australia is more conservative today than in the 1800s, nor do I live in hope that we can return to 17^th century Britain, despite my High Tory ideals at times. However, the culture war seems to have shifted in our favour compared to 2007 and certainly since the dark days of the Keating era.   

Many of my conservative friends are pessimistic about Australia’s future and people that know me would attest that I am certainly not a utopian either. However, of late I have found seven reasons to be optimistic about our great nation.

1. Support for Australia's Constitutional Monarchy is at a 25 year high according to a Roy Morgan poll in June this year. Support for a Republic is now at only 35% and I am sure that the 35% in question all have different preferred models of their République in mind.

2. Non-Government School Students as a proportion of Australian students has increased from approximately 20% in the 1970s to almost 35% today.  Around 90% of these non-Government schools are Catholic or from other Christian denominations.  There is no greater unifying issue amongst conservatives and libertarians than choice in education.     

3. Trade Union membership has collapsed. Trade union membership rates of over 50% of the workforce in the 1950s/60s/ 70s has now declined to a mere 18%. Trade unions not only create unemployment and inefficiency through unrealistic wage demands, they are also the arch nemesis of the Liberal Party and conservatism.    

4. The Catholic Church has largely improved since the 1990s, especially under the guidance of Cardinal Pell. Orthodoxy is slowly supplanting the liberal secular catholicism of the 1970s and 80s. Furthermore, Pentecostalism is on the rise with an explosion in adherents at places like Hillsong. Out of the 238,000 Pentecostals in Australia, three-quarters of them attend church every Sunday, far superseding the poor attendance of other denominations.  The first time that I went to a Pentecostal church in Wollongong they played a 5 minute video clip in defence of marriage by the Australian Christian Lobby. It was very refreshing to be amongst friends.

5. Victory on the climate change debate is now in sight. During the dark days of 2006-2009 conservatives were clearly losing the climate change debate. We were told that our damns would dry up, our crops would die and our seas would displace most of Sydney. We had a Liberal Party under Turnbull that supported an ETS, a Labor Party under a then very popular Kevin Rudd that supported an ETS, the Greens at the pinnacle of their power advocating a virtual return to the stone age with 80% reductions in emissions, 66% of Australians who supported an ETS with only 25% opposing, and if you even hinted at possible inaccuracies in climate change ‘science’ you were censored out of existence or called a ‘climate denier’ as if you were comparable to a war criminal. We can now rejoice that the carbon tax is slowly killing the Gillard Government just as the ETS killed Rudd.     

6. The rise of ANZAC Day, Australia Day and Australian patriotism. The assault on our flag, our history and our public holidays has subsided since the Keating days. 95% of Australians support the statement “The spirit of ANZAC Day (with its human qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice) continues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity”.  We should give John Howard most of the credit here.

7. Tony Abbott and the Liberals have won the last 27 newspolls (2PP) and election victory seems almost imminent. Malcolm Turnbull did not win a single newspoll under his leadership; in fact he was so far behind that the Liberal Party would have been reduced to a mere rump in Parliament had he not been replaced as leader and the ETS opposed. 

The future of Australian Conservatism rests largely with Tony Abbott. The Abbott Government needs to be reformist in the tradition of the Howard years and not a squandered opportunity in the mould of the Fraser Government. The following nine indicators and policies would have to be the litmus test issues in determining whether conservatism has succeeded or failed within 5 years- we should view them as our performance indicators:

1. The protection of marriage as an institution between one man and one woman. This is the single most important contemporary issue that conservatives face in Australia today. It is an institution that pre-dates the founding of Australia, the British monarchy and even Christianity itself. If marriage and the family unit are redefined, despite existing for thousands of years and responsible for so much good in society, then conservatives will never be able to credibly argue that they are winning the culture war.

2. Reduction in the size of government.  Most importantly the abolition of government debt together with the carbon tax, mining tax and the student services amenities fee. 

3. A restoration of Howard style immigration policy, similar to the ‘Pacific Solution’. Off shore processing at Nauru and Temporary Protection Visas would have to be reinstated together with a stronger citizenship test not stronger “multiculturalism” (as the left defines it).  

4. The preservation of Australia’s Constitutional Monarchy. This is the tried and tested system that has made Australian democracy the envy of the western world. It isn’t just about defending our history; it’s also about preserving a system of checks and balances that avoids both tyranny and revolution.   

5. Labour market deregulation and the abolition of Fair Work Australia. The Rudd/Gillard system is taking Australia back to a pre-1996 labour market with the sole aim of re-empowering the trade unions. 

6. Victory on the climate change debate and the reduction of the influence, power and votes of the Greens, hopefully to the point where they are as irrelevant as the Australian Democrats. Conservatives who have an environmental conscience need to remember Margaret Thatcher’s words, that global warming is a "marvellous excuse for worldwide, supra-national socialism".

7. Restoring freedom of speech, which has eroded over recent years on the deplorable grounds of ‘the right not to be offended’. Andrew Bolt, Mark Steyn and the Institute of Public Affairs are doing great work on this.  

8. The abolition of the National Curriculum and tackling the Teacher’s Federation and their indoctrinating agenda head on. The cross-curriculum priorities are Indigenous Australians' histories and culture; Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia; and Sustainability. There is severe hostility to capitalism and the western world, and such a level of bias that “schools might as well tell students who to vote for”- the title of a recent article by Chris Berg.

9. At least a second term of an Abbott Government with Senator Eric Abetz as Leader of the Government in the Senate. A single term will not be sufficient enough to fix Labor’s mistakes, contain the left and drive a conservative agenda.

It would have been ideal to write extensively on each of the nine performance indicators for success of a new Abbott Government and certainly essays could be written on any individual point mentioned above. However, I though that it was important to start the debate on what conservatives would like to see a new Abbott Government implement or preserve. Only so many articles can be written about the evils of the carbon tax; however, I think that I have been quite realistic in balancing the policies that conservatives would like to see with the pragmatism necessary for any government to stay in power.

We should never compromise our conservative principles, however, we must also not be policy purists, because as Edmund Burke realised, “all government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter”.

Christopher Rath has just completed a Bachelor of Economics at the University of Sydney and has commenced a Masters of Management. He is President of the Throsby Young Liberal Branch and sits on the Federal Young Liberal Executive.   

Christopher Rath has just completed a Bachelor of Economics at the University of Sydney and has commenced a Masters of Management. He is President of the Throsby Young Liberal Branch and sits on the Federal Young Liberal Executive.   

 

Comments

[stu]

1.

Great piece Christopher and the (lack of) support for the co2 tax begs this question be answered by our PM
http://oursay.org/s/1p1
Just two days to go – If anyone hasn’t voted, here’s your chance. Let’s ask this question of the PM (question currently at No.2) Thanks all.

[James]

2.

What are these high tory Ideals you sometimes adhere to?

[Sebastian]

3.

I think Edmund Burke is more of a whig actually

[Andrew S]

4.

If marriage is an institution that predates governments, why should it now be the role of government to regulate it?
Surely the logical conclusion from your argument is the government ought get itself out of the marriage business and leave it to social institutions, the church etc

[Jim]

5.

Good points, all.
And well done Christopher.
I used to give the people in the organisation i had the honour to serve, the expression, "Look forward and despair, look back and hope."
It sounds paradoxical but Christopher's article is an endorsement of it.
Indeed, when Lincoln in the Gettysburg address made the point that it is for us the living to carry on the good work he was anticipating Christopher in some ways.

[kraka]

6.

probably something like allowing other people to have an opinion and not screaming racist or denier if they don't agree with your view before heading over to the nearest groupthink site (crikey,abc,getup etc)to have your own opinion reinforced by like minded bludgers.At least thats what I think he means

[AF]

7.

Absolutely Brilliant. Top job. None of this wishy-washy social liberal whiggish leftist nonsense. That's some real conservatism you have enlightened us with today. Keep up the good job Chris. This is the best article I have ever read in Menzies House to date. No doubt the left liberals will be pulling their hair out at this.

God Save The Queen.

[Chris R]

8.

Thanks AF. I know that it is probably slightly more socially conservative than some other articles on here.

James, High Tory values may include things like chivalry, manners, being a proper gentleman or lady, an appreciation of high culture and so forth. A High Tory is perhaps a romantic pre-French revolutionary view to take. However, I am a realist not a utopian, so I don't reminisce too much.

Andrew S, in an ideal world the government wouldn't need to regulate marriage, we wouldn't need to regulate a whole host of things. I think that Senator Abetz has done a better job of defending marriage than I ever could do: http://abetz.com.au/speeches/for-better-in-defence-of-marriage
Libertarians should also be against the increased regulation that is the left's proposals to bring in state sanctioned gay marriage. However, I also recognise that many libertarians favour the abolition of the marriage act.

[Kate]

9.

Libertarians should also be against the increased regulation that is the left's proposals to bring in state sanctioned gay marriage. However, I also recognise that many libertarians favour the abolition of the marriage act.

Being a libertarian myself, I find that while this may be a goal in the long term (see long, long long term, well after Medicare is gone), the influence of government in this area is too restrictive.
But as with excessive gun control and tobacco laws, we have to stop the nanny state telling its citizens what they can and can't do, so in the short term I propose that changing the marriage act to the civil union act, along with the relevant text regarding gender, is the right thing to do.

And just to clarify, what increased regulation would have to be undertaken?

[John Mc]

10.

This is the tried and tested system that has made Australian democracy the envy of the western world.

Our democracy is most definitely not the envy of the western world! I would say a majority of Americans would consider it lacking, and plenty of the better nations in Europe would be the same.

[John Mc]

11.

I should add that it's a good list of KPIs and well done on pointing out the positives. We've made a lot of progress, we have a lot of blessings and the immediate future certainly looks very, very bright!

[conserned citizan]

12.

ive always worried about how much conservative sounds like conservation. can u help?

[Jovial Monk]

13.

I suppose you have come here because the Conservatives have utterly fucked Britain?

[oldskool]

14.

can we get rid of Turnbull and mal washer from he Liberal party altogether

[Stephan Knoll]

15.

Well done Chris, great article and one to help keep us going through tough political times, especially here is SA.

[David Capper]

16.

Then it wouldn't be the Liberal Party (ie the party of the broad church). It would be the Conservative Party. Personally I think the Liberal Party is enriched by an open discussion of differing views. I may also be one of the reasons for its traditional electoral success (at least at the federal level) because the majority of people can find something they like or agree with in its position, which is probably not the case with parties that push an extremist ideological line (ie the Greens).

[dante]

17.

Great article! If I ever needed reasons why we need a conservative government Abbott style like a hole in the head you just provided one. I'll print and distribute this article (and some of the more stupid comments!) to any undecided voters and they will never again think of voting dinosaurs whose time has long, long past. Any idiot that believe that by ‘pointing out inaccuracies in a science’ discredits the science clearly shows his limited intellect. And then praising the Catholic Church (yep, they make great pedophiles!) and the other crazy churches (the World is a mere 6,400 year old according to those creationists!). Can I please have some more? Pleaseeeee

[Phil S]

18.

A lot of what you say makes sense, by why the emphasis on maintaining that part time, time share, offshore monarchy which is undemocratic and based on inherited privilege in a way which is anathema to Australia's egalitarian ethos?

And please don't say that the monarchy is what underpins our democracy. It does not. A good federal parliamentary democracy with an elected upper house, a powerful respect for the rule of law, and the decency and commonsense of Australians is what makes our democracy strong.

It would remain as strong with a democratically chosen Head of State who is one of us to replace the monarch and the GG, and with powers substantially similar to those of the GG.

[John Mc]

19.

I'll print and distribute this article (and some of the more stupid comments!) to any undecided voters and they will never again think of voting dinosaurs whose time has long, long past

Do you reckon it will save you?

The latest Newspoll has Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister by three points and the coalition with a landslide-winning lead.

[Chris R]

20.

I really hope that you're not a member of the Liberal Party Dante.

[oldskool]

21.

fair comment

but are turnbull and washer too extreme to be in the party, their ideologies are infact more in line with the greens extremism?

[Jimmy]

22.

Hackneyed repetition of party lines, the dearth of an original thought.

You have all the makings of a great Australian politician.

[kraka]

23.

I wish you would distribute it to undecideds Dante though I doubt very much if you even know any in your little group think circles. And if we ever need to know what an unscientific twat you really are it is this statement "‘pointing out inaccuracies in a science’ discredits the science".
The THEORY of global warming has been completely discredited because of all the inaccuracies that have been pointed out-and not just inaccuracies but complete fabrications (hockey stick,climategate etc)No-one said anything about the science because there was NO Science behind it-it was a fraud and the fact you still dont get it is indeed a sign of limited intellect.
In saying that Science has paid a price for the fraudulent behaviour of the AGW religous movement with the overblown rhetoric and hyperbole(hyperbowl), coupled with the now universal acknowledgment that the peer review system is completely unreliable in the climate science's, has seen this area of the science discredited. There is no way this can be denied
In about 13 months time you are going to find out how much of a minority you really live in

[kraka]

24.

And on religion-your a member of a religous movement that believes carbon dioxide is a pollutant and that taxing it will lower the temperature-bwahahahahaha-PUHlease give me some more.

[Tommy]

25.

Fantastic article Chris - you're a great writer and very intelligent, I hope you write a lot more articles here at menzies house. I haven't looked at menzies house ever since they published that article by that leftie drongo Alex Greenwich, but this article has resotred by faith in the website.

[Shane]

26.

It's time you think? it may well be by the looks of it. But tell the LNP, who now know what it's like to make hard decisions, no matter how hard they try and blame it on labour. There will be whispers to the LNP fromt the Federal arm to cut the slashin, at least until after the next federal election. You may well be on a winnin streak, but you know how gamblin can go?

[Shane]

27.

Bloody oath
What does AF stand for? A fuckin Tory

[kraka]

28.

I'm sounding like a broken record here Dante but considering you are one of the many loopy left sycophants who have spruiked the "98% of scientists consensus" argument here-I direct you to this link. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/07/18/about-that-overwhelming-98-number-of-scientists-consensus/
The consensus is,was and always will be a joke. As anyone with half a brain would have worked out a long time ago-if the AGW theory was a consensus they would have produced the evidence ad nauseum to dispel the sceptics. Instead we were bombarded with cherry picked and falsified data, mockumentaries such as an inconvenient truth, peer review claims that were anything but and generally given no MSM space. The blogosphere and a few HONEST scientists exposed the fraud and now the majority of the thinking population understand they were duped by Governments and taxpayer funded gravytrain riders.
It's over mate-your religion is in it's death throes and Christianity will outlast you.

[pk]

29.

" The Catholic Church has largely improved since the 1990s, especially under the guidance of Cardinal Pell. Orthodoxy is slowly supplanting the liberal secular catholicism of the 1970s and 80s"

Not where I see it mate. And I'm one of 7 from an old school Catholic family, and well centred in the 'Catholic mafia' to know that the only reason anyone baptises their kids these days is to get them into a cheaper private school. No-one under the age of 50 goes to mass other than maybe Christmas and Easter. And no one older who grew up in your so-called glory days pre-1960s wants to go back to that- the parents of my generation are still reeling with revulsion and betrayal over priests preying upon their kids. As for Pell - haha the most unpopular man in the flock - expected really considering he cannot hear the screams of children being raped over the massive roar of his vatican ambitions.

Thanks goodness the tradition avenues of hard-line indoctrination - like going to the 3rd world - are set to be curbed thanks to champions progressives like Melinda Gates.....

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/05/06/melinda-gates-new-crusade-investing-billions-in-women-s-health.html

[kraka]

30.

Pk-you,like many other regressives,continually revert to lines such as revulsion of the priests praying upon their kids in what seems to be a continuous criticism of the Catholic religion. Fair enough too. I do seem to note a complete lack of comment about your revulsion of a certain religion (lets say is starts with I and ends with slam)that condones the mutilation of female gentalia, straps bombs to kids to kill not only non believers but more often than not their own religious counterparts and hacks peoples heads off live on you tube. Obviously you are repulsed equally by these acts as you are by the repulsive acts of the catholic faith yes?
I can fully understand this seemingly anti-religous bent that many of the left are on but it is unclear to me why only the christian beliefs in general and the catholics in particular bear the brunt of your distaste. Surely the current religous problem in todays world, regardless of the catholic faiths historical shortcomings (and apart from the AGW faith)stems from a religion whose core being exhibits no tolerance to anyone else's beliefs?

[pk]

31.

"Obviously you are repulsed equally by these acts as you are by the repulsive acts of the catholic faith yes?"

Indeed i am kraka, the one difference being that i know the Catholic faith and it's followers inside and out and feel I have much more ability to comment on my home turf (glass houses and all).
Secondly, any claims that going back to pre-1960's doctrine is being welcomed by catholics, or that Pell is a great leader are made by someone clearly living in la-la land. Priests are, on average, in their 60's, people do not go to church the way they did in 1950 and reverting back to being a hardline, conservative church is not going to save them from extinction.

If you cannot understand the distaste I have for my own Catholic upbringing, I guess you don't know people who have been raped by priests (as school mates of my brother's were) and then continue to see the arrogance of people like Pell who truly believe themselves to be above the law and do anything to maintain that special status eg: by blocking royal commissions into systematic abuse etc...

BTW bringing every discussion on Christian faiths back to a " Well muslims are worse!" line of argument displays a refusal to deal with complex and far more local issues. Grow up and talk about the issue at hand.

[kraka]

32.

PK-as the communist revolution proved the christian faith will carry on pretty well forever. Speaking about growing up I didn't say Muslims were worse-I said you and the other left wingers have a nearly physcopathic hatred of the christian faith and refuse to criticize the faith that is currently causing far far worse problems than anything the christian faith is currently causing. The current religous issue at hand IS the Islamic faith. Your refusal to wash it under the carpet with a "i don't know enough about it" excuse when it is in the news virtually everyday is more a sign of immaturity than what you accuse me of.

[pk]

33.

Kraka I was responding to the article. You are talking about something irrelevant to this entire discussion and making sweeping statements about what I do and do not tolerate based on one post. I also never claimed the eventual death of Christian faith but rather the Catholic church as we know it - learn to read.

[bluebell]

34.

WELL, SOMEBODY IS REALLY PEEVED ENOUGH TO WRITE TO BOTH POLITICIANS IN THIS COUNTRY - CAN'T SAY I BLAME HER EITHER......I DO HAVE THE NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER OF THIS INDIVIDUAL, BUT I WOULD RATHER NOT PLACE IT HERE.

To Julia Gillard (Prime Minister) & Tony Abbott (Leader of the Opposition).

You BOTH Worry me! (In fact both of your Political parties worry the hell out of me!!!)

Over the last three years, I find myself becoming more and more fearful of the pair of you, and between you, you are turning this country into a place that I no longer feel at home in, or feel a part of! I watch you in Parliament, and no, not just the two of you, but every politician that I see, stand up in parliament sneering at each other, and acting like children!!! (.and if you were my children, I would be ashamed of you all ... what an example to set!)

Although you would like us all to believe that you are putting the needs of this country at the forefront, NEITHER of you are doing that, you seem more interested in "one-up-manship", in scoring off each other, and denigrating each other, to the detriment of this country & its people !!!

It seems to be all about YOU as individuals, and not about what you can DO for this country!
It is fast becoming a place that I do not recognize, as the place I always thought, was the best place in the world to be!!!

But no longer!!!

You are not listening to the people of this country!!!
And here in South Australia, your counterparts are afflicted with the same disease — is it endemic in all politicians?

I am watching the deterioration of living standards in this country, (and according to you, on a world stage we are doing better than most countries ... REALLY ???) ... And yet the gap is widening between the "haves" and the "have-nots". I see our homeless on the streets, our hospitals under-funded, and understaffed, our health system is an absolute mess and a disgrace ... and yet I see multi-millions of

dollars being sent off shore, in aid to other countries, before attending to this country's needs!

I see the "selling off of the farm", in large amounts, to foreign interests, (In Every State ) including water rights to foreign interests too .... And WHY..?

Especially when you go to great lengths to tell us that water is a finite resource, and supposedly, we must ALL be careful with how we use it, so that we ensure we have it for the future?

Foreign interests "Fracking" for coal seam gas, and riding rough shod over farmers' rights to their own land, AND USING QUESTIONABLE CHEMICALS. (You don't even KNOW what chemicals they use), and possibly causing damage to the water table in the process!!
And those foreign interests I believe, do NOT have to pay anything in royalties back to this country, for the first five years of their tenure ... IS THIS CORRECT ???

A Carbon Tax, (which you KNOW is just another tax with a "Starting Point dollar value") which will make NO appreciable difference, to carbon emissions, AT ALL!

A tax, which in spite of all your arguments FOR it, you are doing alone, when other major countries will NOT & DO NOT embrace it, or believe in it!

All that it will do for this country is put working families and small businesses behind the eight ball, what planet are you on, if you think that your few hundred dollars a year, will make even a scrap of difference to the effect of the carbon tax on people?

Blind Freddy can see the holes in that argument! Do you really think we are that dumb???

The CONVOY OF NO CONFIDENCE was real and I haven't spoken to even ONE person, who would not have liked to be there if they could, but the tyranny of distance and/or work was the only thing that kept them away, (myself included ), and you KNOW that only a part of the convoy was actually allowed to be in front of Parliament house and ON VIEW — the rest were streets away, unreported by the media!

For Mr Albanese to stand up in Parliament, and call it "THE CONVOY OF NO CONSEQUENCE ", in his sneering tone, shows just how out of touch with the people of Australia, you really are !!!! WE WOULD HAVE ALL LIKED TO BE THERE !!!

DEFENCE ........ Because Americans are our Allies, and we support them in Wars, ......... Korea , Vietnam , Iraq , Afghanistan , ..... and you have sent our soldiers to those places, and our soldiers fought for you, and for Australia ........ some coming home with terrible physical injuries, and some with devastating Mental Injuries as well ..... BUT WHERE ARE YOU, WHEN THEY NEED YOU ?????

Veteran's Indexation to CPI only is a disgrace ... and is something YOUR Labor party Julia, used as an election sweetener, to get the Veteran's Vote ... BUT YOU LIED (Again)! You never had any intention of honouring your election promise to them ... and it WILL come back to bite you at the next election!!!! (And Tony, Liberals were NO BETTER, Howard had more than 10 years to "fix it"

and didn't !)

Veterans are not alone, they have families, friends and supporters, who are heartily sick of the deception your party perpetrated on them ....AND THEY ALL VOTE !!!!

THEY are your obligation, first and foremost and it is not your first obligation to give aid to every man and his dog overseas first!!! Look after your own FIRST! Is this what you call SALUTING THEIR SERVICE???
Have you any idea, how sickening it is for our Vets to see you both, (Labor or Liberal ) turn up to the funerals of our current young

Vets for a photo opportunity, to be seen to be "caring" in the public eye, but only to turn your backs on them all, when they need you ??? (Just ask Breanna Till — an Afghanistan Soldier's wife, how CARING this Government is !!!)

And in light of what you DON'T do for our Vets — Let's talk about Multiculturalism. People have come here from other countries, for a better life, for more years than I have been alive (I am 65 years old), my own family migrated here in 1883, from Germany, and did find a better life.

Pre & Post war immigrants have came for a better life, and settled in and became wonderful contributors to this country, as did those who came here after the Vietnam War, all have contributed to the rich diversity of this country, and some descendants have even fought

FOR this country, and they have become Australians and were glad to be and they had NO handouts from our Government either, they worked hard for everything!

I have never before had a problem with all, or any, race of immigrants coming here ...

However , I DO NOW!!!

Please tell me why we have areas like Lakemba, where police do NOT, & will NOT go, for fear of their life?
Please tell me why we can no longer have religion in schools, for fear of "OFFENDING" someone ? (The latest little gem is that they are not having, or being funded, for "Chaplains " any more, but "Counsellors "?)
Please tell me why religious Christmas observances are no longer allowed in some schools for fear of OFFENDING someone?
Please tell me HOW Christmas decorations in some stores might OFFEND someone?
Please tell me why we have to have segregated days in some swimming centres, for fear of "OFFENDING" someone?
Please tell me why we have some RADICAL clerics demanding Sharia Law in this country, when if we were in THEIR country, this would NEVER be allowed?
Please tell me why our laws need to be changed, so as not to OFFEND someone?
Please tell me why we are fast becoming a MINORITY voice, in our own country, because of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS?
Please tell me WHY Australians cannot legally wear a face covering bike helmet into a bank and yet it is ok to wear a Burqa which covers the whole face?
And please tell me WHY, when those people who want asylum here, can wreck our detention centres, as in Villawood and STILL be accepted here?

SO, in light of the above, WILL BOTH OF YOU Please tell me WHY, when some of our Vietnam Veterans FINALLY received (in the last 6 months) the recognition that they should have had after the Vietnam War, (and which they received from the USA & South Vietnam, during and immediately after the Vietnam War), that the families of those Veterans, were refused assistance by this Government, to attend that award ceremony, and yet this Government flew, accommodated , and even took on bus tours, to the the families of asylum seekers, after the funerals of those who were killed in the boat which sunk off Christmas Island?

What does that say, about just who are this government's priorities?

The Australian people that I speak to have genuine concerns about becoming a second class minority in our own country, and the reasons for it, are some of the above, — are you so blind that you cannot see this

And no, I am NOT racist (if I did not like Catholics or Protestants would I be considered racist) Of course not!

Why is it, that if we object to what is happening in our country, we are immediately labelled RACIST, in an attempt to shut us up?

We are fighting Radical Muslims, in Afghanistan & Iraq , are we not? I hear you say, yes but the Muslims we have here are

"Not like that" well how would we know? do we hear ANY of them coming out & speaking AGAINST radicals?? I haven't, have

you ???

Islam is not compatible with ANY of the values that we hold here in Australia! Are not the experiences of Britain, France , and the Netherlands an example of that? Why do you think it would be any different here ? We even have an Australian born "radical", whose message is that Australia WILL become a Muslim country, under Sharia Law, and that we had "better get used to it”.

Will both of you grow some "Balls", and start sticking up for this country and its people???

We are the people who put you where you are, and PAY you to look after our interests! And you are NOT doing that, by any stretch of the imagination!!!

I would appreciate an answer, from both of you, if only to convince me that once again, I am not talking to a brick wall.

In case it has escaped both of you ...I would like to remind you that, in Australia the Government ... is FOR THE PEOPLE, OF THE PEOPLE, AND BY THE PEOPLE ..
never forget that......because you sure have up till now !!!

[dust storm]

35.

Exactly! Marriage predates the state, therefore, the state should stay out of the definition of marriage. Let marriage be defined for adherants of religions, by respective religious institutions; for members of cultural groups, by cultural groups; individuals who are not members of a religion or a distinctive cultural group, by their own conscience. The only thing the state can regulate, is when children are neglected, then social services may intervene; if domestic violence occurs, the court may impose a DVO. In other words, the state should not be concerned with whether people are "married", but only whether they are living in a "marriage-like" relationship.

[dust storm]

36.

If you truly believe in a small government, you would also believe in the separation of church and state, leaving religion no business of the state at all. Religion is a private matter, decided by the conscience of the individual. Forced conversion is no conversion at all, because one can only be forced to observe religious rituals, but the heart is not genuine. Such kind of religious experience does not bring salvation, it only creates hypocrites. History shows, when the church wants to advance its causes through partnering up with the state and using political methods, it eventually becomes the whore of the state, as its own faith is defiled and adulterated. I'm speaking on this topic, not as an irreligious lefty, but as an adherant of a Christian tradition that highly values the freedom of conscience and the separation of church and state.

And if you truly believed in the rights of the individual, you would also believe in the freedom of assosiation and the dignity of workers, who ought to be protected by reasonable occupational health and safety standards. Trade unionism, whether you agree with it or not, is simply one of the expressions of the freedom of association. Occupational health and safety measures are there not to give an unfair advantage to workers, but to ensure that while they are selling their labour, they are not also selling their health along the way. We have seen many an example of a worker permanently injured at work because occupational health and safety measures were not properly implemented, such as in the cases of asbestosis. Trade unions have been an influential force in advocating for a safer working environment, and this should not be discredited.

[kraka]

37.

my main points remain valid. a)you have a borderline physchotic hatred of the christian and catholic beliefs b)you refuse to criticize a religion who most would argue carry out far worse atrocities than the catholics in the modern world.
Besides, the Catholic faith will last as long as the christian faith.Not sure of your age but whether its 15 (likely) or 50-you won't see the death of the catholic church in your lifetime

[pk]

38.

"you have a borderline physchotic hatred of the christian and catholic beliefs"

Thanks doctor, maybe if you can learn to spell 'psychotic' and I might take your diagnosis on board.

"you refuse to criticize a religion who most would argue carry out far worse atrocities than the catholics in the modern world."

I simply refuse to change the discussion at hand. I suggest if you want to talk about Muslim atrocities you take it to the 99% of threads on here which veer into that topic.

[kraka]

39.

Typical left wing loony response when their obvious bias is called into question.
Tactic one-look for any spelling or grammar mistakes and use it as a pathetic defence
Tactic two-stick hands over ears and say nyah nyah nyah nyah-i'm not listening to you.
You are an immature juvenile pk.The discussion at hand was conservative values of which many are in common with the christian faith. You chose to turn the debate into catholic bashing. By doing that you opened yourself to questions of idealogical, blinkered views as it is beyond question that the religion which you refuse to criticize is responsible for reprehensible acts that go far beyond anything the christian faith is responsible for (in recent history anyways)and whose values are not compatible with the conservative values predominate in Australia.
I suggest if you want to deny answering questions that would show your bias you ask your teacher to log you onto The Drum or some other groupthink site.

[pk]

40.

"The discussion at hand was conservative values of which many are in common with the christian faith."

wrong- my post was specifically about point 4 in this article which cite's Pell by name and suggests the conservative catholic church is back on the rise, and that this is a good thing - I simply called the writer on the validity of this claim.

I do not wish to be drawn into an argument over "which religion is worse", I feel this is a disservice to people in my community who are still seeking justice from the Catholic Church for being raped as children. Or is your response to these types of claims "Hey steady on, the church isn't that bad - did you know that in 3rd world countries Muslims stone women to death for being rape victims? Now count yourself lucky and run along!"

Yeah, I thought not.

[kraka]

41.

"I do not wish to be drawn into an argument over "which religion is worse",-of course you don't, that would show you up for the shallow hypocrite that you are.
"Or is your response to these types of claims "Hey steady on, the church isn't that bad - did you know that in 3rd world countries Muslims stone women to death for being rape victims? Now count yourself lucky and run along!"
Truly pathetic line and emblematic of the childish reasoning you have displayed on this blog overtime.
I have been saying all along, as you well know, that the left in general, and you in particular, have been on an anti religous bent for years but ONLY against one religion. You refuse to criticize a religion whose non tolerance for women,gays and other religions should so offend your left wing libertarian sensibilities that it can only be described as hypocrisy that you won't.
There are problems in all religions but only one that has ZERO tolerance for ALL others. I have been merely saying that your refusal to enter into any debate about other religions by using a stay on topic argument is childish at best. I don't usually bother with your anti catholic garbage as I am not a practicing christian however it is getting tiresome. I get it that the Catholic Church has a terrible past and you know people that have been hurt by it but quite simply The Catholic church is not the only religious organization, its not innocent, but it has far more values more in line with our christian heritage then the religion whose name dare not pass the lips of the anti religous (read christian)zealots of the left.
You can be anti religous, fine, but your argument becomes an obsession and a partisan line of debate when you ONLY criticize one of them at the expense of all others.

[kraka]

42.

It is a good time to be a conservative-especially if the author of the hockey stick fraud isn't bluffing with his threat to sue Mark Steyn for libel regarding a post in the national review. http://www.steynonline.com/5084/hockey-sticking-it-to-the-mann
Holy cow-this will come to nought unfortunately, imagine if Mann had to front an actual court and disclose emails and evidence instead of in front of a friendly panel that refuses to look at evidence before exonerating him of any wrong doing.
Please Michael, I'm pretty sure Steyn will call your nancy boy bluff and I'm equally certain you have already received about 1000 calls from concerned "climate" scientists asking you to rethink but if you are stupid enough to follow through it will the biggest win that conservatives and sceptics have ever had-the AGW fraud will be exposed once and for in a court of law-woohooo.

[pk]

43.

" but it has far more values more in line with our christian heritage "

...and the very reason I wish to bring it up, I wish to address the problems in my own backyard and stick to the topic at hand, considering it was Christian faiths and ONLY christian faiths which were the subject of point 4 of this article.

[Anthony Coralluzzo]

44.

10. Abolish the ABC

Do it now. The taxpayers will support it.

Break it up and send the pieces to the four corners of hell, where they belong.

[Jim]

45.

You're a wanker, and this is the most poorly, one-sided article I have ever read.

[Panasonic Pabx]

46.

Nice post, great detail. I would have liked to see the costs that are associated to it so I could add to my business case justifi cations to use the technology. Keep up the good work! Great Job!!! Informative and attention keeping!

[Appalled]

47.

Is this satire ?? You cannot honestly believe any of these 'attributes' of the new government are anywhere near positive for our future.. I'm very serious, because this doesn't look like a joke to you