Both Abbott and Bernardi have written extensively on how to fight back for Australian values, with Abbott's book Battlelines widely considered a job application for the Liberal leadership. Abbott is also on record as sharing many of Bernardi's concerns: he fears "political correctness run riot" in education and media regulation, supporting instead traditional values and freedom of speech. Abbott is also against abortion and has shared a number of personal objections to homosexuality. They also have similar views on workplace reform. Seen from such an angle, it would appear Bernardi does represent the position of the government, not only due to his status as an elected senator who received top billing, but also because of the similar views and strategies used by his party teammates. Any disavowal from Abbott's office appears disingenuous to say the least. The calls for "common sense" and "battle of ideas" and the cries against "the tyranny of political correctness" appear straight out of the Liberal Party hymn book and right now Bernardi is singing up a vulgar storm. Yet, despite the song and their promise to be a more accountable government, with more honesty and common sense than their Labor predecessors, the Liberals are doing everything they can to suppress discussion of ideas. There was no battle of ideas present when Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison refused to answer questions during his weekly briefing on asylum seekers, before closing the event completely to avoid scrutiny. It was a battlefield devoid of any contest when Attorney-General George Brandis hired Tim Wilson as a human rights commissioner with no interview process or other applicants sought. As a fan of achieving by merit and rights for all, despite little qualification for the role, Wilson has since indicated his commitment to fight for freedom of speech.

Such a battlefield would arguably let the best ideas win, often in the name of common sense. But it's a struggle to see who won anything when the internationally acclaimed national broadband network was discarded for a network that costs more, takes longer and doesn't perform as well as its predecessor. Abbott promised a more accountable government for Australians yet his has also become the most inaccessible and shadowed from scrutiny. Cabinet ministers have to get approval from the Prime Minister's office before they can speak publicly on ideas and issues. And why is it that Tony Abbott has been one of the most reluctant to publicly debate his ideas in either interviews or formal press conferences? If, as Abbott and Bernardi suggest, Parliament is Thunderdome for Australia's freedom of speech where ideas do battle, why is it that question time has introduced restrictive new standing orders that reduce the ability to ask supplementary questions, but increase the powers of the Speaker to shut down debate? It's a move Bob Katter describes as designed "to extinguish every voice but the executive voice". For every cry of freedom of speech, there is a deafening refusal to answer their own demands. Bernardi can't provide proper research or statistics to back up his wild claims and Abbott won't make himself or ministers available to journalists.

In fact, when we look at the actions of the Abbott government, it would appear the last thing they want is freedom of speech, battling ideas or even common sense. Because freedom of speech and battles of ideas suggest far more accountability and transparency than any of them want. It all comes back to that most hated of ideologies: the maligned spectre of political correctness. Political correctness is the concept that people should have equal access and voice and not be shut out from discussion or society. Logically, this means more ideas, levelling that ground towards equality by elevating everyone to the same vantage point. It's the recognition that while the past had been unequal, there is a concerted effort to remove further inequality. Political correctness allows real choice based on real information and not the morals of those in power who achieved it not only by merit but also structures that favoured them over others. Political correctness also holds people to account for their actions: for every boat hidden, every race vilified, every religion misrepresented, every child removed from their parents in the outback or on Manus Island, every person denied medical treatment. When Abbott once likened Finkelstein's proposed media watchdog to a "political correctness enforcement agency", it wasn't to ensure freedom of speech, it was to ensure freedom from accountability. However, in the spirit of fairness, let's welcome a true battle of ideas and hope the entire Abbott government participates for once. Amy Gray is a writer and broadcaster.