A slightly different form of resistance to preaching emerged this week when a protest by vegan activists halted morning traffic in Melbourne. The protest was called “un-Australian” by the prime minister, exposing a rift between a growing population of non-meat eaters and farmers who are considered the lifeblood of Australia.

Clearly, if there’s one thing many people here dislike, it’s being told what to do or how to think. But in a country where the major political parties tend to be moderate, the secular population is growing, and the population is diversifying, are Australians becoming more frustrated with extremes, and more willing to confront deep but challenging beliefs?

After all, it’s not as if Australians aren’t activists. Last month, students across Australia joined those around to world to demand action on climate change. And in the 2017 lead-up to the passage of same-sex marriage, many campaigned fiercely both for and against.

Still, for a country that has been known to embrace its iconoclasts (see: egg boy) we can be far more suspicious of extreme individual behavior than our American counterparts. In New York and elsewhere, subway preaching is ignored rather than challenged; while there are exceptions, many Americans accept that their First Amendment brings with it a degree of uncomfortable speech.

Mr. Frawley described a different, perhaps more Australian, sensibility. In an interview with The Project, he said he spoke up because he thought faith was a private thing that shouldn’t be inflicted on others in public.