The shadow attorney-general George Brandis was on the stump in Sydney this week with a misplaced attempt to rekindle the tired and tiresome culture wars.

His oration to the Sydney Institute was disconcertingly titled ''The Freedom Wars''. The essential thesis was that the Liberals look after your freedoms, whereas Labor ''is engaged in a multifront war against the traditional liberal concept of freedom of speech''.

It was a gobsmacking piece of audacity when you consider the recent history of federal Liberal governments. There is an impressive array of hallmark moments. One of the most memorable being the sterling efforts of the most recent Coalition attorney-general Philip Ruddock, who fought like a tiger to retain the right of the dead to sue for defamation. In the Liberal belief system, the dead have feelings.

There was the ''conclusive certificate'' boldly stamped on documents by Howard-era ministers to fend off freedom of information applications by the media - culminating in the high-water mark of secrecy when the High Court upheld Treasurer Costello's right to hide from prying eyes the exciting ''bracket creep'' data.

There were the overwrought national security laws that could see reptiles of the press banged up in the nick for five years if they trespassed onto investigations concerning the war on terror.