Er, what a crock! We are a country of unstable government, a people fed up with petty party politicking; bozos who don’t even know their own citizenship country or can’t keep it in their pants; who have arrogant disregard for the environment, denying climate change; who are listening to their sycophantic entourages and not the people’s wants and needs; and who are perpetuating one of the greatest crimes against humanity this country has seen since settlement with the unlawful imprisonment of children on Nauru and Manus. Scott Morrison: a man of the people? Credit:Dan Himbrechts The government in Australia is secular. Secular! I don’t think so. This current Liberal government has been dominated – and virtually decimated - by a handful of out-of-touch religious conservatives hellbent on their beliefs not just being lore but law (lest we forget the same-sex marriage plebiscite and the unnecessary, expensive and divisive disgrace that preceded its inevitable success). Perhaps a start is to look at the latest census figures showing the number reporting to be Christian is continuing to plummet, now at an all-time low of 51 per cent compared to 88 per cent in 1966 and 74 in 1991. We believe in a fair go for all.

Loading Well, we might believe in it but it’s not happening. There used to be something in this country up there with our supposed ubiquitous undying love of Bradman (give me strength!) which I’m surprised is not mentioned in the citizenship research called the Great Australian Dream - to own your own home. This no longer exists. OK, the dream does but the reality of it coming true is, well, a pipe dream. Generations to come will be living in a land of renters – and barely affording to do so. Especially when the housing market predictably goes bust turning the Great Australian Dream a nightmare for those who counted on their investment as more than shelter. Wages haven’t kept up with inflation, jobs are being lost in traditional sectors and penalty rates are eroding if not redundant. Meanwhile, the unions resulting from our much-celebrated Eureka stockade history are being vilified en masse and benefit payments to those out of work are impossible to survive on. And the gap between the rich and poor is more a chasm, with the majority of us deep in the hole and unable to see a way out. We value mutual respect for the dignity of all people. Yeah, right. If you are a woman, you have a one in three likelihood you will be a victim of domestic violence in Australia, a place where on average one woman a week is murdered by a current or former partner. If you are an Indigenous woman, you are five times more likely to be the victim of homicide than non-Indigenous women. The Aboriginal mortality rates are also around 10 per cent higher, its children under the age of 17 more likely to take their own lives than other teenagers, and overall life expectancy is around 10 years less than non-Indigenous. So much for respect and dignity for all.