Contemporary debates about moral issues are increasingly detached from any broader ethical perspective. As Shimon Cowen demonstrates in his worthwhile A Populism of the Spirit, hedonistic materialism's penetration of the culture is now so deeply established it is fostered by mainstream policy and enshrined in legislation
David Polson, one of the first gay Australian men diagnosed with HIV, Michael Barnett, co-convenor of LGBTQI Jewish advocacy group Aleph Melbourne and Rebecca Johnson, President Of Brisbane Pride, were among those honoured with Order of Australia awards.
Yesterday, the Western Australian government backed down from its decision to cancel a booking made by Australian Christian Lobby to run an event in state-owned ie, taxpayer-funded after originally justifying its actions with the claim the ACL has “views opposing the state government” and that its views “don’t align with the state government”.
The ACL was also told its event could not go ahead at the venue because its views are not representative of the vast majority of Western Australians.
This represents a historical moment, not just in Australian church-state relations, but in Australia’s history as a liberal democracy. What we are seeing is a gang of state-backed ideological thugs determining what may and may not be said in public institutions.