A Government Bereft of Principles and Unable to Communicate

Our managerial class is content to oversee gradual decline so long as they remain in power

The Albanese Government has abandoned plans to include questions about sexual preference in the Census in order to preserve social cohesion.

You have to laugh.

The Government doesn’t mind people chanting for the destruction of Israel every other week, but we will never survive a debate about the merits of government surveying people’s inner selves.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the decision to ditch LGBTQ questions was about “avoiding nastiness”.

Hilarious!

Mr ‘We Must Avoid Nastiness’ has spent the past week insisting that Peter Dutton, a thoroughly decent man who represents half the country, is racist for raising questions about national security.

We are led by a bunch of pre-schoolers.

So, we can talk later about whether or not the Census should concern itself with probing the inner feelings of gender confused citizens.

The more pertinent question concerns whether or not this government believes any principle is worth fighting for.

Could they even name a guiding principle?

Other than that they will do or say whatever it takes to remain in power, I mean.

Chalmers told the ABC’s Radio National …

"My fear, and one of the things that's guided us here ... is we've seen the way these issues can be weaponised against members of our community and we don't want to see that happen.”

It was only a few weeks ago that the Albanese Government also abandoned its promised Religious Discrimination Bill for the same reason.

Here’s how the Prime Minister explained the decision not to proceed …

"One of the things I've spoken about is the need for greater social cohesion. And the last thing that Australia needs is any divisive debate relating to religion and people's faith.”

So in order to not cause division the PM decided to leave religious people without legal protections from discrimination.

Sometimes you’ve got to be cruel to be cruel.

And in order to not cause LGBTQ people hurt, the PM has now decided to leave out questions the LGBTQ community apparently wanted included in the Census.

It begs the question, does the Albanese Government lack conviction? Or does it lack confidence?

Is it the case that religious freedom is simply not that important? Or is it the case that the Government lacks confidence in its ability to argue a logical, rational position on the issue?

Is it the case that LGBTQ issues aren’t relevant to the Census? Or is it the case that the Government believes gay questions are important but does not believe in its ability to mount a convincing argument for that position?

Maybe someone realised it’s absurd to count self-declared “gender identity”—which people can change once a year under activist-driven laws—in a census run every five years?

But we’ll never know because our Government is too afraid to tell us what they think.

Increasingly, our Government seems like it is unable to nominate a conviction, and unable or unwilling to conduct difficult conversations.

When the Coalition announced they would push for nuclear power, government ministers’ reflex reaction was to post silly memes on social media.

When Jews were being targeted around the country by pro-Palestinian supporters, government ministers’ reflex reaction was to tut-tut about Islamophobia.

We no longer have leaders able to communicate clear convictions by arguing first principles.

Instead, we have managers whose entire schtick is to manage the slow decline of our culture while ensuring they remain in office.

Personally, I could care less whether LGBTQ (or is it LGBTQIA2S+) questions are included in the Census. I actually think it could be kind of fun.

With well over 70 ‘recognised’ genders, and new ones being added all the time, a national Census trying to collate all of those would be highly entertaining.

Can you imagine how long the Census forms would be and how long it would take just to find the box matching whatever hangs between your legs?

And the outrage from niche groups offended that their particular sexual proclivities were not surveyed in the Census - and that therefore they have been ‘erased’ - will guarantee endless hilarity.

Australia - zero leadership, zero debate, endless laughs.