Brendan
Nelson seems to be such a key man in the Howard government these days
that the media are reluctant to treat him as a figure of fun – although
Matt Price has a go in this morning’sAustralian. But how else can one respond to his mad attempt to set required “values” for Australian citizenship?

Well, let’s try taking him seriously. Nelson claims
that are certain “essentially Australian”values: “Understanding,
tolerance, inclusion and responsibility”; also “care, compassion,
reaching out to others, doing your best, pursuing and protecting the
common good, treating all people fairly, enterprise, respectfulness,
fidelity, comradeship and endurance.” “If people don’t want to accept
and embrace those values,” he says, “then they ought to clear off.”

Enterprise?
That gets rid of the socialists, for a start. Fidelity? The advocates
of free love can join them. Endurance? Say good-bye to the slackers.
It’s not clear how many will be left by the time we’re finished. That’s
what happens when you condemn people for what they think, not for what
they do.

To the extent that this is an argument at all, as
distinct from mindless posturing, it rests on an equivocation on
“acceptance.” Of course people should “accept” our values in the sense
of abiding by the laws that embody them – we demand that of all
Australians, not just immigrants. But that doesn’t mean they have to
agree with them. Any Australian is entitled to object to any of our
values, laws or institutions, and try to change them, provided they do
so within the law.

Nelson’s thought police are not yet a reality, but in Britain the Blair government has introduced its own list
of “unacceptable behaviour,” which will allow the Home Secretary to
“deport or exclude foreign citizens for glorifying or encouraging
terrorism.” In response to criticism, however, the government has
reportedly “toned down one of Mr Blair’s original suggestions that
would have allowed the Home Office to act against people who express
‘extreme views that are in conflict with the UK’s culture of
tolerance’.”