Is it possible that literacy standards are falling because young Australians are growing up in a culture in which they can be entertained and informed, and in which they can communicate effectively, without having to master any but the most rudimentary literacy skills?

It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade.

Although we love the idea of choice - our culture almost worships it - we seek refuge in the familiar and the comfortable.

It's Australian to do such things because, however uncivilised they may seem, it's human to do them.

Parents should be encouraged to read to their children, and teachers should be equipped with all available techniques for teaching literacy, so the varying needs and capacities of individual kids can be taken into account.

Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.

Actually, I can't imagine anything more tedious than a perfect person, especially if it was someone who also demanded perfection from me.