I suspect the secret of personal attraction is locked up in our unique imperfections, flaws and frailties.

With increasing frequency and growing vehemence, you hear people saying they are ashamed to be Australians.

So, if falling crime rates coincide with the rise of violent video games and increasing violence on TV and at the cinema, should we conclude that media violence is causing the drop in crime rates?

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

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?

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.

The yearning for strong leadership is more about strength of purpose - clarity of vision - than about merely 'getting tough'.