Yet in our enthusiasm for the idea that everyone should be able to read and write fluently, we may be missing a crucial point: in today's culture, finely honed literacy skills are simply not as important as they once were.

On average, Australians watch more than three hours of television a day, compared with 12 minutes a day spent by the average couple talking to each other.

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'.

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

No one welcomes chaos, but why crave stability and predictability?

Indeed, in the present climate of mistrust of institutions, many people who yearn for a more meaningful and fulfilling life would regard the church as an unlikely place to go for guidance.