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

Reading is a huge effort for many people, a bore for others, and, believe it or not, many people prefer watching TV.

If I were asked about what to do about the level of insecurity and anxiety in contemporary Australian society, I wouldn't start with politics and I wouldn't say too much about terrorism. I'd suggest as a first step, that you invite the neighbours over for a drink this weekend. Today a drink, tomorrow a barbeque, pretty soon, a community.

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

The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.

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.

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.