Editorial:

A moral, social and political crisis

The crisis facing the Federal Government over the question of "children 
overboard" and the whole issue of refugees and the furore surrounding Dr 
Peter Hollingworth's attitude to child abuse are far more than just 
isolated incidents.

They are a reflection of the deep-going social, moral and political crisis 
that is steadily overtaking the present rulers of Australian society. The 
same crisis is to be seen in the societies of other main Western countries 
as well. There is a crisis of the system of government, in the economy and 
in social and moral principles. We are seeing societies in decline and 
decay.

It is clear now that the Prime Minister and other senior Ministers in 
Howard's Government have been involved in persistent lying on the issue of 
"children overboard". They were told and they knew that what they were 
telling the Australian people before last year's election concerning 
"children overboard" was not true.

They withheld information because to do otherwise would have, in all 
probability, lost them the election. They had to lie to win and now that 
the truth is coming out they continue to dissemble and to lie in an attempt 
to cover-up their earlier behaviour.

But the "children overboard" issue is only one aspect of their attitude to 
the refugee issue which is shot through with a lack of humanity, racism and 
a denial of Australia's internationally laid down obligations towards 
refugees.

The assertion of Howard and other government leaders that Dr Peter 
Hollingworth has done nothing wrong in the office of Governor-General, begs 
the question.

The G-G has to be a model of integrity, morality and culture. The G-G 
should be a unifier. Hollingworth does not qualify on any count. Just 
compare him with the previous G-G, Sir William Deane, who was (and is) a 
man of integrity and intellect, towering above Dr Peter Hollingworth. 
William Deane was a unifier. Hollingworth has in a few short weeks divided 
the Australian community.

Hollingworth was the personal choice of the Prime Minister. He was not even 
the choice of the government cabinet let alone a wider electorate. 
Hollingworth was not supported for the position by many in his own church.

Howard chose a person with his same qualities — or lack of them. A person 
of meagre intellect, prepared to dissemble and tell less than the truth. A 
person who by his own admission was not able to cope in certain 
circumstances. A person who has failed to uphold the law, let alone 
morality, when he had to deal with abuse of a teenage girl by one of his 
church officers

The furore and the fury over Peter Hollingworth's actions and explanations 
are a reflection of the wider discontent and disillusionment with most 
political leaders, the system of government and the economy. Telling lies 
has become a stock-in-trade as they are for Howard. Many among the present 
crop of politicians break promises and change policies without compunction.

Policies and "reforms" are always said to have the objective of making 
things better when they have the objective of serving a small minority in 
the community. War they claim is waged in the interests of peace. 
Democratic rights are torn up using the slogan of "freedom".

The Pentagon's setting up of an office of Strategic Influence confirms this 
growing immorality. "One of the office's proposals calls for planting news 
items with foreign media organisations through outside concerns that might 
not have obvious ties to the Pentagon", writes the New York Times 
(19/2/02). "It goes from the blackest of black programs to the whitest of 
white," said a senior Pentagon official.

An official said, "the return address will probably be a dot-com, not a 
dot-mil"-a reference to the military's Internet designation.

The first lie to be circulated since the New York Times article is a 
denial that the Pentagon will be circulating lies.

Such are the depths to which a decaying and rotting system has sunk in a 
futile attempt to save itself from being relegated to the historical 
rubbish bin.