Where’s the Prime Minister on the free speech crisis?

To the contrary, he is still a Prime Minister only because the opposition leader was truly appalling and not a feasible option. Indeed, Bill Shorten is an old-fashioned socialist who has absolutely no regard for individual rights and freedoms.

This is why, and only why, Australian citizens decided to return the Coalition into power. It was the best of two rather undesirable options.

Curiously, the Prime Minister has a long track record of disregard for free speech.

During a press conference, on March 1, 2017, a journalist asked then Treasurer Scott Morrison: What do you make of the report regarding the Racial Discrimination Act and specifically 18C? Do you think it should be changed?' His answer was rather disquieting:

As Treasurer I am focused on how people are going to afford the price of energy. I am focused on how people are going to afford to get into the housing market and afford their rent. I am focused on trying to reduce people's taxes and ensure that people can get into jobs. That is my focus.

In an interview with the then Fairfax Media, in December 2017, the now Prime Minister expressed his support for further restrictions to free speech on religious grounds. Morrison commented:

It all starts when you allow … mockery to be made of your faith or your religious festivals - it always starts innocently and it's always said it is just a joke - just like most discrimination does. And I'm just gonna call that out … I've just taken the decision more recently, I'm just not going to put up with that any more, I don't think my colleagues are either. Where I think people are being offensive to religion in this country - whichever religion that might be … well, we will just call it out and we will demand the … respect that people should provide to all religions.

One should remind our Prime Minister that, in a pluralistic society, people of different faiths and of no faith should avoid being "uncomfortable" in robust conversations about religion.

Further, it is simply not acceptable in a true democracy to protect any religious group from being "offended" without grievously infringing on the constitutionally implied freedom of political communication of others who strongly disagree with them.

The last thing we need in this country is for a Commonwealth parliament to introduce any further anti-discrimination laws based on religious grounds.

As for the Folau affair, once again, the Prime Minister has decided to not stand for the basic rights of a fellow believer.

What does it tell us about Morrison's commitment to basic human rights, if he cannot even take a strong stance for a fellow believer enduring such a terrible persecution?

With friends like that, who needs enemies?