Morality: Who Holds the Compass in Australia?

Morality: Who Holds the Compass in Australia?

Morality is not a word we hear often in everyday conversation, yet it shapes everything about the society we live in. It is the silent compass that points us toward fairness, respect, and dignity. For generations, Australians understood morality not as something dictated by politicians, but as something lived out in the everyday actions of ordinary people—neighbours helping neighbours, communities rallying around those in need, and a shared sense of what was “the right thing to do.”

But somewhere along the way, we surrendered that compass. We’ve allowed politicians to step into the role of moral arbiters, deciding for us what is acceptable, what should be valued, and how our nation should define “good.” And in doing so, we have seen morality distorted, reduced to soundbites, and often weaponised for political gain.

This shift matters deeply. When politics becomes the yardstick of morality, values bend to party lines rather than universal truths. Integrity gets traded for expediency. Sacrifice gives way to self-interest. Instead of asking what is right for the people? the question becomes what is right for my career?

Our diggers—those who fought, bled, and died for this country—did not march into battle for political advantage. They fought for mateship, for courage, for endurance, and for sacrifice. These were not abstract slogans; they were lived values. The diggers understood morality not as something debated in parliament, but as something proved in the mud, the heat, and the hardship of war.

So where are those values today?

Mateship is too often replaced by division. Courage by compromise. Sacrifice by greed. Endurance by short-term gains. The very compass that guided our nation through its darkest hours is now rusted; its needle pulled toward self-interest by the magnetic field of political spin.

It is time we reclaim morality. Not from politicians, not from headlines, not from policy documents—but from within ourselves. Morality belongs to the people, not to those who seek to manage us. It is lived in our homes, in our workplaces, in the way we treat the vulnerable, and in the way we honour those who came before us.

If our diggers fought for values worth dying for, then surely, we can find the strength to live by them.