In 1956, philosopher Ayn Rand wrote, ‘We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.’

Sixty-eight years on, the speed at which we are approaching that ‘ultimate inversion’ is frightening. Yet the population, especially the young, seem blissfully unaware. As the much maligned discoverer, Captain James Cook, reminds us, ‘The decline and fall of a civilisation is barely noticed by most of its citizens.’ He should have added – until it’s too late.

It’s only eighty years ago that 40,000 Australians gave their lives so that future generations could live in freedom. Judged on today’s conventional wisdom and public policy direction, those brave souls would now be wondering whether their noble sacrifices were in vain.

Indeed, it would seem eighty years of peace and prosperity have dulled traditions of personal responsibility and national security. Over time the public has fallen prey to the blandishments of socialism and Garden of Eden ideals.

Australians have become accustomed to the growth of government and have succumbed to the relentless intrusion of nearly 2.5 million ideologically driven bureaucrats into their lives. They meekly conform to the rigid observance of newly imposed cultural norms. They no longer believe, as Albert Einstein did that, ‘The highest principles for our aspirations and judgments are given to us in the Jewish-Christian religious tradition’. After all, in today’s multicultural, gender-obsessed society, to accept Einstein’s view, or even to be patriotic, risks being seen as exclusionary and implicitly advocating Western cultural superiority.

Critics argue that social cohesion means assimilation, personal responsibility and acceptance of the dominant culture, whereas a multicultural society promotes a collective category of identities. Inevitably, some identities are captured by the politics of envy while others fall prey to the bigotry of low expectations. Welfare dependence makes social mobility more difficult for those trapped in victimhood. But social division can be empowering for those seeking to rule.

Clearly Australia in 2024 is a far cry from the Australia of old. People then had a deep-seated hatred for authority and hierarchy. Egalitarianism featured prominently in their psyche. However, as Covid-19 lockdowns demonstrated, this is no longer the case.

Government instructions were obediently followed. To refuse meant possible loss of employment. To post dissent on Facebook could result in arrest. Or to demonstrate for the return of your freedoms could risk being shot in the back with rubber bullets.

Where was the outrage? But then schools have become incubators for future generations of socialists. Today’s students are taught their heritage is one of brutal white oppression. That unless urgent action is taken to reduce fossil-fuel emissions, they face an existential threat from climate change. Bigger government is the solution.

Unsurprisingly many children develop ‘eco-anxiety’: a chronic fear of environmental doom, leading state schools to concentrate on wellness, rather than education. Dumbing down curricula may alleviate anxiety today but simply postpones it. The gap between the well-educated and the rest is a recipe for entrenched social inequality.

Likewise today’s university students experience strong intolerance for movements and ideas which promote ideals that conflict with left-wing groupthink.

For example, the University of Melbourne’s student union demanded students ‘who look like they vote Liberal’ be considered unsuitable to participate in discussion during classes because of ‘white privilege’.

Almost two-thirds of Jewish university students claim they have experienced anti-Semitism on campus and in class. More than half of Australia’s 42 universities publicly backed the ‘Yes’ campaign and stifled opposing views.

The reality is that in just eighty years, Australia has been transformed from a cohesive, resilient, upwardly mobile society, into a divided land of welfare dependents, where double standards and groupthink are the norm. Where books and movies with narratives deemed offensive to the power elites are either withdrawn or rewritten. Where statues of previously worthy citizens are torn down. Yet somehow, discrimination in favour of colour in circumstances that would heap scorn on whites and a government-sponsored referendum seeking constitutionally enshrined privileges for a racial minority, are considered acceptable.

When it comes to economics, both main parties agree on almost everything. Monetary policies continue to favour the rich. Taxation policies are biased towards spenders rather than savers. A mushrooming public service has become a pace-setter for wages and conditions. Next year, the National Disability Insurance Scheme will overtake defence spending. Thanks to government expansion, reckless climate policies and regulatory rigidities, productivity is tumbling, while the wealth gap continues to widen.

Like Germany in 1933, corporate leaders kowtow to the new orthodoxy. Through non-disclosure agreements and secret meetings, favoured companies gain access to confidential government information, a privilege which buys partisan support and ongoing loyalty. The word fascism comes to mind.

Cultural ambivalence has also infected the military. It is poorly led, poorly trained, significantly under-equipped and under-strength. Today’s recruits meet lowered physical fitness levels while training concentrates on cultural awareness, diversity and gender rather than combat readiness. It means Australians are ever more dependent on our allies’ goodwill.

When it comes to media, journalists and government officials are entwined in a vicious circle of mutual manipulation, with the accent on promoting a social and oppressive climate agenda which authorities are only too happy to provide. However to ensure greater control over media commentary, Labor’s latest Acma proposal will apply censorship under the pretext of classifying it as misinformation and disinformation that may cause ‘serious harm’. It is proposed that government misinformation/disinformation will be exempt – surely the ‘ultimate inversion’?

Mock if you will, but Ayn Rand’s ‘darkest period’ may be closer than we think. While we have some freedoms left, younger generations, especially, should ponder the adage that, ‘You can vote your way into socialism but you have to shoot your way out’.