Any potential adversary knows that a low-risk way to wound a diverse, multicultural society is to pick it apart until it turns against itself.
Already a subscriber?Any country wishing to advance or defend its strategic interests has recourse to two types of power: hard and soft. Richard Marles’ release of the government’s most recent, coming as it does just before Anzac Day, provides an opportunity to examine how well Australia is positioned in relation to the oft-neglected “defensive” aspect of soft power.
Thanks to good management by police, politicians and community leaders, our worst fears were not realised. However, we should be warned. Malicious actors will have been encouraged by evidence of how easy it would be to ignite the tinder of a larger conflagration. They will be readying themselves to stoke the embers with their weapons of choice: misinformation and disinformation.
Becoming trustworthy is an acquired skill. It needs constant effort. Trustworthiness is not something that can be produced by anti-corruption commissions, by regulation or surveillance. It requires investment in a positive commitment to ethics. Those of us who celebrate Anzac Day not only remember the fallen. We also find meaning in a striking example of “noble failure”. To try your best. To venture all, even if you fail. To maintain honour, even to the end. These are ideals to which anyone can aspire – even if, in reality, we so often fall short.
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