The Prime Minister has jumped on the latest distraction from the government's woes. The big problem is he's not actually prepared to confront the biggest area of concern.
The tyranny of safe spaces and political correctness is creeping into almost every aspect of our lives. It seems everyone is oppressed, bullied, victimised, abused or somehow owed an apology from the few of us that want to stand on our own two feet.
This week alone we have seen government-funded aboriginal activists demanding Australia be burnt to the ground and the Foreign Affairs department campaign for Islamic dress for the rest of us.
Universities now provide “safe spaces” for almost everyone except those who might actually pay taxes or repay their HELP debt. Businesses are bullied down the same path and we even have some professional associations getting in on the act.
The unstoppable victimhood juggernaut leaves no element of society untouched.
One subscriber drew my attention to the latest indulgence of perpetual grievance. The nursing and midwifery board, from 1 March this year, will insist their members acknowledge “white privilege” on demand.
That’s right, if during your birth procedure you feel culturally vulnerable (or even if you don’t) you can insist that your midwife acknowledge their white privilege.
Now, that might be a problem if your midwife doesn’t actually identify as a white person, even if she is one. After all, everyone can now be whatever they want and the rest of us have to appease these self-indulgent fantasists.
It is time we called this destructive nonsense out for exactly what it is.
It’s no surprise that the guidelines for acknowledging white privilege also reference “colonialism” and emanate from a government- funded organisation.
Successive governments have embraced the PC agenda whether it be “safe schools”, cultural appropriation, identity politics or soldier sex changes at taxpayer expense.
The activists get away with it because too many politicians you elect to represent your interests are captured by the idiocy of identity politics. In some cases they wilfully let these outbreaks go unchecked in the hope that they will pass unnoticed by mainstream Australia.
I regret identity politics isn’t going away and will only get worse unless we speak truth to insanity – and this nursing & midwifery code of conduct is just plain crazy.
Let’s consider a few enduring truths.
Having a baby hasn’t really changed over generations.
It can be painful, difficult, sometimes dangerous but it is entirely necessary for our species to continue.
It’s the same process for every woman regardless of race, creed or colour. Through time immemorial, others have been there to assist in bringing new life into the world and no-one had to acknowledge white privilege …until March 2018.
That’s when the new rules and regulations of the midwifery association kick into gear, forcing the committed midwife into a chamber of political correctness.
The reader who brought this to my attention succinctly summed up this new medical Marxism in three points:
Nurses must acknowledge white privilege and voice this acknowledgment if asked – which is compelled speech.
There is no objective measure of whether an interaction with a patient was “culturally safe”. If the patient feels slighted, (and they are of a minority), then the nurse is guilty.
“Cultural Safety” is now deemed as important as clinical safety, the highest of priorities. As such, transgressions can be expected to be treated harshly.
Welcome to the brave new world of nursing where catering to others’ self-declared victimhood and catering to their emotional whims and fantasies is as important as fixing their physical ailments.
If we really want to fix what’s wrong with elements of our society we would stop indulging this garbage.
We live in the greatest country on earth. Irrespective of our ancestry, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexuality we are united by living under one flag and by being Australian.
Indulging the politics of identity or the cult of PC “cultural awareness” means we prioritise one group of people over another.
I don’t accept that as the best path forward for our nation and we need to call this destructive and pernicious cancer out whenever we can.
We can start with keeping some common sense when it comes to delivering new babies.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
