The preamble to the Constitution is supposed to be a statement of our values as a nation. Yet so little debate has taken place about one of the key elements of the coming referendum - the articulation of our values as a nation.

However, as any high school student should be able to spot, the current preamble confuses cause with effect. The preamble statements are not values but are the effects of living certain values - which are not clearly spelled out.

For instance, the statements about the contribution of the migrants, the war veterans, the achievers and even referral to the Aboriginal people fall under the value of gratitude. The concern for the environment falls under the value of responsibility. Similarly, the other statements can be grouped under two additional values of freedom and unity.

To me, the four values which emerge from the current preamble are ‘freedom’, ‘unity’, ‘gratitude’ and ‘responsibility’. So why is it that our leaders are afraid to openly state these values? I offer four suggestions:

- Our leaders have genuinely made the mistake of confusing cause with effect which is an indictment of our education system and of our leaders.

- Our leaders have forgotten or don’t know what values are which is an indictment of the way our society has become.

- Our leaders believe that we are essentially a valueless nation.

- It would politically incorrect to state that our values are Freedom, Unity, Gratitude and Responsibility (political correctness gone mad)

More than likely the preamble will be ditched but this, I believe, would be a shame because we would lose an opportunity to focus and clear up the issue of the values of this country. I think that the PM and his advisors have correctly identified the effects of our values and all that remains now  isto articulate them - and this is not that hard. (see my attempt below (with couple of additions under the value of Responsibility)).

To me the current preamble has little real meaning as a statement of values and consequently it has no life. My fear is that it will be rejected and we will lose the best opportunity we have had as a nation to firm and confirm the foundation of values upon which this nation has been built. I strongly believe that it is the confusion about our values which is the source of so much misery in our society and behind the problems of drugs, suicide, violence, depression etc.

All arguments about values aside, do we really want a preamble which will appear in text books as an example of muddled thinking? Is this the preamble that we want the world to see as the guiding light of a clever country?

Revised preamble

With hope in God, the Commonwealth of Australia is constituted as a democracy with a federal system of government to serve the common good.

We the Australian people commit ourselves to this Constitution based on our key values of:

Freedom:

- upholding freedom in all its forms, tolerance, individual dignity and the rule of law which protects our freedom.

- valuing independence as dearly as the national spirit which binds us together in both adversity and success

- prizing the equality of opportunity for all.

Unity:

- Realising that our national unity, forged by Australians from many ancestries, is our source of strength in good and bad times.

Gratitude:

- never forgetting the sacrifices of all who defended our country and our liberty in time of war;

- honouring Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, the nation’s first people, for their deep kinship with their lands and for their ancient and continuing cultures which enrich the life of our country;

- recognising the nation-building contribution of generations of immigrants;

- supportive of achievement and personal endeavor in all its forms;

Responsibility:

- Mindful of our responsibility to:

- protect the weak, the helpless and the vulnerable members of our society;

- help the less fortunate people in other lands or where disaster strikes;

- promote and proclaim the cause of democracy and freedom;

- protect our unique natural environment;

- live by the values of our nation, for it is on the foundation of these values that our nation will continue to grow and prosper.

We may debate about the grouping but at least now we are talking about values!

Current preamble

"With hope in God, the Commonwealth of Australia is constituted as a democracy with a federal system of government to serve the common good.

We the Australian people commit ourselves to this Constitution:

proud that our national unity has been forged by Australians from many ancestries;

never forgetting the sacrifices of all who defended our country and our liberty in time of war;

upholding freedom, tolerance, individual dignity and the rule of law;

honouring Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, the nation’s first people, for their deep kinship with their lands and for their ancient and continuing cultures which enrich the life of our country;

recognising the nation-building contribution of generations of immigrants;

mindful of our responsibility to protect our unique natural environment;

supportive of achievement as well as equality of opportunity for all;

George Matafonov