Sex and Terrorism

The apparent threat of terrorism in Australia can safely, and without any ignoring of the facts, be called a scam. A scam which has cost our democracy, our social conscience, and our nation dearly. One’s alertness to the perceived threat of a terrorism incident, has been opportunistically used by the liberal government to push through changes to our democracy which otherwise would have been unconscionable. Only two weeks prior to writing this, Malcom Turnball held a press conference, and standing behind him were two heavily kitted-out special forces soldiers; I assume this was orchestrated to be seen as a display of Mr Turnball and the Liberal party’s strength in command, and to subsequently instil a feeling of safety in the Australian people, I see, nor feel neither of these things. Additionally, during this same press-conference, we have the news of Peter Dutton, Liberal Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, being proposed as the head of a super-industry of all Australia’s defence institutions. Australian Prime Ministers have had a shocking track record of opportunistically using awful events as reason for pushing legislation; one must only think back to Howard and the Children Overboard deceit, and subsequently all leaders since, and their approach to Asylum Seekers.

According to a survey conducted by the Australian National University in 2016, 45 per cent of people said they were somewhat or very concerned that they or their family could be the victim of a terrorist attack on Australian soil. This, taken on its lonesome, is worrisome enough, apart from the fact that statistics in no way align with this fear. In the past two decades, three people have died at the hands of terrorism in Australia. I am in no way minimising these tragic deaths, when I suggest that our fear far outweighs the facts. Why does our government and a portion of our media, find it necessary to furnish us with an enemy, and create a narrative of fear, instilling the idea that we must fight for and protect our Australian way of life?

Humans are wonderful at being totally inept at assessing probabilities, whether sober or not, and we have a habit of under-estimating big risks and over-estimating the small ones. To give an example: in 2014, two-hundred and eighty people died from Hepatitis C, and that number grew to six-hundred and ninety in the following year. Yet more people imagine they have a possibility of winning Powerball, than taking steps to avoid catching a STD. Within Australia, notification rates for many STIs are increasing. Although no longer a death sentence, still around one thousand people contract AIDS a year. These diagnoses lead to a plethora of subsequent medical problems, costs and treatments that may in turn, have their own unpleasant side effects. The economic cost to the patient and society at large, and the emotional turmoil that disease incurs, far outweighs any perceived terrorist threat. People’s lives may be forever changed due to one chance, and commonly, unplanned sexual encounter. For to think rationally and reasonably whilst in the heat of the moment is not only difficult, but it can also be a libido killer. Yet, ‘between 1997 and 2009, infection with HIV, syphilis and gonorrhoea was the underlying cause of death for 1,549 Australians.’(http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features10Jun+2012) Do we see the same up-roar, concern and budget considerations by the government over these deaths? Considering these statistics and the subsequent cost to the nation in lost productivity and overall medical costs, surely the threat of death by STI’s are immeasurably greater and in need of far more monetary assistance than any illusory terror act? Of course not. For this does not support the prevailing narrative, and it cannot be manipulated to push through racist legislation. Is our population as worried about not wearing a condom during sex as they are about ‘queue jumping’ immigrants? Does our Prime Minister see no shame in trying to add a co-payment fee to our Medicare system, a system which saves so many lives and is the envy of other countries, whilst simultaneously upping defence spending, and allowing the military to take on domestic terrorist matters? Does he see no irony here? I ask you dear reader, should we be doing more as a nation to fight the threat to our long-term health outcomes, as well as acknowledging our laissez faire attitude toward safe sex, or should we continue to demonise one small portion of our society, thereby echoing the sentiments of our Prime Minster who stated, “the very real threat of home-grown terrorism… has increased with the spread of global Islamist terrorism”. This insistence that our way of life is under imminent danger is preposterous. Our society is under far more threat from the so called ‘liberal’ government curtailing freedoms, destroying dissent, and showing an absolute reluctance to fix the human rights abuses which Australia is so evidently guilty of.

So, what am I trying to get across within this article? It is simply this: sex is far more dangerous than terrorism in Australia today, so go get checked people, and always wear a condom, if not for your own sake, then for the preservation of Medicare and the tax-payers peace of mind.