Last week’s abortion law fracas in the NSW Parliament and the announcement of yet another inquiry into the operation of our divorce laws form part of a concerted effort to return Australia to an era of social conservatism.

To be fair, the push from social conservatives does not envisage a full return to the "father knows best", white-picket-fence 1950s Australian family model. Compared with that monotonal period, contemporary Australia is a country of many colours.