In my chapter of NHJ, I wrote passionately about my concern over the collapse of ethics in business and government. I wrote of the corroding affect of the daily diet of lies and spin. I focused on some of the 'big lies' and specifically mentioned the unthrown children. I've just come back from a long fishing trip on Fraser Island where I cut myself off from the daily news. I've returned to the mainland to hear a furore over the unthrown children and the lies surrounding it. My first reaction was 'yawn, we know about that already'. I'm tired, windswept, bedraggled and sunburnt and don't want to relive the lies of the last election.

Then again maybe I do. This sea-dog will live to fight another day. We are talking about a pattern of behaviour where the voters are treated with contempt. We've written and spoken about this endlessly for years. When is enough enough? We continue to fight this battle on many levels and there is no time better than now to take them on.

Elections are not only about the future, they are also about accountability for the past. We think Australians will remember this and govern themselves accordingly. A key message of NHJ is to use all the energy and power we have at our disposal to exercise that fundamental right of self-government. Our precious, delicate democracy is worth saving. Lies corrode our democracy and the perpetrators should be exposed at every opportunity. It's worth the extra effort. Brave people must act in dangerous times.