The word “unaustralian” is a back formation from “unamerican” which dates to the Communist Witch Trials of the 1950s where anyone slightly different could be stigmatised as not belonging and the word “unaustralian” has been increasingly used to mean anything the speaker or writer simply does not agree with.

“Political correctness” is a slightly different kettle of fish. The term is used to describe language, policies, or measures intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. 

Political correctness should be a positive thing, showing tolerance for marginal or disadvantaged groups or putting us on guard against inherently sexist language.

Yet “PC” is invariably pejorative, an insult bandied around to show that whatever topic is under discussion, the actions taken have gone too far.

An example is the recent discussion on changes to drivers licences to remove sex and height.

Neither change will affect anyone’s ability to drive and the changes were introduced in 2016 in response to changes to Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act in 2013.

Yet to hear people carry on is to think that somehow our values have been destroyed and when the Courier-Mail called it a “politically correct overhaul”, politicians fell over themselves with stupidity with opposition leader Deb Frecklington calling it “offensive to taxpayers”.

Disappointingly Robbie Katter too felt the need to weigh in saying “gender neutrality is an indulgence of a small group of narrow minded whingers”.

That’s quite a leap of logic from actually transpired and it seems to me that the narrow minded whingers are the ones complaining about the changes not the ones who asked for the changes.

Mr Katter did say something I do agree with which is that people have more important things to worry about.

So let him and his fellow pollies worry about those things instead of stripping back tolerance in the name of some fake “everyday people” agenda – Derek Barry