The faltering state of Australian Health Minister Tony Abbott's attempts to initiate a broad public debate, aimed at tightening the country's abortion laws, says a lot about the type of conservatism now prevalent in Australia.
The election of John Howard and his centre-right Liberal-National coalition, four times in a row since 1996, has promoted widespread belief that the country is falling under the spell of some thinking that is long past its shelf life.
Mr Howard's personal predilection for cricket, and strong support for the role of the British monarchy in Australian political life, have tended to reinforce that image. But look closer, and what becomes apparent are values more aligned with those symbolised by Arnold Schwarzenegger in California - a laid-back, sun-drenched conservatism.
As with conservatives elsewhere, Australians are showing that they support lower taxes, greater personal choice in all areas of life, such as education, and a reduction in bureaucratic intrusions into their lives. Membership in unions has plummeted, while the government has just embarked on an aggressive move to reform and liberalise the labour market. And interest in the country's history has surged among young Australians.
At the same time, homosexuality is so well accepted that Sydney's annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras - once a sharp social and political statement - is now little more than a tourist attraction.
Australia has been overtaken by a traditional conservatism that focuses on individuality and personal freedoms, and has little to do with the image of moral diehards and strict church-goers. As for the country's abortion laws, Mr Howard - knowing there is little support for change - has indicated he is largely content to leave them as they are.
If anything, contemporary Australian conservatism is marked by a pervasive pragmatism. Nevertheless, signs are emerging that some political leaders are prepared to use the current environment to push a very right-wing agenda.