AUSTRALIA Day provided a special focus for the week’s news as, once again, we wrestled with our evolving national identity.

The choice as Australian of the Year of former Chief of Army, David Morrison, who attempted to transform the military’s attitude to women, was widely applauded. Whether his reforms will endure is yet to be seen, but they were undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

OUR Aboriginal compatriots made the usual protests that “Invasion Day” was no occasion for celebration. And there seems to be increasing sympathy for their position.

Prominent Aboriginal figure Noel Pearson regretted passing up the opportunity to take his cause into the Federal Parliament. But he and other indigenous leaders already have their hands full in developing an agreed position for Aboriginal recognition in the Constitution.

THE republic movement also took the chance to press its case. Chair Peter FitzSimons presented a “declaration” in support of an Australian Head of State from all the state premiers and chief ministers except WA’s Colin Barnett. And while the movement still has to grapple with the method of choosing a president, if they are finally successful that date would undoubtedly resolve the perennial problem of a real Australia Day. And PM Malcolm Turnbull’s reluctance to revisit the issue until the death of the Queen must be increasingly frustrating to the movement’s leaders.

MEANWHILE, former PM Tony Abbott headed to America to address an anti-gay, anti-abortion group while promising to remain in Parliament for the foreseeable future. Some government supporters are concerned he’ll be a thorn in Turnbull’s side; others see his American trip as an indicator that the “Mad Monk” is back; and as he veers to the right he’ll become increasingly irrelevant.

ANOTHER former PM, the redoubtable Kevin Rudd, was back in the news as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced she would back his quest to become UN Secretary-General. They were close even when on opposing sides of the Parliament. And the job has been in Rudd’s sights even before he gained the Prime Ministership. His current campaign to achieve it is typically unrelenting.

CLOSER to home, Canberra public servants came under increasing pressure to sacrifice their idiosyncratic attachment to a 4.51pm knock-off time for a rounded out 5pm. And if that will secure them new industrial agreements, it’s hard to see why they’re quibbling.

LIBERAL Deputy Leader Alistair Coe fired a shot across the bows of the Gungahlin tram with the announcement that a Lib Government would trial self-driving cars in the ACT. This is the kind of new technology that will reduce traffic and make light rail an expensive white elephant.

AND the Libs stole a march on Labor with the pre-selection of candidates with an Asian background – Jacob Vadakkedathu of Indian heritage and Elizabeth Lee of the Korean diaspora. If elected they would help to reflect the true multi-cultural nature of Canberra’s population.

FINALLY, yet another sex-and-booze scandal among that gang of toughs, the National Rugby League. Eastern Suburbs player, Mitchell Pearce, was videoed making unwanted advances to a woman and then a dog during a drunken night out.

Sounds like the NRL needs a lesson in changing attitudes. A job for David Morrison perhaps?

robert@robertmacklin.com