SYDNEY -- Sex, religion, politics -- what an explosive combination to hit Australia! And just as everyone is welcoming home troops from the Iraq war and the economy is looking good.

What worsens the impact of this terrible trio is the fact that the national scandal has engulfed the highest offices in the land from the head of state and the head of government down to the most vulnerable members of the community, school children. The average Australian stands aghast that our self-styled "fair-go" country is being shown up in such an ugly light.

The latest state of play -- as breathlessly broadcast by an overhyped electronic media -- is that the governor general, Peter Hollingworth, had stood down. On Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth II officially accepted his resignation, effective Thursday. His position as the queen's representative in Canberra is temporarily occupied by the most senior of the state governors, Sir Guy Green, from Tasmania.