IT IS SURELY a sign of our times that a public controversy in Australia has been triggered by the arrival of a DVD rather a person. The DVD in question is a documentary with an axe to grind, Unlocking the Mystery of Life, which has been produced by the “intelligent design” movement in the United States. It is intended for the general public and for distribution in schools, where it can be presented as an alternative to the Darwinian theory of evolution.

The distributors of this DVD in Australia are Christian lobby groups that are so keen to see the intelligent design idea adopted that they have sent thousands of copies to schools. This has provoked widespread comment in newspapers and on radio, and even elicited some brief remarks from the Federal Minister for Education.