This paper proposes a simple but critical reorientation of Australia’s moral framework by analysing the concepts and assumptions used to express its constitutional claims. The dominant view holds that Australia is a Benthamite society, shaped by his utilitarianism, legalism, and positivism. This narrative is not wrong, but what it puts forward for consideration is an incomplete genealogy of Australia’s utilitarian heritage. I argue that by turning to the other half of Australia’s utilitarian inheritance – John Stuart Mill’s liberal utilitarianism – we can then bring into view a more genealogically continuous and philosophically coherent interpretation of the Constitution and its impact on moral discourse in Australia.
