In any other situation, you would look at the title to this article and shake your head in disbelief. Australia is notoriously full of almost unshockable people. It is almost inconceivable that there could be any advert capable of causing anyone even the slightest lift of an eyebrow. Yet the regulators responsible for keeping Australia safe for the Australians has directed that one advert be removed from public display. The controversy over the decision has been impressive. Advocates of free speech have clashed with the more conservative elements in society that prefer not to have their eyes assaulted as they drive down the highways. And the reason for all this excitement? As a part of a perfectly legitimate campaign to persuade more men to seek treatment for erectile dysfunction (or even quietly to go on to the internet and buy viagra online) adverts have been asking the question, “Want longer lasting sex?”

So here comes some more unexpected news. There is credible medical research that only 11% of Australian men who suffer from erectile dysfunction get any treatment. In this modern age, it cannot be that men have not heard of viagra nor how easy it is to buy it online. The reason has to embedded in the carefully cultivated image of male superiority that the men try to project. Their sense of shame is so completely overwhelming that any admission of a sexual problem is unthinkable. As a result, Australian women have yet another reason to suffer in silence.

Anyway, whatever the reason for the reluctance to come forward, the adverts were designed to reassure the affected men that there was completely confidential help available. With the falling birth rate, Australia cannot replace its population unless there is increased immigration. As a policy, this is unpopular so the government has been trying to encourage more sexual activity. However, the advert is all too blatant for the poor folk responsible for setting standards in advertising. No-one can go around posting up provocative encouragement to have longer sexual sessions. With the adverts gone, all we can hope for now is that these shrinking violets (an Australian term of endearment for men with erectile dysfunction) will resort to the internet and buy the necessary viagra online from the privacy of their own homes.