State of Grace

It appears that the recently deceased Steve Irwin is to be given a state funeral, according to Queensland State Premier Peter Beattie, 'if his family wishes so'. Am I the only person thinking that this response is just a little bit disproportionate? Does this recent Australian taste for honouring the rich and famous at the taxpayers' expense (such as they did for the memorial service for media magnate Kerry Packer earlier this year) stem from the honoured being fans of the John Howard goverment? According to Germaine Greer, Irwin, bless him, thought that 'Howard is the greatest leader the world has ever seen.'