Advertisement
| best books on australian political history: Australian Politics in the Twenty-First Century Stewart Jackson, Joff Lelliott, Shannon Brincat, Josephine Bourne, Nick Economou, 2022-09-02 The global political environment in the twenty-first century is proving dynamic and challenging for Australian policymakers and political institutions. Australian Politics in the Twenty-first Century contextualises the Australian political landscape through an institutional lens. It examines the legislative and judicial bodies, minor parties, lobby groups, the media and the citizenry, providing historical and contemporary facts, explaining political issues and examining new challenges. The second edition has been updated to reflect the application of political theories in today's civic environment. New spotlight boxes highlight issues including marriage equality, COVID-19 and federalism, the inclusion of First Nations peoples in the political system, and gender equality in public policy. Short-answer, reflection, research and discussion questions encourage students to test and extend their knowledge of each topic and to clearly link theory to practice. Written in an accessible and engaging style, Australian Politics in the Twenty-First Century is an invaluable introduction to the Australian political system. |
| best books on australian political history: Local Government in Australia Bligh Grant, Joseph Drew, 2017-03-06 This book offers a general introduction to and analysis of the history, theory and public policy of Australian local government systems. Conceived in an international comparative context and primarily from within the discipline of political studies, it also incorporates elements of economics and public administration. Existing research tends to conceptualise Australian local government as an element of public policy grounded in an 'administrative science' approach. A feature of this approach is that generally normative considerations form only a latent element of the discussions, which is invariably anchored in debates about institutional design rather than the normative defensibility of local government. The book addresses this point by providing an account of the terrain of theoretical debate alongside salient themes in public policy. |
| best books on australian political history: The Australian Political System in Action 2e Narelle Miragliotta, Wayne Errington, Nicholas Barry, 2013-07-18 This book introduces the dynamics of the Australian political system. It sets out the key concepts and institutions of democratic politics and demonstrates how the actors and institutions of Australian politics interact and develop. |
| best books on australian political history: Political Theory and Australian Multiculturalism Geoffrey Brahm Levey, 2008-06-01 Multiculturalism has been one of the dominant concerns in political theory over the last decade. To date, this inquiry has been mostly informed by, or applied to, the Canadian, American, and increasingly, the European contexts. This volume explores for the first time how the Australian experience both relates and contributes to political thought on multiculturalism. Focusing on whether a multicultural regime undermines political integration, social solidarity, and national identity, the authors draw on the Australian case to critically examine the challenges, possibilities, and limits of multiculturalism as a governing idea in liberal democracies. These essays by distinguished Australian scholars variously treat the relation between liberalism and diversity, democracy and diversity, culture and rights, and evaluate whether Australia’s thirty-year experiment in liberal multiculturalism should be viewed as a successful model. |
| best books on australian political history: To Constitute a Nation Helen Irving, 1999-06-13 This imaginative and resonant 1997 book looks at the constitution as a cultural artefact. It attempts to understand the period during which it emerged, culminating in Federation in 1901. Irving looks beyond the well-known events, places and figures to locate federation and the constitution in the context of broader social, political and cultural changes. She argues that Australians displayed an ability to reconcile the demands of pragmatism with the urge of romanticism. Despite its paradoxical construction, there is something uniquely Australian about the constitution, and it marked a utopian moment as the old century gave way to the new. Irving analyses the background and outcomes of the Constitutional Convention and considers its significance for Australia's possible future as a republic. |
| best books on australian political history: The March of Patriots Paul Kelly, 2011-04-01 Unveiling the inside story of how Paul Keating and John Howard changed Australia, this record presents these two personalities as conviction politicians, tribal warriors, and national interest patriots. Divided by belief, temperament, and party, they were united by generation, city, and the challenge to make Australia into a successful nation for the globalized age. The making of policy and the uses of power are explored, capturing the authentic nature of Australian politics as distinct from the polemics advanced by both sides. Focusing on how these prime ministers altered the nation's direction, this study also depicts how they redefined their parties and struggled over Australia's new economic, social, cultural, and foreign policy agendas. A sequel to the author’s bestselling The End of Certainty, this survey is based on more than 100 interviews with the two key players as well as other politicians, advisers, and public servants. |
| best books on australian political history: Paper Emperors Sally Young, 2019-03-01 ‘A tour de force.’ — Professor Rodney Tiffen Before newspapers were ravaged by the digital age, they were a powerful force, especially in Australia — a country of newspaper giants and kingmakers. This magisterial book reveals who owned Australia’s newspapers and how they used them to wield political power. A corporate and political history of Australian newspapers spanning 140 years, it explains how Australia’s media system came to be dominated by a handful of empires and powerful family dynasties. Many are household names, even now: Murdoch, Fairfax, Syme, Packer. Written with verve and insight and showing unparalleled command of a vast range of sources, Sally Young shows how newspaper owners influenced policy-making, lobbied and bullied politicians, and shaped internal party politics. The book begins in 1803 with Australia’s first newspaper owner — a convict who became a wealthy bank owner — giving the industry a blend of notoriety, power and wealth from the start. Throughout the twentieth century, Australians were unaware that they were reading newspapers owned by secret bankrupts and failed land boomers, powerful mining magnates, Underbelly-style gangsters, bankers, and corporate titans. It ends with the downfall of Menzies in 1941 and his conviction that a handful of press barons brought him down. The intervening years are packed with political drama, business machinations and a struggle for readers, all while the newspaper barons are peddling power and influence. |
| best books on australian political history: The Longest Decade George Megalogenis, 2009-04-01 Paul Keating and John Howard altered the nation's body-clock. Between them, they dominated 30 years of power, as both treasurers and prime ministers. Typically, they have been seen as only antagonists with competeing visions of Australia and its place in the world--Provided by publisher. |
| best books on australian political history: The National Party Linda Botterill, 2009 The National Party of Australia is under challenge. Will it be able to adapt and survive or will it become increasingly irrelevant in Australian politics? With population growth in some coastal and hinterland areas and decline in inland agricultural areas, the face of rural and regional Australia is changing. As a result, the National Party's traditional support is being eroded. Within the long-standing Coalition, the influence of the Nationals appears to be in decline, yet they continue to resist amalgamation with the Liberal Party. The authors describe a small party, with a strong agrarian identity, surviving amongst major parties that are deeply rooted in an increasingly dominant urban political landscape. They consider the policy and political options and potential electoral strategies for survival and perhaps, renewal. 'Comprehensively brings up to date the assessments of the past performance of, and future prospects for, Australia's second oldest political party - essential reading for students of politics, those interested in politics, and National Party practitioners.' - Paul Davey, former federal director of the National Party |
| best books on australian political history: The Game Sean Kelly, 2021-11-01 What happens when the prime minister views politics only as a game? Australia wanted Scott Morrison. In a time of uncertainty, the country chose in 2019 to turn to a man with no obvious beliefs, no clear purpose and no famous talents. That we wanted Scott Morrison was the secret we did not know about ourselves. What precisely that secret is forms the subject of this book. In The Game, Sean Kelly gives us a portrait of a man, the shallow political culture that allowed him to succeed and the country that crowned him. Morrison understands – in a way that no other recent politician has – how politics has become a game. He also understands something essential about Australia – something many of us are unwilling to admit, even to ourselves. But there are things Scott Morrison does not understand. This is the story of those failures, too – and the way that, as his prime ministership continues, Morrison’s failure to think about politics as anything other than a game has become a dangerous liability, both to him and to us. |
| best books on australian political history: Best We Forget Peter Cochrane, 2018-07-30 The preparation for a coming war and ultimately the commitment to that war was driven by White Australia's sense of vulnerability in the Pacific, by various nightmare scenarios in which Australia could be left to fend for itself, unaided by Britain, and by the determination to have racial purity at almost any cost. When the war came, finally, the strategy was simple enough: by promising total support the Australians hoped to secure Britain's unequivocal support in return, for a White Australia. They hoped they would not be forsaken. Dr. Peter Cochrane is a writer of non-fiction, fiction, opinion and travel. His works have won many awards including the Fellowship of Australian Writers' Award for Non-Fiction (1993) for Simpson and the Donkey. He also won the Age Book of the Year and the Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History in 2007 for Colonial Ambition. He lives in Sydney. ‘This careful, detailed account...establishes that an important motive for our participation [in World War I] was the preservation of white Australia from Asian contamination.’ Age ‘A great read, and an important contribution to making forgotten history more accessible—the kind of book that will seep into the national consciousness over time.’ Tim Watts, federal MP and co-author of Two Futures ‘The words “White Australia” and “Anzac rarely keep company. In this brilliant and provocative reassessment, Peter Cochrane strips away the layers of myth to show that for Australian leaders World War I was a white racial struggle, with fear of Japan and distrust of Britain, as much as loathing of Germany, at its heart. After Best We Forget, Australia’s war should never look quite the same again.’ Frank Bongiorno, professor of history at the ANU and author of The Eighties ‘Revelatory history at its best. Every Australian politician, journalist and high-school student should read this fluent and compelling story that exhumes an unpalatable truth about our motives for going to war in 1914, and reflect on what it tells us about race fear and the value of history.’ Stephen FitzGerald, chairman of China Matters, former diplomat and author of Comrade Ambassador ‘Cochrane sweeps away the myth to expose the uncomfortable racial truth at the heart of Anzac.’ Paul Daley, award-winning journalist and author of Beersheba ‘Unsettling and revelatory...The primary purpose of Cochrane’s fascinating book is to alert readers to the racial dimension of Australia’s participation in World War I. It also addresses the key historiographical question of what is remembered and what is forgotten, and why...He has succeeded admirably in this illuminating book...Illuminating.’ Australian ‘Best We Forget is, quite simply, the most important book on Australia and the Great War to appear in the course of the war’s centenary...Cochrane has made the original and profound connection between Australian racial fears and its participation in the Great War. This is something that—amazingly—no one else has done...Cochrane’s is a most original and illuminating argument.’ Peter Stanley, Honest History |
| best books on australian political history: Narrative of Denial Peter Job, 2021-06-01 The Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975 led to a prolonged conflict, severe human rights abuses and a large loss of life. From 1975 to 1983 the Indonesian military's campaign of 'encirclement and annihilation' destroyed rural food resources, creating the famine that took most of the lives lost during the occupation. The Australian governments of Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser presented themselves as advocates for human rights and the international rule of law, while viewing relations with Indonesia as key to their foreign policy objectives. These positions came into conflict due to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. Based upon an extensive study of Australian foreign affairs archives, as well as interviews, A Narrative of Denial demonstrates how the Australian government responded to the conflict by propagating a version of events that denied the reality of the catastrophe occurring in East Timor. It worked to protect the Suharto regime internationally, thereby allowing it to continue its repression relatively unhindered. This remarkable story will unsettle existing perceptions of how Australia operates in world affairs. |
| best books on australian political history: The Book of Paul , 2014-06-25 Presenting the one and only Mr Paul Keating – at his straight-shooting, scumbag-calling, merciless best. Paul lets rip – on John Howard: “The little desiccated coconut is under pressure and he is attacking anything he can get his hands on.” On Peter Costello: “The thing about poor old Costello is he is all tip and no iceberg.” On John Hewson: “[His performance] is like being flogged with a warm lettuce.” On Andrew Peacock: “...what we have here is an intellectual rust bucket.” On Wilson Tuckey: “...you stupid foul-mouthed grub.” On Tony Abbott: “If Tony Abbott ends up the prime minister of Australia, you’ve got to say, God help us.” And that’s just a taste. |
| best books on australian political history: The Hawke Ascendancy Paul Kelly, 2008-04-01 Twenty-five years after becoming prime minister, Bob Hawke's rise to power is still one of the most dramatic political narratives this country has known. The Hawke Ascendancy tells the story of the Labor Party's return to office in 1983 after its crushing defeat in 1975. It is the inside account of three men--Bob Hawke, Malcolm Fraser and Bill Hayden--and their unique power struggle. This definitive work deals with the personality clashes, policy achievements and power struggles in both the Labor and Liberal parties. Hawke, alienated from his own party in 1975, finally broke down the doors of its opposition to him and became Labor's saviour and one of Australia's most respected prime ministers. Fraser, invulnerable and all-powerful in 1975, eventually succumbed to external pressures and internal weakness. Hayden, an initially reluctant but then aggressive leader, took Labor to the very brink only to falter himself. And the ruthlessly ambitious John Howard was biding his time . . . In this instalment of his incisive and compelling analysis of modern Australian politics, Paul Kelly sketches the triumph and tragedy of individuals against the big issues of the era--economic management, resources development and Australia's place in the world. The Hawke Ascendancy is, above all, a gripping inside account of how Australian politics really works. 'Kelly writes a gripping political narrative that also has the powerful overtones of Shakespearian tragedy.' - The Australian Financial Review 'Kelly at his best is a wordsmith and analyst without peer among those who make their living observing and reporting national politics.' - Alan Ramsey 'A superb account of dramatic political events.' - Laurie Oakes |
| best books on australian political history: A Bigger Picture Malcolm Turnbull, 2020-04-20 In A Bigger Picture, the bestselling political memoir of 2020, Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s 29th prime minister, tells the remarkable story of his life. Now in paperback, this edition is updated with an all-new foreword by the author that sheds light on the huge political and cultural changes happening today. When Malcolm Turnbull took over the nation’s top job there was a sense of excitement in Australia. Sky-high opinion polls followed as the political outsider with a successful business, legal and media career took charge. The infighting that had dogged politics for the best part of a decade looked to be over. But a right-wing insurgency brutally cut down Turnbull’s time in office after three years, leaving many Australians asking, ‘Why?’ Exceptionally candid and compelling, A Bigger Picture is the definitive narrative of Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership. He describes how he legalised same-sex marriage, established Snowy Hydro 2.0, stood up to Donald Trump, and many more achievements – remarkable in their pace and significance, and delivered in the teeth of so much opposition. But it’s far more than just politics. Turnbull’s life has been filled with colourful characters and controversies, success and failure. From his early years in Sydney, growing up with a single father, to defending 'Spycatcher' Peter Wright against the UK government; the years representing Kerry Packer, leading the Republican Movement and making millions in business; and finally toppling Tony Abbott to become prime minister of Australia. For the first time he tells it all – in his own words. With revelatory insights on the workings of Canberra and the contentious events of Turnbull’s life, A Bigger Picture explores the strengths and vulnerabilities of one of Australia’s best-known and most dynamic business and political leaders. Lyrically written in highly readable and entertaining prose, this is a genuine page-turner that’s not just for political junkies. |
| best books on australian political history: Origins Of Multiculturalism In Australian Politics 1945-1975 Mark Lopez, 2013-06-18 This book answers such fundamental questions as: what is multiculturalism; how did it originate; and how did it become a basis for the Australian government's ethnic affairs policy? Researched from primary evidence—much of it made available to the author exclusivelymdash;it is an essential and solid foundation for future research and policy work in this field. Multiculturalism continues to stir emotions and excite passionate public debate. This work presents new, accurate, ideologically neutral, historically based definitions of multiculturalism. It also provides accurate and analytically useful definitions and explanations of assimilationism and integrationism, thus establishing a valuable framework for analysis and debate. |
| best books on australian political history: Deep Time Dreaming Billy Griffiths, 2018-02-26 People would have known about Australia before they saw it. Smoke billowing above the sea spoke of a land that lay beyond the horizon. A dense cloud of migrating birds may have pointed the way. But the first Australians were voyaging into the unknown. Soon after Billy Griffiths joins his first archaeological dig as camp manager and cook, he is hooked. Equipped with a historian’s inquiring mind, he embarks on a journey through time, seeking to understand the extraordinary deep history of the Australian continent. Deep Time Dreaming is the passionate product of that journey. It investigates a twin revolution: the reassertion of Aboriginal identity in the second half of the twentieth century, and the uncovering of the traces of ancient Australia. It explores what it means to live in a place of great antiquity, with its complex questions of ownership and belonging. It is about a slow shift in national consciousness: the deep time dreaming that has changed the way many of us relate to this continent and its enduring, dynamic human history. John Mulvaney Book Award: Winner Ernest Scott Prize: Winner NSW Premier's Literary Awards: Winner - Book of the Year NSW Premier's Literary Awards: Winner - Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards: Highly Commended Queensland Literary Awards: Shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards: Shortlisted Educational Publishing Awards: Shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards: Longlisted CHASS Book Prize: Longlisted ‘What a revelatory work! If you wish to hear the voice of our continent's history before the written word, Deep Time Dreaming is a must read. The freshest, most important book about our past in years.’ —Tim Flannery ‘Once every generation a book comes along that marks the emergence of a powerful new literary voice and shifts our understanding of the nation’s past. Billy Griffiths’ Deep Time Dreaming is one such book. Deeply researched, creatively conceived and beautifully written, it charts the expansion of archaeological knowledge in Australia for the first time. No other book has managed to convey the mystery and intricacy of Indigenous antiquity in quite the same way. Read it: it will change the way you see Australian history.’ —Mark McKenna, historian ‘Billy Griffiths’ Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia is a remarkable book, and one destined, I believe, to become a modern classic of Australian history writing. Written in vivid, evocative prose, this book will grip both the expert and the general reader alike.’ —Iain McCalman, author of The Reef: A Passionate History: The Great Barrier Reef from Captain Cook to Climate Change |
| best books on australian political history: Australia, a Cultural History John Rickard, 1988 |
| best books on australian political history: The Palace Letters Professor Jenny Hocking, 2020-11-03 What role did the queen play in the governor-general Sir John Kerr's plans to dismiss prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1975, which unleashed one of the most divisive episodes in Australia's political history? And why weren't we told? Under the cover of being designated as private correspondence, the letters between the queen and the governor-general about the dismissal have been locked away for decades in the National Archives of Australia, and embargoed by the queen potentially forever. This ruse has furthered the fiction that the queen and the Palace had no warning of or role in Kerr's actions. In the face of this, Professor Jenny Hocking embarked on a four-year legal battle to force the Archives to release the letters. In 2015, she mounted a crowd-funded campaign, securing a stellar pro bono team that took her case all the way to the High Court of Australia. Now, drawing on never-before-published material from Kerr's archives and her submissions to the court, Hocking traces the collusion and deception behind the dismissal, and charts the private role of High Court judges, the queen's private secretary, and the leader of the opposition, Malcolm Fraser, in Kerr's actions, and the prior knowledge of the queen and Prince Charles. Hocking also reveals the obstruction, intrigue, and duplicity she faced, raising disturbing questions about the role of the National Archives in preventing access to its own historical material and in enforcing royal secrecy over its documents. |
| best books on australian political history: Reset Ross Garnaut, 2021-02-22 ‘The nation’s most prophetic economist’—Ross Gittins In Reset, renowned economist Ross Garnaut shows how the COVID-19 crisis offers Australia the opportunity to reset its economy and build a successful future – and why the old approaches will not work. Garnaut develops the idea of a renewable superpower, he calls for a basic income and he explores what the ‘decoupling’ of China and America will mean for Australia. In the wake of COVID-19, the world has entered its deepest recession since the 1930s. Shocks of this magnitude throw history from its established course – either for good or evil. In 1942 – in the depths of war – the Australian government established a Department of Post-War Reconstruction to plan a future that not only restored existing strengths but also rebuilt the country for a new and better future. As we strive to overcome the coronavirus challenge, we need new, practical ideas to restore Australia. This book has them. La Trobe University Press in conjunction with Black Inc. and the University of Melbourne |
| best books on australian political history: The Avoidable War Kevin Rudd, 2022-03-22 A war between China and the US would be catastrophic, deadly, and destructive. Unfortunately, it is no longer unthinkable. The relationship between the US and China, the world’s two superpowers, is peculiarly volatile. It rests on a seismic fault—of cultural misunderstanding, historical grievance, and ideological incompatibility. No other nations are so quick to offend and be offended. Their militaries play a dangerous game of chicken, corporations steal intellectual property, intelligence satellites peer, and AI technicians plot. The capacity for either country to cross a fatal line grows daily. Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister who has studied, lived in, and worked with China for more than forty years, is one of the very few people who can offer real insight into the mindsets of the leadership whose judgment will determine if a war will be fought. The Avoidable War demystifies the actions of both sides, explaining and translating them for the benefit of the other. Geopolitical disaster is still avoidable, but only if these two giants can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through what Rudd calls “managed strategic competition.” Should they fail, down that path lies the possibility of a war that could rewrite the future of both countries, and the world. |
| best books on australian political history: A Rightful Place Noel Pearson, Shireen Morris, 2017-08-03 The nation has unfinished business. After more than two centuries, can a rightful place be found for Australia’s original peoples? Soon we will all decide if and how Indigenous Australians will be recognised in the Constitution. In this essential book, several leading writers and thinkers provide a road map to recognition. Starting with the Uluru Statement from the Heart, these eloquent essays show what constitutional recognition means, and what it could make possible: a political voice, a fairer relationship and a renewed appreciation of an ancient culture. With remarkable clarity and power, they traverse law, history and culture to map the path to change. The contributors to A Rightful Place are Noel Pearson, Megan Davis, Stan Grant, Rod Little and Jackie Huggins, Damien Freeman and Nolan Hunter, Warren Mundine, and Shireen Morris. The book includes a foreword by Galarrwuy Yunupingu. A Rightful Place is edited by Shireen Morris, a lawyer and constitutional reform fellow at the Cape York Institute and researcher at Monash University. |
| best books on australian political history: A Little History of the Australian Labor Party Nick Dyrenfurth, Frank Bongiorno, Wayne Swan, 2024 Acclaimed historians Nick Dyrenfurth and Frank Bongiorno tell the story of the Australian Labor Party's rich history of more than 130 years and examine its central role in modern Australia. The Australian Labor Party is one of the oldest labour parties in the world and the first to form a government. From the prime ministerships of Watson and Fisher to the tragedies of Hughes and Scullin, through the 1940s legends Curtin and Chifley to governments of Whitlam, Hawke, Keating, Rudd and Gillard, A Little History of the Australian Labor Party recounts times of triumph and failure, as well as resilience. This updated edition examines Labor's recent performance in state and territory politics and takes the national story up to the Albanese government. 'Informative and insightful, the authors shrewdly marshal the key events, policies and personalities in Labor's long and lively history to tell the compelling story of the party that has shaped Australia more than any other. I enjoyed it immensely.' --Troy Bramston. |
| best books on australian political history: Losing Streak James Boyce, 2017-03-14 The story begins with the toppling of a premier, and ends with David Walsh, the man behind MONA, taking an eccentric stand against pokie machines and the political status quo. It is a story of broken politics and back-room deals. It shows how giving one company the licence to all the poker machines in Tasmania has led to several hundred million dollars of profits (mainly from problem gamblers) being diverted from public use, through a series of questionable and poorly understood deals. Losing Streak is a meticulous, compelling case study in governance failure, which has implications for pokies reform throughout Australia. |
| best books on australian political history: The Rudd Government Chris Aulich, Mark Evans, 2010-12-01 This edited collection examines Commonwealth administration under the leadership Prime Minister Kevin Rudd from 2007-2010. This was a remarkable period in Australian history: Rudd’s government was elected in 2007 with an ambitious program for change. However, as the chapters in this book demonstrate, these ambitions were thwarted by a range of factors, not the least being Rudd's failure to press ahead when he confronted 'road blocks' such the ETS or managing his massive agenda which constantly elevated issues to 'first order priority'. Although he started his term with stratospheric approval ratings, only two years later his support had collapsed and on 24 July 2010 he became the first sitting Prime Minister to be removed by his own Party before the expiry of his first term. In this book, expert contributors consider the Rudd Government’s policy, institutional and political legacy. The 14 chapters are organised into four sections, outlining the issues and agendas that guided Rudd’s government, changes to the institutions of state such as the public service and parliament, followed by discussions of key issues and policies that marked Rudd's term in office. The final section examines Rudd’s leadership and reflects on the personal foibles and political factors that brought his Prime Ministership undone. The Rudd Government has been produced by the ANZSOG Institute for Governance at the University of Canberra. It is the tenth in a series of books on successive Commonwealth administrations. Each volume has provided a chronicle and commentary of major events, policies and issues that have dominated successive administrations since 1983. As with previous volumes in the series, contributors have been drawn from a range of universities and other organisations.--Publisher's website. |
| best books on australian political history: A Source Book of Australian History Gwendolen Swinburne, 2022-06-13 A Source Book of Australian History is a concise full history of Australia from the discovery of Tasmania to the National Australian Convention and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia. The book was aimed at students interested in learning the subject. Each chapter has a short synopsis at the beginning to better comprehend the subject. |
| best books on australian political history: Australia and the Vietnam War Peter (Fullarton) Edwards, 2014-03-01 The Vietnam War was Australia’s longest and most controversial military commitment of the twentieth century, ending in humiliation for the United States and its allies with the downfall of South Vietnam. The war provoked deep divisions in Australian society and politics, particularly since for the first time young men were conscripted for overseas service in a highly contentious ballot system. The Vietnam era is still identified with diplomatic, military and political failure. Was Vietnam a case of Australia fighting ‘other people’s wars’? Were we really ‘all the way’ with the United States? How valid was the ‘domino theory’? Did the Australian forces develop new tactical methods in earlier Southeast Asian conflicts, and just how successful were they against the unyielding enemy in Vietnam? In this landmark book, award-winning historian Peter Edwards skilfully unravels the complexities of the global Cold War, decolonisation in Southeast Asia and Australian domestic politics to provide new, often surprising, answers to these questions. |
| best books on australian political history: Girt David Hunt, 2016-05-21 Winner of the 2014 Indie Award for Non - Fiction. Girt. No word could better capture the essence of Australia... In this hilarious history, David Hunt tells the real story of Australia's past from megafauna to Macquarie ... the cock - ups and curiosities, the forgotten eccentrics and Eureka moments that have made us who we are. Mark Twain wrote of Australian history: 'It does not read like history, but like the most beautiful lies ... but they are all true, they all happened.' In Girt, Hunt uncovers these beautiful lies, recounting the strange and ridiculous episodes that conventional histories ignore. The result is surprising, enlightening - and side - splittingly funny. Girt explains the role of the coconut in Australia's only military coup, the Dutch obsession with nailing perfectly good kitchenware to posts, and the settlers' fear of Pemulwuy and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamingcoat. It introduces us to forgotten heroes like Mary McLoghlin, transported for the typically Irish crime of 'felony of sock'; Patyegarang, the young Eora girl who co - authored the world's most surprising dictionary; and Trim the cat, who beat a French monkey to become the first animal to circumnavigate Australia. Our nation's beginnings were steeped in the unlikely, the incongruous and the frankly bizarre. Girt restores these stories to their rightful place. Not to read it would be un - Australian. |
| best books on australian political history: Conspiracy of Silence Timothy Bottoms, 2013 As Europeans moved into new lands in Queensland in the 19th century, violent encounters with local Aboriginals mostly followed. Drawing on extensive original research, Timothy Bottoms tells the story of the most violent frontier in Australian colonial history. |
| best books on australian political history: Paul Keating Troy Bramston, 2016-11-14 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2017 AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARDS, BIOGRAPHY BOOK OF THE YEAR Paul Keating: the big-picture leader is the definitive biography of Australia’s 24th prime minister, and the first that Keating has cooperated with in more than two decades. Drawing on around 15 hours of new interviews with Keating, coupled with access to his extensive personal files, this book tells the story of a political warrior’s rise to power, from the outer suburbs of Sydney through Young Labor and into parliament at just 25 years of age; serving as a minister in the last days of the Whitlam government; his path-breaking term as treasurer in the 1980s; his four-year prime ministership from 1991 to 1996; and his passions and interests since. Bramston has interviewed more than 100 people who know and worked with Keating, including his family, parliamentary colleagues, advisers, party officials, union leaders, public servants, and journalists. This book includes interviews with Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Doug Anthony, Bill Hayden, Andrew Peacock, Ian Sinclair, John Hewson, Alexander Downer, Peter Costello, Kim Beazley, Simon Crean, Cheryl Kernot, and Bob Carr. Bramston has secured access to Labor archives, and he also documents key debates in once-secret cabinet papers, reveals caucus minutes for the first time, draws on the unpublished diaries of Neal Blewett and Bob Carr, discloses meeting records from the archives of US presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, talks to former British prime minister Tony Blair, and shares his new discoveries from the personal files of Gough Whitlam, Bill Hayden, Bob Hawke, and John Howard. Paul Keating saw political leadership as the combination of courage and imagination, a belief that powered his public career and helps explain his extraordinary triumphs and crushing lows. Keating blazed a trail of reform with a vision for Australia’s future that still attracts ardent admirers and the staunchest critics. This book chronicles, analyses, and interprets Keating’s life, and draws lessons for a Labor Party and a country still reluctant to fully embrace his legacy. PRAISE FOR TROY BRAMSTON ‘Warm [and] massively researched … This consistently compelling biography demonstrates Paul Keating was a leader like no one else.’ The Age ‘[Bramston's] achievement is to provide a fresh account of Keating’s career … The result is a work that renders homage to Keating and to his ideas about leadership, power, and the nation.’ The Weekend Australian |
| best books on australian political history: Doing Politics Judith Brett, 2021-11-02 A brilliant collection of the best essays by award-winning writer Judith Brett, long revered by those in the know as Australia’s brightest and most astute political commentator. |
| best books on australian political history: The Best Australian Political Writing 2008 Maxine McKew, Tony Jones, 2008 Tony Jones selects and introduces the best writing about the names and events that have shaped the past year in politics. From Howard's end to the war in Iraq; the Northern Territory intervention to the release of David Hicks, this diverse and compelling collection includes writing by Australia's leading commentators and opinion-makers. The best Australian political writing 2008 brings together the most controversial, illuminating and provocative writing about the names and events from the past year.--Provided by publisher. |
| best books on australian political history: Red Zone Peter Hartcher, 2021-06-24 How Australia woke up to China's challenge - and what comes next China is a key nation for Australia's future - for our security, economy and identity. But what are China's intentions when it comes to Australia? And what lies behind the recent chill in relations between the two countries? In this gripping book, Peter Hartcher shows how Australia woke up to China's challenge and explores what comes next. Will we see a further deterioration in relations, or is there a smarter way to deal with an authoritarian superpower? Hartcher shines new light on Beijing's overt and covert campaign for influence - over trade and defence, media and politics. And he looks at the Australian response so far and assesses its effectiveness. 'For all its power, China is neither all-powerful nor irresistible. Australia can shape its engagement with Beijing ... History is forcing us out of our complacency. Whenever Australia is asked to choose between China and America, the ultimate answer must be that we choose Australia.' -Peter Hartcher, Red Zone |
| best books on australian political history: Making Australian History Anna Clark, 2022 Australian history has been revised and reinterpreted by successive generations of historians, writers, governments and public commentators, yet there has been no account of the ways it has changed, who makes history, and how. Making Australian History responds to this critical gap in Australian historical research.A few years ago Anna Clark saw a series of paintings on a sandstone cliff face in the Northern Territory. There were characteristic crosshatched images of fat barramundi and turtles, as well as sprayed handprints and several human figures with spears. Next to them was a long gun, painted with white ochre, an unmistakable image of the colonisers. Was this an Indigenous rendering of contact? A work of history?Each piece of history has a message and context that depends on who wrote it and when. Australian history has swirled and contorted over the years: the history wars have embroiled historians, politicians and public commentators alike, while debates over historical fiction have been as divisive. History isn't just about understanding what happened and why. It also reflects the persuasions, politics and prejudices of its authors. Each iteration of Australia's national story reveals not only the past in question, but also the guiding concerns and perceptions of each generation of history makers.Making Australian History is bold and inclusive: it catalogues and contextualises changing readings of the past, it examines the increasingly problematic role of historians as national storytellers, and it incorporates the stories of people. |
| best books on australian political history: The Passion of Politics Lindy Edwards, 2012-10-09 Lindy Edwards powerfully shows how politics can be understood as a passionate confrontation of ideas and ideologies. This book gives us a new and compelling way to think about the past, present, and future of Australian politics.' - Professor John Dryzek, Australian National UniversityBehind the evening news lies a world of political ideas and passionate conflict. The Passion of Politics unpacks the ideologies and theories which drive these political clashes, helping to explain why we admire some politicians and loathe others.The ideas driving today's politics all have roots in the political struggles of the past. They've been responses to great injustices and challenges, and they've underpinned enormous achievements. In Australia, they've helped create one of the most wealthy, free and just societies in history.Today we are faced with important choices between flawed options. The struggles of the past have undermined our belief in utopias. Yet the current battles remain crucial to defining our future. Understanding the dynamics of the ideas in play is essential to equipping ourselves to take part in these vital debates. |
| best books on australian political history: Triumph and Demise Paul Kelly, 2014-10-22 Featuring a new introduction in response to Julia Gillard's memoir, this revised edition brings Paul Kelly's masterpiece on the Rudd-Gillard years up to the present. Drawing on more than sixty on-the-record interviews with all the major players, Triumph and Demise is full of remarkable disclosures. It is the inside account of the hopes, achievements and bitter failures of the Labor Government from 2007 to 2013. Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard came together to defeat John Howard, formed a brilliant partnership and raised the hopes of the nation. Yet they fell into tension and then hostility under the pressures of politics and policy. Veteran journalist Paul Kelly probes the dynamics of the Rudd-Gillard partnership and dissects what tore them apart. He tells the full story of Julia Gillard's tragedy as our first female prime minister—her character, Rudd's destabilisation, the carbon tax saga and how Gillard was finally pulled down on the eve of the 2013 election. Kelly documents the most misunderstood event in these years—the rise of Tony Abbott and the reason for his success. It was Abbott's performance that denied Rudd and Gillard the chance to recover. Labor misjudged Abbott and paid the price. Kelly writes with a keen eye and fearless determination. His central theme is that Australian politics has entered a crisis of the system that, unless corrected, will diminish the lives of all Australians. |
| best books on australian political history: The Stalking of Julia Gillard Kerry-Anne Walsh, 2014 This is the story of one of the most extraordinary episodes in recent Australian political history, of how a powerful media pack, a vicious commentariat and some of those within her own party conspired to bring down Australia's first woman prime minister. |
| best books on australian political history: Good, the Bad and the Unlikely Mungo MacCallum, 2019-07-15 Since 1901, thirty different leaders have run the national show. Whether their term was eight days or eighteen years, each prime minister has a story worth sharing. Edmund Barton united the bickering states in a federation. The unlucky Jimmy Scullin took office days before Wall Street crashed into the Great Depression. John Curtin faced the ultimate challenge of wartime leadership. John Gorton, Gough Whitlam and Paul Keating each shook up their parties' policies so vigorously that none lasted much longer than a single term. Harold Holt spent three decades in parliament, only to disappear while swimming off the coast of Victoria just under two years into his first term. John Howard's triple bypass is the stuff of legend. Julia Gillard overthrew Kevin Rudd and Kevin Rudd overthrew Julia Gillard, thus paving the way for Tony Abbott, who was ousted by Malcolm Turnbull - until he too was toppled, this time by Scott Morrison. With characteristic wit and expert knowledge, Mungo MacCallum brings the nation's leaders to life in this updated edition of a classic book. |
| best books on australian political history: Best Australian Political Cartoons 2021 Russ Radcliffe, 2021-11 |
| best books on australian political history: Class Structure in Australian History Raewyn Connell, Terence H. Irving, 1980 |
difference - "What was best" vs "what was the best"? - English …
Oct 18, 2018 · On the linked page, best is used as an adverb, modifying the verb knew. In that context, the phrase the best can also be used as if it were an adverb. The meaning is …
adverbs - About "best" , "the best" , and "most" - English …
Oct 20, 2016 · I like you best. I like chocolate best, better than anything else. can be used when what one is choosing from is not specified. I like you the best. Between chocolate, vanilla, and …
articles - "it is best" vs. "it is the best" - English Language ...
Jan 2, 2016 · This is the best car in the garage. We use articles like the and a before nouns, like car. The word "best" is an adjective, and adjectives do not take articles by themselves. …
expressions - "it's best" - how should it be used? - English …
Dec 8, 2020 · 3 "It's best (if) he (not) buy it tomorrow." is not a subjunctive form, and some options do not work well. 3A It's best he buy it tomorrow. the verb tense is wrong with 3A. Better would …
word choice - "his best-seller book" or "his best-selling book ...
Jun 12, 2016 · @J.R. If something is a New York Times Best Seller, the whole five word string is the adjective in use to modify book, although why book is specified is beyond me; perhaps to …
Word choice - Way of / to / for - Way of / to / for - English …
Jun 16, 2020 · The best way to use "the best way" is to follow it with an infinitive. However, this is not the only way to use the phrase; "the best way" can also be followed by of with a gerund: …
plural forms - It's/I'm acting in your best interest/interests ...
Dec 17, 2014 · have someone's (best) interests at heart (=want to help them): He claims he has only my best interests at heart. be in someone's/something's (best) interest(s) (=bring an …
"Best regards" vs. "Best Regards" - English Language Learners …
Dec 28, 2013 · The rule for formal letters is that only the first word should be capitalized (i.e. "Best regards"). Emails are less formal, so some of the rules are relaxed. That's why you're seeing …
Would be or will be - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
Oct 1, 2019 · It indicates items that (with the best understanding) are going to happen. Would is a conditional verb form. It states that something happens based on something else. Sometimes …
What is the correct usage of "deems fit" phrase?
Nov 15, 2016 · This plan of creating an electoral college to select the president was expected to secure the choice by the best citizens of each state, in a tranquil and deliberate way, of the …
difference - "What was best" vs "what was the best"? - English Lan…
Oct 18, 2018 · On the linked page, best is used as an adverb, modifying the verb knew. In that context, the phrase the best can also be used as if it were an adverb. The meaning is approximately the same in that case. In …
adverbs - About "best" , "the best" , and "most" - English Language ...
Oct 20, 2016 · I like you best. I like chocolate best, better than anything else. can be used when what one is choosing from is not specified. I like you the best. Between chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, I like …
articles - "it is best" vs. "it is the best" - English Language ...
Jan 2, 2016 · This is the best car in the garage. We use articles like the and a before nouns, like car. The word "best" is an adjective, and adjectives do not take articles by themselves. Because the noun car is modified by the …
expressions - "it's best" - how should it be used? - English Langu…
Dec 8, 2020 · 3 "It's best (if) he (not) buy it tomorrow." is not a subjunctive form, and some options do not work well. 3A It's best he buy it tomorrow. the verb tense is wrong with 3A. Better would be: 3A1. It's best that …
word choice - "his best-seller book" or "his best-selling book ...
Jun 12, 2016 · @J.R. If something is a New York Times Best Seller, the whole five word string is the adjective in use to modify book, although why book is specified is beyond me; perhaps to distinguish it from a "best …
