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‘After spending much of my life dedicated to the serious craft of politics, I have to admit that I am distressed by what it is becoming. Under siege from commercial pressures and technological innovation, the media are retreating into an entertainment frame that has little tolerance for complex social and economic issues. In turn, politicians and parties are adapting their behaviour to suit the new rules of the game — to such an extent that the contest of ideas is being supplanted by the contest for laughs.’ ‘The two key rules that now govern the practice of Australian politics are: (1) Look like you’re doing something; and (2) Don’t offend anyone who matters. These imperatives a...
Features political diaries of one of Australia's most promising national leaders - Mark Latham. This work includes bulletins from the front line of Labor politics. It provides a view into the life of a man, the Party and the nation at a crucial time in Australian history.
Behind the prosperous, genteel landscape of the inner city lies a very different world of hardship and insecurity – where a roof over your head is never guaranteed. Jack van Duyn is a Melbourne taxi-driver in his mid-fifties, living alone in a dingy Brunswick flat. He’s settled into a drab existence, with little money, few friends, and no prospects. He’s still recovering from weeks of turmoil triggered by his infatuation with beautiful Somali refugee Farhia, and the bitter conflict with drug dealers, spies, and thugs that ensued — as described in Comfort Zone. However, Jack’s return to normality is short-lived. He’s about to be hurtled into a vicious power struggle involving crooked property developers, angry unionists, and a deranged stalker from his past. Before he knows it, his world is starting to unravel, and he’s running for his life …
Describes the bitter power struggles of the Australian constitution's forging, and paints the founding fathers as implausible heroes who managed a profound historical achievement. It talks about parliaments, courts, judges and ministers not just as colorless instruments of the Constitution, but as the walking wounded of political psychology; and it sheds light on today’s great constitutional controversies: Do we need a Bill of Rights? Can federalism work? How can parliament work better? Can we ever be a republic?
Following Australia's 2010 election, this invaluable discussion allows key political players and commentators to ask pointed and practical questions about what progressive politics in Australia mean today. Candid and surprising, this analysis covers a wide range of topics, including "What Should Labor Stand For? How Should Australia's Governments Relate to Each Other?" and "Can [Australians] Aspire to a Progressive Economics? "With contributions from Larissa Behrendt, David Burchell, Geoff Gallop, Paul Howes, and Lindsay Tanner, this ambitious examination sets out an agenda for progressive politics in all key policy areas under the next Labor government.
An astute novel about Australian racism — and about humanity prevailing over entrenched prejudice. Jack Van Duyn is stuck in his comfort zone. A pot-bellied, round-shouldered cabbie in his mid-fifties, Jack lives alone, has few friends, and gets very little out of life. He has a negative opinion of most other people — especially refugees, bankers, politicians, and welfare bludgers. Jack doesn’t know it, but his life is about to be turned upside down. A minor altercation in a kids’ playground at an inner-city high-rise estate catapults Jack into a whirlpool of drug-dealing, ASIO intrigue, international piracy, and criminal violence. And he can’t escape, because he doesn’t want to:...
Sunset Survivors tells the stories of Hong Kong's traditional tradesmen and women through stunning imagery and candid interviews. Covering a myriad of professions that are quickly falling into obscurity, from fortune telling to face threading and letter writing to bird cage making, readers soon find themselves immersed in the streets of old Hong Kong. An up-close and personal look at Hong Kong, Sunset Survivors is a tribute to the city's character and a celebration of its roots.
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ..." How has Australia risen to Emma Lazarus' great challenge? This overview of the historical, social and political contexts that have shaped Australia's recent treatment of asylum seekers offers a clear-eyed view of the many dimensions of the asylum seeker predicament, including its psychological and humanitarian consequences, and lays out an agenda for change in policy. Sir Gustav Nossal, the Rt Hon. Malcolm Fraser, Senator Lyn Allison, Phillip Adams, Professor Stuart MacIntyre, and Lindsay Tanner MP introduce the six sections. Julian Burnside QC, Dr Carmen Lawrence, Peter Mares, Pamela Curr, Michael Clyne, Linda Briskman, Derrick Silove, Michael Gordon, Arnold Zable and David Manne are among the contributors to the 20 chapters. Yearning to Breathe Free is a passionate but informed work that is multi-faceted, thought-provoking, and ultimately hopeful. All royalties for this book go to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
This book explores the role played by ideologies and lobby groups in determining welfare state outcomes with specific reference to up-to-date theories about globalisation.
From respected journalists Lenore Taylor and David Uren comes the inside story of the Rudd government's darkest days in office. Its first term will be forever defined by the Global Financial Crisis, or - to use the Prime Minister's term - the 'shitstorm' that engulfed the nation and the world. Based on interviews with all the key players on both sides of politics, Shitstorm reveals just how close Australia came to disaster, what Kevin Rudd and his colleagues did to avoid it, and the serious mistakes they made along the way.