“Not just a terrific read, but an important life to have on the national record.” – George NegusThe swashbuckling West Australian entrepreneur Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest took on mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto at their own game – and won. In this unauthorised biography, Andrew Burrell traces Twiggy’s business triumphs and disasters to reveal the complicated man behind the myth. Why do his mining ventures attract so much controversy? And what do his philanthropic schemes tell ...

From Barton to AlbaneseUpdated editionSince 1901, thirty-one 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...

In this impressive biography, freshly updated, leading business writer Paddy Manning tells the story of Tinkler's meteoric rise to wealth, and captures the drama of his equally rapid downfall.From blue collar to billionaire . . .Hunter Valley mine electrician Nathan Tinkler borrowed big in 2005, invested in coal and by 2011 was a billionaire. He had gambled on a rising market and won. He lived the high life as only a young man would, buying luxury homes, ...

The compelling and inspirational story of the rags to riches life of Kerry Stokes, a remarkable Australian.Kerry Stokes is a remarkable Australian. Not because he is one of Australia's wealthiest and most powerful people, but because of what he overcame to get there and because he has endured when others didn't. His success and his rise have intrigued the business world for decades but there is so much more to him than multi-million dollar deals or mergers.Behind the laconi...

An incisive, hard-hitting and utterly compelling expose of media, powerful mates and multimillion-dollar deals that reads like a thriller."Not since The Latham Diaries came out in 2005 has a book delivered so many scoops, insights and revelations into how power is wielded in Australia ... a treasure trove of gems" - Crikey"Pamela Williams has written a manual for corporate directors and senior managers, who should all be compelled to read it." - Mark Westfi...

'Don't write crap. Can't be that hard. And when you have written complete crap, then I think you should correct it.' Julia GillardWhen Julia Gillard took the reins of the Australian Labor Party on 24 June 2010 she did so with the goodwill of the majority of her party and a fawning Canberra press gallery. The man she had supplanted, Kevin Rudd, led an isolated band of angry Labor voices at this surprising turn of events. The collective political and media verdict was that his time, ...

Gina Rinehart is not just the richest person in Australian history, she is fast becoming one of the richest people in the world. The daughter of Lang Hancock - legendary arch-conservative, secessionist, mining millionaire and discoverer of the world's largest iron deposit in the Pilbara - Gina has grown up in a family known as much for its front-page legal stoushes as for its business acumen and toughness.With her reported wealth more than doubling in the last twelve months, Rineha...

In the tradition of Mailman of the Birdsville Track, The Man from Coolibah details the life of outback cattle property owner, helicopter muster operator and knockabout bloke Milton Jones.The youngest in a family of five, Milton Jones grew up on large properties in the outback. His father was a farm manager and so his early life was a world away from that of city kids. Milton left school in Queensland in his mid teens and moved back to the Northern Territor...

This is the life story of Father Bob Maguire - a rare behind-the-scenes look at the much-loved 'people's priest'. The enigmatic champion of the down-and-out was shaped by a lonely childhood in poor circumstances, an early priesthood that collided with the upheaval of Vatican 11 and working with the army during the Vietnam War. This is a lively portrait of the man behind the resilient social activist and popular media performer who refuses to be defeated by enforced retirement from the pari...

Among members of the outlaw motorcycle clubs, Caesar Campbell is a legend. Former sergeant-at-arms and chief enforcer for the Comancheros, Caesar became the founding member and sergeant-at-arms of the Australian chapter of the Bandidos. He epitomised bikie culture - unbeatable in a fight, brutal in the extreme, fearing no one and nothing, and loyal until death.This is Caesar's story, from his recruitment into the Comancheros, to the savage split within the club that led to the foun...

Ben Cousins has one of the most extraordinary stories in modern Australian sport. He's perhaps the most gifted player of his generation - a former captain of the West Coast eagles, a Brownlow medallist, a premiership winner, voted the AFL's Most Valuable Player - but he's best known for what he's done off the footy field rather than on it.Ben is a self-confessed drug addict, whose drug binges would last for days and involve incredible amounts of cocaine, crack and ice. But what's r...

We were a motley mob, we sans-culottes of Canberra …In this vastly entertaining book, Mungo MacCallum captures the spirit of a nation-changing time. He portrays the Whitlam government’s key figures – from Gough and Margaret to Lionel Murphy, Bill Hayden and Jim Cairns – as well as “the other mob” in opposition – Billy McMahon, John Gorton, Malcolm Fraser and many more.The Whitlam Mob addresses some crucial questions: What was the night of the long prawns? ...