"The Road to Success and Happiness is Never Walked Alone."—Dr. Wayne SwanThis Book is the Road Map to the Kind of Life You DeserveMost people want to accomplish great things—improve their own lives and make the world better in some way. You might be thinking, But why does it have to be so hard?Life can seem like a constant battle—helping a loved one who just won't listen, paying the light bill when there's not enough money to go around, finding happiness when everyon...

Bruce Springsteen might be the quintessential American rock musician but his songs have resonated with fans from all walks of life and from all over the world. This unique collection features reflections from a diverse array of writers who explain what Springsteen means to them and describe how they have been moved, shaped, and challenged by his music.Contributors to Long Walk Home include novelists like Richard Russo, rock critics like Greil Marcus and Gillian Gaar, and o...

Praise for Swan's handling of the economy'One of the most impressive economic policies I have seen, ever.' - Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel laureate'Wayne Swan's judgment and decisiveness, in international terms, must rank a high distinction.' - Paul KeatingA very personal account of an extraordinary period in Australian politics.Despite the divisions within the Labor Party as the Rudd government fell into disunity and as Julia Gillard was undermined by disloyalty f...

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...

Passionate, vivid and immediate, and full of insights, this is Rob Oakeshott's honest and real story of life in Australian politics. From his apprenticeship in the NSW parliament to the last days of the Gillard government, he tells it as it was.When the results of the 2010 federal election became known, no party had a majority in the House of Representatives it was the first hung parliament for forty years. So, both the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Leader of the Oppositio...

A fascinating insight into one of Australia's most powerful and effective political figures.Tony Windsor's understanding of the issues facing his rural and regional constituency motivated him to become a representative for those who love the land, from farmers to environmentalists, from rich to poor.Though the former National Party member's decision to support a minority Labor government created a firestorm of abuse, he managed to maintain his focus on the big picture, gain...

The controversial legacy of the Rudd-Gillard governments, along with Labor's 2013 election defeat, looms large over the party. Labor risks years in the political wilderness unless it can reinvent itself. What did it get right, where did it go wrong, and how can it regain the trust of voters?Troy Bramston uses new in-depth interviews with Kevin Rudd and Bill Shorten, the advice of Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, and insights from Julia Gillard's inner circle to look at La...

'I was prime minister for three years and three days. Three years and three days of resilience. Three years and three days of changing the nation. Three years and three days for you to judge.'On Wednesday 23 June 2010, with the government in turmoil, Julia Gillard asked Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for a leadership ballot.The next day, Julia Gillard became Australia's 27th prime minister, and our first female leader. Australia was alive to the histo...

WINNER OF THE 2017 AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARDS, GENERAL NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEARWINNER OF THE 2016 MELBOURNE PRESS CLUB LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD‘There will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping.’–Tony Abbott, 15 September 2015Abbott’s performances in the party-room debates on education and climate change had ranged between woeful and pathetic. He sounded desperate, he was inconsistent, and — his colleag...

The leading Catholic in the nation and spiritual adviser to Tony Abbott, Cardinal George Pell has played a key role in the greatest challenge to face his church for centuries: the scandal of child sex abuse by priests.In The Prince, David Marr investigates the man and his career: how did he rise through the ranks? What does he stand for? How does he wield his authority? How much has he shaped his church and Australia? How has he handled the scandal?

What does Malcolm Turnbull stand for? In Stop at Nothing Annabel Crabb tells the story of the man who would be prime minister.Based on extensive interviews with Turnbull as well as those who have worked with him, this is an essay full of revelations. Crabb delves into young Malcolm's university exploits - which included co-authoring a musical with Bob Ellis - and his remarkable relationship with Kerry Packer, the man for whom he was at first a prized attack dog, and then...

If there are genuine questions about Australian history, there is something to puzzle over. The history ceases to be predictable—and dull.From the author of The Shortest History of Europe, acclaimed historian John Hirst, comes this fresh and stimulating approach to understanding Australia's past and present.Hirst asks and answers questions that get to the heart of Australia's history:Why did Aborigines not become farmers?How did a p...