An intimate and eye-opening account of Michelle Grattan’s travels through ‘the wool track’ of western New South WalesIn Back On The Wool Track, Michelle Grattan traces the footsteps of pre- eminent journalist and war historian C.E.W Bean. In 1909, Bean was commissioned by the Sydney Morning Herald to write a series of articles on the wool industry in western New South Wales. The articles were later compiled into a book and published as On The Wool Track which went...

Leading thinkers on the policies and leadership of the Morrison Government from 2019 to 2022. Australia has rarely endured as many difficulties as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic-dominated Morrison Government's term of office from its surprise 2019 election win to the 2022 poll. How did government perform? How did policy and administration fare during this tumultuous political period? Was Australia's national government resilient in the face of the massive pandemic challenge, and were ...

Is trust between the government and Australians broken? The country's leading institutions have been ranked among the least trusted in the world at a time when the economy has experienced twenty-seven years of economic growth. This has all happened since the 2016 federal election under the revolving prime ministerships of Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison's first term. Turnbull was the fourth sitting prime minister in a decade to be removed by his own party. What role do these politicall...

Australia' s leading voices on politics and policy examine the first Albanese Government. From the narrow election victory to the commanding majority secured in 2025, this book traces the Albanese Government' s first term, navigating economic turbulence and a shifting international landscape. What were the policy hits and misses? What was the impact of the failed Voice referendum? And how did the government manage key reforms? With a preface by Bill Shorten, and contributions from leading ...

Understand Aussie politics and make your vote count!Australian Politics For Dummies gives you a helping hand as you get to grips with the good, the bad and the ugly of Australian politics. Seasoned political punters and voting novices alike will find fascinating facts and top thrills in in this essential guide. Master the ins and outs of elections, parties and policies. In no time, you'll be discussing and debating the biggest issues with ease. Down under,...

This book is a plea for system change in Australia, referring to the various systems that underpin and shape governance. As the 2013 federal election approaches the many flaws in the system of government in Australia are again evident. However, they do not themselves form the focus of the election debate. During the last years the tone and quality of the parliamentary debate has become the focus of attention though. Most people dont like the combative style that is on display on a daily ba...

Australia and New Zealand are often considered close cousins. But why, despite being so close, do we know so little about each other? And now, in the wake of COVID-19, is it time to change that?In this wise and illuminating essay, Laura Tingle looks at leadership, character and two nations in transition. In the past half-century, both countries have remade themselves amid shifting economic fortunes. New Zealand has been held up as a model for everything from privat...

In this urgent essay, George Megalogenis argues that Australia risks becoming globalisation’s next and most unnecessary victim. The next shock, whenever it comes, will find us with our economic guard down, and a political system that has shredded its authority.Megalogenis outlines the challenge for Malcolm Turnbull and his government. Our tax system is unfair and we have failed to invest in infrastructure and education. Both sides of politics are clinging defensively to an old mo...

Why is education in Australia failing? Where did we go wrong, and how do we fix it? The Gonski Review seemed like a breakthrough. Commissioned by Prime Minster Julia Gillard and chaired by leading businessman David Gonski, the 2011 review made clear that school education policy wasn't working, and placed a spotlight on the troubling and growing gap between the educational outcomes of disadvantaged children and their more privileged peers. Gonski proposed a model that provided targeted fund...

A fascinating and in-depth insight into the extraordinary career of one of our most important politicians, who was instrumental in shaping the development of Aotearoa New Zealand.In this clever, witty and detailed memoir, Hon Sir Michael Cullen describes his lengthy political career, including his major economic policies. Among the many highlights are the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, also known as the Cullen Fund; Kiwisaver; and the Working for Families package...

No Australian prime minister has had to face such a difficult and challenging political environment as did Julia Gillard. Her impressive legislative record was overshadowed by pitched battles with jealous rivals and a remarkably hostile media, as well as her own struggles to communicate effectively with the public.Following her successful The Making of Julia Gillard, award-winning biographer Jacqueline Kent analyses our first woman prime minister's tumultuous term in offic...

When he became Prime Minister in 2018, Scott Morrison was a foreign policy amateur confronted by unprecedented challenges: an assertive Beijing and a looming rivalry between the two biggest economies in world history, the United States and China. Morrison plunged into foreign and security policy by making highly contentious changes that will be felt for decades, not least the historic decision to build nuclear-powered submarines.Featuring interviews with Morrison and members of his...