The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation


Book Description

Published to mark the centenary of Federation, this important book explores Australia's national origins in a comprehensive and accessible way. A high-calibre team of writers has been gathered to write the first ever comprehensive, general history of Federation. Starting from the perspective of the individual colonies as they made their way towards membership of the Australian Commonwealth in 1901, the book also provides cross-referenced short alphabetical entries covering key events, people and concepts. It approaches Federation not simply as a formal political story, but as a social and cultural process, maintaining the relevance of nation-making by highlighting ongoing debates about democracy, sovereignty and progressive citizenry. A major contribution to the Centenary of Federation, this book should become a standard reference for scholars, students and general readers in the continuing discussions of Australia's future as a nation.




Five Things to Know About the Australian Constitution


Book Description

In this excellent new book, Helen Irving delves into the mystery that is the Australian constitution by discussing the major national debates of recent years. Many people want to understand and take part in the debate about constitutional issues but they face a significant hurdle: the constitution is almost unreadable. It does not mean what it says, and nor does it say what it means. There are many myths in circulation about what the constitution says and as many assumptions about what it does. Helen Irving, one of this country's foremost constitutional experts, puts various constitutional confusions to rest, and invites a general audience into an understanding of the issues that were once reserved for experts.




To Constitute a Nation


Book Description

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.




A History of South Australia


Book Description

A History of South Australia investigates South Australia's history from before the arrival of the first European maritime explorers to the present day, and examines its distinctive origins as a 'free' settlement. In this compelling and nuanced history, Paul Sendziuk and Robert Foster consider the imprint of people on the land - and vice versa - and offer fresh insights into relations between Indigenous people and the European colonisers. They chart South Australia's economic, political and social development, including the advance and retreat of an interventionist government, the establishment of the state's distinctive socio-political formations, and its relationship to the rest of Australia and the world. The first comprehensive, single-volume history of the state to be published in over fifty years, A History of South Australia is an essential and engaging contribution to our understanding of South Australia's past.




A History of Australia


Book Description

This vivid, multi-dimensional history considers the key cultural, social, political and economic events of Australia's history. Deftly weaving these issues into the wider global context, Mark Peel and Christina Twomey provide an engaging overview of the country's past, from its first Indigenous people, to the great migrations of recent centuries, and to those living within the more anxiously controlled borders of the present day. This engaging textbook is an ideal resource for undergraduate students and postgraduate students taking modules or courses on the History of Australia. It will also appeal to general readers who are interested in obtaining a thorough overview of the entire history of Australia, from the earliest times to the present, in one concise volume.




The Statesman's Yearbook 2013


Book Description

Now in its 149th edition, The Statesman's Yearbook continues to be the reference work of choice for accurate and reliable information on every country in the world. Covering political, economic, social and cultural aspects, the Yearbook is also available online for subscribing institutions: www.statesmansyearbook.com .




The Statesman's Yearbook 2004


Book Description

For one hundred and forty years, The Statesman's Yearbook has been relied upon to provide accurate and comprehensive information on the current political, economic and social status of every country in the world. The appointment of the new editor - only the seventh in the book's history - brought enhancements to the 1998-99 edition and these have been continued since then. The 2004 edition is fully updated and contains more information than ever before. A foldout colour section provides a political world map and flags for the one hundred and ninety two countries of the world. In an endlessly changing world, the annual publication of The Statesman's Yearbook gives all the information you need in one easily digestible single volume. It will save hours of research and cross-referencing between different sources, and it is an essential annual purchase.




The Statesman's Yearbook 2006


Book Description

For one hundred and forty two years The Statesman's Yearbook has been relied upon to provide accurate and comprehensive information on the current, political, economic and social status of every country in the world. The 2006 edition is fully updated and contains more information than ever before. A foldout colour section provides a political world map and flags for the one hundred and ninety two countries of the world. In an endlessly changing world the annual publication of The Statesman's Yearbook gives you all of the information you need in one easily digestible single volume. It will save hours of research and cross-referencing between different sources, and it is an essential annual purchase.




The Victorian Premiers, 1856-2006


Book Description

In the century and a half since Victoria was granted responsible government in 1856, 44 premiers have presided over the state and colony, from 'Honest' William Haines to Steve Bracks. Here is their story. For the first time this book brings together a comprehensive collection of biographical and political portraits of the Victorian premiers written by leading Australian historians and political scientists. The result is a compelling journey through a turbulent, occasionally anarchic, political landscape. A cast of fascinating characters is brought to life--the mercurial Graham Berry, who in the 1870s threatened broken heads and flaming houses in his heroic struggle to tame the colony's intractably conservative upper house; the roguish Tommy Bent, the turn of the century 'can do' premier whose development enthusiasms were unhindered by probities of office; the bohemian Tom Hollway, who conducted Victoria's affairs from his suite in the Windsor Hotel; the 'accidental' leader Henry Bolte, who became Victoria's longest serving premier; and the larrikin metropolitan, Jeff Kennett, who turned the state into a neo-liberal laboratory in the 1990s. A tale of premiers, the book is also a narrative of politics in a state that has vied with New South Wales as Australia's most prosperous and powerful. It recounts many extraordinary episodes: the precocious development of democracy in a fledgling colony turned upside down by gold immigrants; the titanic bicameral struggles of the 1860s and 1870s that brought Victoria to the brink of insurrection; the bank crashes of the 1890s; the police strike of 1923; the great Labor split of the 1950s; the hanging of Ronald Ryan in 1967; the social democratic adventurism of the Labor decade of the 1980s brought to a shuddering halt by another era of financial collapses; and the neo-liberal experimentalism of the Kennett government. This carefully researched and engagingly written book will leave the reader in no doubt that politics in the 'Garden State' has seldom been sedate and its premiers rarely predictable.




The Quest for Security


Book Description

Colonial hierarchy and race fueled rapid militarization in the British Empire that shaped the violent course of the twentieth century. This innovative study reveals the colonial backstory of a century that witnessed total war, resulting in new political norms that enthrone 'national security' as the dominating feature of contemporary politics.