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A Better Australia

Politics, Public Policy and How to Achieve Lasting Reform
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Brief Description
An inside look at effective policy making, realised through hard-won public policy battles. What does successful public policy look like, and how has it been achieved in Australia? What strategies are needed to overcome petty partisanship and narrow self-interest? And who gets to decide what a... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An inside look at effective policy making, realised through hard-won public policy battles.

What does successful public policy look like, and how has it been achieved in Australia? What strategies are needed to overcome petty partisanship and narrow self-interest? And who gets to decide what a better Australia even looks like?

In A Better Australia, John Brumby, Scott Hamilton and Stuart Kells examine policy design, implementation and reform, and show what can be achieved when engagement is sincere and intent clear.

Leading policymakers and political insiders - Julia Gillard, Malcolm Turnbull, Cheryl Kernot, John Hewson, Ken Wyatt, Christine Milne and more - dissect the development of successful policy in energy, gun control, natural resources taxation, disability insurance, marriage equality, gender equality in the workplace, superannuation, reproductive healthcare reform, Closing the Gap and the pandemic response.

A Better Australia takes us behind the scenes of the hard-won policy battles, showing the wide-ranging effects of good policy.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780522880878

Publisher: Melbourne University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 22 October 2024

Country: Australia

Imprint: Melbourne University Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 395g

Pages: 272

About the Author

John Brumby (Author) John Brumby AO, chancellor of La Trobe University and honorary professor in economics at the University of Melbourne, has extensive experience in public policy and public life, serving as Premier of Victoria (2007-10) and Victorian Treasurer (2000-07), among other roles. Since leaving politics he has worked in the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors, and was awarded an Order of Australia in 2017. Scott Hamilton (Author) Scott Hamilton is adjunct associate professor at Monash University, senior advisor to the Smart Energy Council and an expert in renewable energy, green hydrogen, energy transition, natural resource management and climate change. He writes regularly for The Mandarin and other publications. His first book, Sold Down the River, co-authored with Stuart Kells, was one of the top 10 Australian political books of the year in 2022. Stuart Kells (Author) Stuart Kells is one of Australia's leading writers on the history of business and finance. Adjunct Professor at La Trobe Business School, he has twice won the Ashurst Business Literature Prize. His shorter works have been published around the world including in Smithsonian, The Paris Review, The Guardian and LitHub. His book The Library- A Catalogue of Wonders was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Award and the NSW Premier's general history prize.

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    Two insiders expose the shocking and shameful betrayal of Australia's regional heartland so international bankers and traders could make a quick buck. The Murray-Darling Basin is Australia's greatest environmental asset. The story of water in Australia is written into its ancient rivers, creeks and wetlands. It's home to more than forty Indigenous nations, and it covers an area bigger than...
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  • The Library
    Libraries are filled with magic. From the Bodleian, the Folger and the Smithsonian to the fabled libraries of Middle Earth, Umberto Eco's mediaeval library labyrinth, and libraries dreamed up by John Donne, Jorge Luis Borges, and Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn, Stuart Kells explores the bookish places, real and fictitious, that continue to capture our imaginations. The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders...
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  • Red Earth
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