The news media is traditionally the watchdog of democracy. Today, it is also one of the most pervasive global industries. In this lively and accessible book, Schultz systematically analyses the role of journalism in Australia and the scope of its democratic purpose. She examines key news stories, and looks at the attitudes of Australian journalists themselves. The fourth estate remains the ideal of most journalists, but the reality has been impaired by the increasing concentration of media ownership and by political, ethical and occupational interests. While Australian journalism has become bolder and more investigative, increasing commercialism and decreasing ethical standards have left the public sceptical. Schultz argues for a revival of the fourth estate based on journalistic independence and poltical autonomy, together with increased accountability and responsiveness.
Former publisher of Griffith Review Professor Julianne Schultz challenges our notions of what it means to be Australian and asks timely and urgent questions about our national identity. 'Schultz reflects on how we might shake off our fears, our mediocrity and our moral torpor, and rediscover the country we once promised to be' KERRY O'BRIEN 'A penetrating analysis' MELISSA LUCASHENKO 'A triumph of art, politics, literature, history, and the deepest scholarship...A towering achievement.' JENNY HOCKING What is the 'idea of Australia'? What defines the soul of our nation? Are we an egalitarian, generous, outward-looking country? Or is Australia a place that has retreated into silence and denial about the past and become selfish, greedy and insular? A lifetime of watching Australia as a journalist, editor, academic and writer has given Julianne Schultz a unique platform from which to ask and answer these critical questions. The global pandemic gave her time to study the X-ray of our country and the opportunity for perspective and analysis. Schultz came to realise that the idea of Australia is a contest between those who are imaginative, hopeful, altruistic and ambitious, and those who are defensive and inward-looking. She became convinced we need to acknowledge and better understand our past to make sense of our present and build a positive and inclusive future. She suggests what Australia could be: smart, compassionate, engaged, fair and informed. This important, searing and compelling book explains us to ourselves and suggests ways Australia can realise her true potential. Urgent, inspiring and optimistic, The Idea of Australia presents the vision we need to fully appreciate our great strengths and crucial challenges. 'Timely, bracing, and ultimately hopeful' YASSMIN ABDEL-MAGIED 'Disruptive, bold and brilliant' CLARE WRIGHT 'A brilliant successor to Donald Horne's The Lucky Country' TOM GRIFFITHS 'A contemporary classic in the making' CHRISTINE WALLACE 'Utterly compelling, engrossing and extraordinary' ANNE TIERNAN 'A wonderfully enthralling read' ROSLYN ATKINSON 'Subtle, powerful and compelling' GLYN DAVIS 'Essential reading' FRANK BONGIORNO 'A stunning book' ANN CURTHOYS 'A marvellous read' TONY KOCH 'Beautifully written' MATT FOLEY
Up North will challenge our fascination with Northern Australia and the region. The keynote essay by the principal historian of the Australian War Memorial, Peter Stanley, will present new evidence which challenges the accepted view about the threat Australia faced during the second half of WWII. This edition will capture the essence of northern Australia and our relationship with the region by debunking the myths with evidence and insight.
Griffith Review 51: Fixing the System sets out to examine Australia’s political and social system and to investigate why so many believe it to be unfit for the purpose. While Australia has never been richer, its people better educated and the country better connected internationally, there is a widespread perception that systems and key institutions are broken. Interest groups flex their muscle and block each other. Risk management has paralysed the system. Commentators proclaim the ‘end of the reform era’. They lament the rise of a ‘new volatility’ in the nation’s electoral politics; the demise of the capacity and will to lead; and the paucity of debate of the problems and challenges facing Australia. They complain about the resistance to change and openness to bold new ideas, and the ability to talk frankly and fearlessly about the kind of society we want to build for the future. All this is happening in a world that is changing rapidly, but without a clear road map. Edited by Julianne Schultz and Anne Tiernan, Fixing the System examines this chorus of complaint. It asks what is broken and examines the reasons how and why. It considers what needs to be done to revive the lucky country. Contributors include Carmen Lawrence, Clare Wright, Peter Van Onselen, Paul Ham, Gabrielle Carey, Chris Wallace, Jonathan West, Megan Davis, Stephen Mills, Anne Coombs, Graham Wood, Lee Kofman and many more.
Hope is at the heart of South Australia. More than any other state it has shaped its own destiny with large doses of vision and optimism. It has been less frightened of ‘the vision thing’ and demonstrated willingness to challenge prevailing sentiments, experiment, boldly innovate and take a national lead. As a result, the state has produced a disproportionate number of leaders in business, sciences, arts and public policy. This spirit is needed more than ever. The state faces profound challenges as the industrial model that shaped twentieth century South Australia is replaced by an uncertain future. State of Hope explores the economic, social, environmental and cultural challenges facing South Australia, and the possibilities of renewal that draw on the strength of the past. It celebrates the unselfconscious willingness that hope enables. State of Hope features leading South Australian writers and others with a connection to or deep knowledge of this unique place, with the distinctive Griffith Review mix of essays, reportage, memoir, fiction and poetry.
The world is in the grip of profound political and social change. Leaders are rising to power who promise to respond to the voice of the people—people who are aggrieved and resentful, feeling the sting of inequality and the uncertainty of a new economic order. Perils of Populism makes sense of why we are in this moment, what it feels like, where it might lead, what we can learn from the past. It goes beyond the headlines. This edition features winners of the Griffith Review Queensland Writers Fellowships, and will explore the causes and nuances of populism—building a conscience, confronting sexual abuse, addressing climate change deniers, navigating an obstructive bureaucracy, coming face to face with religious cults and discovering the enduring kindness of strangers.
People Like Us presents a completely new take on the nature of social divisions in Australia, with stories that take the reader inside particular communities. Packed with tales of colliding worlds, Griffith Review 8 confronts old stereotypes, to celebrate the rich tapestry of the Australian experience in the new century. A decade of wedge politics has left many confused about the common ground, as they retreat into like-minded communities. The causes and consequences of this divided society can be affirming, but fear and envy can also flourish. Are these divisions necessary, or desirable? Can empathy be learnt? Is a civil civic conversation possible, or are we retreating into defensive ghetto groups? Is this a moral issue or an economic one? Is a new Australian ethos emerging - if so what is it? To what extent is the political environment responsible for these divisions - or a product of them? This issue includes a long keynote essay from Margaret Simons. Other contributors include Robyn Williams, John Marsden, Jay Verney, Carmel Bird, Martin Krygier, Caroline Jones, David Dale, Ann Curthoys, Merle & Sigrid Thornton, Vincent Plush, David Burchill, Inez Baranay, Michael Wilding, Marian Halligan and more.
This quarterly publication from Griffith University and ABC Books looks at a different theme in each issue, in essays that aim to build a bridge between journalism, academic and literary writing. Each issue also includes a photographic essay, short story and poetry. It's goal is to provide a snapshot of current debate and thinking. In this issue, the review examines the way the tentacles of the big cities are stretching up and down the coast in vast new suburban developments. While droughts, bush fires and other natural and environmental disasters hint at our fragile relationship with the land. This issue covers native title, property speculation, natural disasters, man-made environmental catastrophes and the place of the natural environment in art, literature and politics.
Major changes of direction that affect whole societies occur very rarely. We are on the cusp of an epochal change which promises to transform the world as we have known it. The reaction to the global financial crisis and growing understanding of the impact of climate change are two of the triggers of a profound transformation. Combined with the new American president with roots in community activism and an energised population facing real challenges, business as usual will become a thing of the past. The building blocks of this change have been put in place over the past decade - with increasing awareness of the limits of the old economic models combined with the transformative power of access to information due to the rise of the internet. Participation, community engagement, interactivity, social capital, innovation and initiative are the new buzz words. Australians had their first official taste of this experiment in the 2020 Summit, Americans explored its possibilities during their election campaign and Europeans have come to look for social entrepreneurship which changes the way they live their lives. In the lead essay Cheryl Kernot explores what this may mean, in an essay that will provide a draft of a possible future. After a distinguished career in politics Cheryl Kernot left Australia to work with social entrepreneurs in Britain. The lessons she learned apply to government, business and the not-for-profit sector - respect for people and the environment and faith in the ingenuity of people. Other essays will explore the nature of a new world in which participation is possible and the old paradigms no longer apply - in politics, government, health, social relations and education. This will be an important agenda setting issue of GRIFFITH REVIEW - responding to the emerging new world order and anticipating what it might mean.
Fundamentalism is the new ideology. Religion has become a more potent force in world affairs than it has been for generations, with devastating consequences. Our desire to be safe is shaping decisions in unprecedented ways. Fundamentalism has become a metaphor for dogmatic solutions to complex problems from schooling, to the environment, foreign relations and health.
Australians have never been richer, or more complacent. Yet despite the good times fault lines are emerging. The growing wealth of the past decade has not reached everyone. Pockets of entrenched disadvantage remain, even in the richest neighbourhoods. Race, religion, education, health and ethnicity mark the new divides. David Burchell throws the spot light on the underlying causes of the riots that shocked Sydney. He reveals a pattern of marginalisation shaped by history, flawed policy and personal incapacity and finds hope in the remarkable resilience of people under enormous pressure. A challenge echoed in the reports from around the country. This issue provides an intimate portrait of the usually invisible fractures of boom time Australia, with outstanding essays, reportage, memoir, poetry and fiction. Other writers include: Peter Meredith, Lucy Lehmann, Jago Dodson, Neil Sipe, Meera Atkinson, Charlie Stansfield, Julienne van Loon, Phil Brown, Dominique Wilson, David Peetz, Tracy Crisp, Natasha Cica, Dorothy Johnston, Shane Strange, Geoffrey Brahm Levey, Robert Hillman, Joanna Kujawa, Lee Kofman, Randa Abfel-Fattah, Anna Haebich, Anita Heiss and Kim Mahood. Photo essay, 'Vietnam Veterans' by David Nielsen, with poetry by Anna Krien.
When the Prime Minister included the arts and creativity in the 2020 Summit this year it was more than political window-dressing with famous actors. It was a sign that after a decade artists, actors, writers and others engaged in the creative economy were being taken seriously. This issue of Griffith Review draws on the talents of those attending the summit, including many of Australia's most high profile artists, to present a bold new agenda for the nation. It will explore the road blocks of the past and the future possibilities, informed by new thinking about the importance of the arts in economics, education, neuro-science and the creation of beautiful and challenging works. The lead essay plots the way the arts have been institutionalised, but the spark of creativity still burns. Written by Helen O'Neil who has been closely involved in the arts all her life, it will propose a bold new agenda which learns from the past, from experiences and trends elsewhere to imagine a new Australia which truly values the arts and creativity. Other essays, memoirs and reports by some of the best artists and writers in the country will bring this transformation to life. A list of authors will be available next month, but it will include big names, and others from the cutting edge of creative innovation. This issue will precede the release of the government's response to the summit and will help develop the agenda for the year.
The news media is traditionally the watchdog of democracy. Today, it is also one of the most pervasive global industries. In this lively and accessible book, Schultz systematically analyses the role of journalism in Australia and the scope of its democratic purpose. She examines key news stories, and looks at the attitudes of Australian journalists themselves. The fourth estate remains the ideal of most journalists, but the reality has been impaired by the increasing concentration of media ownership and by political, ethical and occupational interests. While Australian journalism has become bolder and more investigative, increasing commercialism and decreasing ethical standards have left the public sceptical. Schultz argues for a revival of the fourth estate based on journalistic independence and poltical autonomy, together with increased accountability and responsiveness.
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