Redback Series

A blueprint for the nation after the boom. Australians have just lived through a period of exceptional prosperity, but, says influential economist Ross Garnaut, the Dog Days are on their way. Are we ready for the challenges ahead? In Dog Days, Garnaut explains how we got here, what we can expect next and the tough choices we need to make to survive the new economic conditions. Are we clever enough – and our leaders courageous enough – to change what needs to be changed and preserve a fair and prosperous Australia? This is a book about the future by a leading adviser to government and business, someone with a proven record of seeing where the nation is going. Both forecast and analysis, it heralds a new era for Australia after the boom. ‘This book is a must-read for anyone concerned with the economic and social future of Australia. Garnaut brings to the task one of our most penetrating economic minds in an astringent analysis of the challenges facing us. He presents a wide-ranging and detailed set of policies to meet those challenges successfully. The book is lucid, compelling and unburdened by political bias.’—Bob Hawke ‘a brilliant guide to the future of the Australian economy’—Max Corden ‘the nation’s most prophetic economist’—Ross Gittins ‘Garnaut's new book … is full of good sense, subtle insight and discriminating courage from one who knows from the inside what it's like for governments facing difficult decisions.’—Tim Colebatch, the Age Ross Garnaut AO is one of Australia’s leading economists and thinkers. He is a Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Australian National University and a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He was a key economic adviser to the reforming Hawke government. Garnaut has held senior roles in government and business, including as Australian ambassador to China and climate change adviser to the Rudd and Gillard governments.

A century ago we got it wrong. We sent thousands of young Australians on a military operation that was barely more than a disaster. It’s right that a hundred years later we should feel strongly about that. But have we got our remembrance right? What lessons haven’t we learned about war, and what might be the cost of our Anzac obsession? Defence analyst and former army officer James Brown believes that Australia is expending too much time, money and emotion on the Anzac legend, and that today’s soldiers are suffering for it. Vividly evoking the war in Afghanistan, Brown reveals the experience of the modern soldier. He looks closely at the companies and clubs that trade on the Anzac story. He shows that Australians spend a lot more time looking after dead warriors than those who are alive. We focus on a cult of remembrance, instead of understanding a new world of soldiering and strategy. And we make it impossible to criticise the Australian Defence Force, even when it makes the same mistakes over and over. None of this is good for our soldiers or our ability to deal with a changing world. With respect and passion, Brown shines a new light on Anzac’s long shadow and calls for change. Longlisted for the 2014 John Button Prize ‘Bold, original, challenging - James Brown tackles the burgenoning Anzac industry and asks Australians to re-examine how we think about the military and modern-day service.’ —Leigh Sales ‘The best book yet written, not just on Australia's Afghan war, but on war itself and the creator/destroyer myth of Anzac.’ —John Birmingham ‘Anzac's Long Shadow is refreshing and engaging. It is also frank and no-nonsense. James Brown sets himself apart as a leader in this new generation of Anzacs by asking the hard questions.’ —Peter Leahy, Chief of the Australian Army, 2002-08 ‘One of Australia's most insightful strategic analysts, James Brown, lays bare our cult of Anzac. As our diggers return from war, this book is more necessary than ever before. It's now time for us to remember not only our fallen, but our living.’ —Michael Ware, Former CNN Baghdad correspondent. ‘Brown, as both an intelligent military theorist and an engaging storyteller, is able to tackle such a controversial issue with humour and candour. A personal, challenging and informative work [with] the potential to contribute a great deal to Australia’s understanding of our own military service, and how we think about war itself.’ —Readings Monthly ‘Brown is lucid, bright and fierce – exceptional qualities in a writer and, no doubt, a soldier – and he’s written an important prelude to our Anzac centenary.’ —The Saturday Paper ‘It is the combination of academic insight and lived experience that gives this book its particular edge…. A good, a necessary and an important book.’ —Canberra Times ‘This is the most interesting and original book I have read on contemporary Australian public policy for a long time.’ —Judith Brett, The Monthly

If the goal of our justice system is to reduce crime and create a safer society, then we must do better. According to conventional wisdom, severely punishing offenders reduces the likelihood that they’ll offend again. Why, then, do so many who go to prison continue to commit crimes after their release? What do we actually know about offenders and the reasons they break the law? In Crime & Punishment, Russell Marks argues that the lives of most criminal offenders – and indeed of many victims of crime – are marked by often staggering disadvantage. For many offenders, prison only increases their chances of committing further crimes. And despite what some media outlets and politicians want us to believe, harsher sentences do not help most victims to heal. Drawing on his experience as a lawyer, Marks eloquently makes the case for restorative justice and community correction, whereby offenders are obliged to engage with victims and make amends. Crime & Punishment is a provocative call for change to a justice system in desperate need of renewal. ‘This book is for anyone who despairs at the current system. But more importantly, it is for those who think punishment is the answer.’ —The Age ‘A reflective, well-argued book...what makes it even more compelling is Marks also offers suggestions on a different (better) system of crime and punishment.’ —Sydney Morning Herald

In modern Australia, productivity is all that matters, our leaders tell us. Economic growth above all else. But is this really what we, the people, want? Does it make our lives and our communities better? If the high priests of economics want the credit for Australia’s economic growth over the last three decades, they must also wear the blame for the social destruction that has accompanied it – the devastation of once prosperous industrial centres and the suburbs they sustained, as factories closed and workers were forced to abandon their trades. The social costs of this ‘economic modernisation’ have been immense, but today are virtually ignored. The fracturing of communities continues apace. An Economy Is Not a Society is a passionate and personal J’accuse against the people whose abandonment of moral policy making has ripped the guts out of Australia’s old industrial communities, robbed the country of manufacturing knowhow, reversed our national ethos of egalitarianism and broken the sense of common purpose that once existed between rulers and ruled. Those in power, Dennis Glover argues, must abandon the idea that a better society is purely about offering individuals more dollars in their pockets. What we desperately need is a conversation about the lives, working conditions, jobs and communities we want for ourselves and our families – and we need to choose a future that is designed to benefit all the Australian people, not just some. Dennis Glover is the son and brother of Dandenong factory workers. He grew up in Doveton before studying at Monash University and King’s College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a PhD in history. He has worked for two decades as an academic, newspaper columnist, political adviser and speechwriter to Labor leaders and senior ministers.

Economics is like a tyre lever: it can be used to solve a problem, or to beat someone over the head. What is econobabble? We hear it every day, when politicians and commentators use incomprehensible economic jargon to dress up their self-interest as the national interest, to make the absurd seem inevitable or the inequitable seem fair. This book exposes the stupid arguments, bizarre contradictions and complete lack of evidence upon which much ‘common sense’ about the economy rests in Australia. Econobabble is for those who, deep down, have never believed that it makes sense, economic or otherwise, to help poor people by slashing public spending on the services they need. It’s for those who have a sneaking suspicion that it would be cheaper to avoid the effects of climate change than to let them happen and then ‘adapt’. And it’s for those who think pitting public health and aged care against the economy is a false dilemma, one that’s short-sighted, callous and potentially dangerous. In this new edition, Richard Denniss demolishes the tired and misleading arguments of right-wing economic ‘experts’ with humour and precision, empowering you to cut through the babble and reach the truth. ‘The best guide you’ll find to the literal non-sense that usually passes for economic debate in this country.’ —Ross Gittins

For fifty years, Australia has schemed to deny East Timor billions of dollars of oil and gas wealth. With explosive new research and access to never-before-seen documents, Kim McGrath tells the story of Australia’s secret agenda in the Timor Sea, exposing the ruthlessness of successive governments. Australia did nothing to stop Indonesia’s devastating occupation of East Timor, when – on our doorstep – 200,000 lives were lost from a population of 650,000. Instead, our government colluded with Indonesia to secure more favourable maritime boundaries. Even today, Australia claims resources that, by international law, should belong to its neighbour – a young country still recovering from catastrophe and in desperate need of income. Crossing the Line is a long-overdue exposé of the most shameful episode in recent Australian history. ‘Revelatory, extraordinary and compelling – an absolute must-read.’ —Peter Garrett ‘Crossing the Line is an unassailable exposé of Australia’s ruthless pursuit of resources in the Timor Sea. A timely and definitive book.’ —José Ramos-Horta ‘Kim McGrath has trawled the national archives to produce the smoking gun on Australia’s callous betrayal of the people who supported our commandos in World War II, and on the immoral and unlawful appropriation of their oil.’ —Paul Cleary ‘Tigerishly researched, this book exposes the economic interests underpinning Australia's diplomacy towards East Timor.’ —Professor Clinton Fernandes, University of NSW

A country that makes no room for the young is a country that will forfeit a fair future. This must not become Australia. Today’s young Australians are the first generation since the Great Depression to be worse off than their parents. And so, just as we have seen the gap between rich and poor widen over recent decades, we’re beginning to see young and old pull apart in ways that will wear at our common bonds. It’s time to decide what kind of future we want for this country. Will it be one where young Australians enjoy the same opportunities to build stable, secure lives as their parents and grandparents had? And can we do right by the elderly without making second-class citizens of the young. Urgent and convincing, Generation Less investigates the life prospects of young Australians. It looks at their emotional life, their access to credit, education and fulfilling jobs, and considers whether they will ever be able to buy a house. A wake-up call for young and old alike, Generation Less is a smart, funny and ground-breaking blueprint for a fairer future. ‘A bold and original work. Jennifer Rayner is one of the most important new voices in Australia today.’ —George Megalogenis Jennifer Rayner was born into the aspirational suburbia of the Hawke years, and came of age in the long boom of the Howard era. Her lifetime has tracked alongside the yawning inequalities that have opened up across the Australian community in the past 30 years. She has worked as a federal political adviser, an international youth ambassador in Indonesia and a private sector consultant, and holds a PhD from the Australian National University.

To propose an Australian should be our head of state doesn’t seem revolutionary. ‘Isn’t that already the case?” some may even ask. Flip a coin and you’ll have your answer. In This Time, Benjamin T. Jones charts a path to an independent future. He reveals the fascinating early history of the Australian republican movement of the 1850s and its larger-than-life characters. He shows why we need a new model for a transformed, multicultural nation, and discusses the best way to choose an Australian head of state. With republicans leading every government around the nation, the time is ripe for change. ‘Powerful and compelling. This is the book we’ve been waiting for. Jones has written the most passionate and coherent argument for an Australian republic in decades.’ —Mark McKenna, author of An Eye for Eternity: The Life of Manning Clark ‘This is an important Australian book about an important Australian campaign. Benjamin T. Jones tells the republican story as it should be told - as the story of Australia’s long journey towards its own best self.’ —Michael Cooney, national director of the Australian Republic Movement ‘This Time takes us to the high ground of political argument. His republic is one that institutionalises and promotes the values of democracy, meritocracy and community not just in our constitution but also in the many symbols we need to unite and inspire our citizens, including our flag, our coins and our national anthem.’ —Geoff Gallop, former premier of Western Australia ‘If you want to think, for the very first time, about why Australia needs an Australian Head of State, this is the book for you. Passionate, provocative and patriotic, this is the book we all need for the Republic we have to have.’ –Clare Wright, historian ‘Thought it would be good. Didn’t think it would be one of the best and most fascinating books I have read for years. Benjamin T. Jones for PM! Stuff that – Benjamin T. Jones FOR PRESIDENT!’ —Catherine Deveny

An essential guide to the future of work in Australia. For many Australians, rapid progress in artificial intelligence, robotics and automation is a growing anxiety. What will it mean for jobs? What will it mean for their kids’ futures? More broadly, what will it mean for equality in this country? Jim Chalmers and Mike Quigley believe that bursts in technology need not result in bursts of inequality, that we can combine technological change with the fair go. But first we need to understand what’s happening to work, and what’s likely to happen. This is a timely, informative and authoritative book about the changing face of work, and how best to approach it – at both a personal and a political level. Jim Chalmers is a Labor MP and Shadow Minister for Finance. Before being elected to parliament, Jim was the chief of staff to the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer. He has a PhD in political science and international relations and is the author of Glory Daze (2013). Mike Quigley spent 36 years with the major global telecommunications company Alcatel, including three years as its president and COO. He was the first employee of the Australian NBN company and its CEO for four years. He is now adjunct professor in the School of Computing and Communications at UTS.

I remember with incredible clarity the question that rang through his words and hung in the air between us, the query that hurt my head and heart as his baggy eyes held mine: where does someone like me fit, now? Jennifer Rayner knows a thing or two about blue-collar blokes: her brother, her dad and her grandfather all make a living with their hands. But blue-collar jobs for Australian men are disappearing at a rapid rate, and this is not just a product of unstoppable economic forces – it’s also the result of our failure to acknowledge the importance of those jobs and the people who do them. The men now losing their jobs in heavy industry or trades will not easily find new work in Australia’s growing service industries; the evidence shows they are disengaging from the workforce instead. Drawing on extensive research and dozens of interviews, Rayner argues that there can be blue-collar jobs in our future economy. In fact, we can’t keep building a fair and prosperous Australia without them. Humane and clear-eyed, Blue Collar Frayed is a vital contribution to our national conversation. ‘Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the impact of change in our society.’ —Former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty ‘Well-researched, humane, and utterly vital. The book we need now for the Australian workforce we want to have.’ —Richard Denniss, Chief Economist, The Australia Institute ‘Jennifer Rayner’s well researched and compelling account of our changing workforce is essential reading if you are wondering where technology is leading our economy and the people who make that economy function. She understands the workers behind the economic data and so she has accomplished something rare and important: economics with heart and soul.’ ​—Rebecca Huntley, social researcher and author of Still Lucky