Australia Fair?

Name: Australia Fair?
Price: 39.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9780522882148

Democracy, Bureaucracy and the Making of Modern Australia

James Walter, Carolyn Holbrook

$39.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY PRES
14 July 2026

Homelessness; First Nations; Political structures: democracy; Regional government; Australian Society

Who advises politicians about the issues that impact our daily lives, and how has their advice changed over time?

In Australia Fair? authors James Walter and Carolyn Holbrook explore the world of departmental officials and political advisers who wield significant influence in shaping our society and assess how policy advice has changed since World War II. How has the relationship between our elected representatives and bureaucrats evolved? Have they delivered what the people want? What has been learned, and what forgotten?

Focusing on three foundational policy domains - immigration, Indigenous affairs and housing - Australia Fair? reveals how social change, ideological differences and power dynamics have transformed Australia's political landscape and society.

Provocative and important, Australia Fair? challenges us to reckon with a new era of policy innovation, to debate how we want to be governed and to choose what kind of society we want to be.

By: James Walter, Carolyn Holbrook
Imprint: MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY PRES
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9780522882148
ISBN 10: 0522882145
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 14 July 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

James Walter is an emeritus professor at Monash University where he was formerly Head of the School of Political and Social Inquiry. A fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, and a former president of the Australian Political Studies Association, Walter has published widely on political biography, political advisers, political ideas, policy decision making and leadership. He was lead author of his last book The Pivot of Power: Australian Prime Ministers and Political Leadership, 1949-2016. Carolyn Holbrook is an historian at Deakin University. Her most recent books are Challenging Anzacs: Stories that don't fit the Legend with Mia Martin Hobbs and Joan Beaumont and Golden Age? Remembering the Hawke Government with Frank Bongiorno and Joshua Black. Holbrook is the director of Australian Policy and History, which connects historical evidence to contemporary political and social issues, and the Australian Health & History archive.

Reviews for Australia Fair?: Democracy, Bureaucracy and the Making of Modern Australia

""In an era of performative politics Walter and Holbrook show that it is policies rather than personalities that shape the fortunes of Australian governments and parties."" - Emeritus Professor Graeme Davison ""This much-needed book deals with the long-term trajectories of policy making and how we think about equity in Australia. Be prepared to change your view on who does what in Australia's corridors of power."" - Professor Jenny M. Lewis