If there are genuine questions about Australian history, there is something to puzzle over. The history ceases to be predictable—and dull. From the author of The Shortest History of Europe, acclaimed historian John Hirst, comes this fresh and stimulating approach to understanding Australia's past and present. Hirst asks and answers questions that get to the heart of Australia's history: Why did Aborigines not become farmers? How did a penal colony change peacefully to a democracy? Why was Australia so prosperous so early? Why did the Australian colonies federate? What effect did convict origins have on national character? Why was the postwar migration programme a success? Why is Australia not a republic? Engaging and enjoyable, and written for the novice and the expert alike, Australian History in 7 Questions explains how we became the nation we are today. ‘If you don't always agree with the answers, you will certainly acquire a renewed interest in the questions. This, surely, is the highest hope of good history.’ —Saturday Paper ‘An excellent tool for provoking debate’ —Age ‘An intriguing approach’ —West Weekend Magazine ‘With trademark clarity and insight, Hirst manages to touch every cornerstone of Australia’s past ... every Australian should read this book.’ —Monthly ‘Thought provoking’ —Daily Telegraph ‘Instructively provocative’ —Burnie Advocate ‘Australian History in 7 Questions is a lively and exciting book, showing the skills of a professional historian and social commentator ... Anyone would benefit from reading this erudite short book.’ —Australian Journal of Politics and History John Hirst was a member of the History Department at La Trobe University from 1968 to 2007. He has written many books on Australian history, including Convict Society and Its Enemies, The Strange Birth of Colonial Democracy, The Sentimental Nation, Sense and Nonsense in Australian History and The Shortest History of Europe.

A saviour to some, reviled by others, Johannes Bjelke-Petersen became the butt of jokes and even assassination attempts. His influence spread well beyond Queensland, and in the mid-1970s he put an unknown french polisher into the Senate to help rub out the Whitlam government.Young Joh had been a loner who worked hard to overcome crippling childhood polio and the poverty of life on his family's farm. Enduring a long apprenticeship as an opposition backbencher, he finally made it to the top, bringing to his old-style autocratic rule a more media-savvy appeal to the electorate.As this long-awaited biography reveals, Joh was as cunning as he was ruthless throughout his forty-year political career. Rae Wear analyses in detail his political psyche, his unique leadership style and the reasons for his electoral support, taking into account his Danish immigrant background and lifelong Christian piety.Essential reading for anyone interested in Australian politics, this biographical study explains in depth, for the first time, Bjelke-Petersen's unlikely elevation to the premiership and his ultimate disgrace amid revelations of widespread corruption.

The first comprehensive volume on the impact of digital media on Australian politics, this book examines the way these technologies shape political communication, alter key public and private institutions, and serve as the new arena in which discursive and expressive political life is performed. -- Publisher's description.