Essays For Australia
Essays for Australia is a publication of The Centre for the Australian Way of Life at the Institute of Public Affairs.
The purpose of Essays for Australia is to explain and defend the values that have created the Australian way of life – democracy, egalitarianism, and freedom in all its dimensions.
A Broad Church Requires a Faith: Reviving the Liberal Identity
By Andrew Kemp The old rule of thumb in Australian politics always was that Labor won elections by departing from its philosophy, and Liberals won elections by sticking with theirs. At least at the federal level, Australians tend to vote conservatively – in the literal meaning of the word; happy to maintain the broadly liberal society they have enjoyed, [...]
Populism Defeated and Triumphant
By Scott Hargreaves In Australia it seems that populism has failed, but it is in fact triumphant. This apparent paradox is the key to understanding both the outcome of the 2025 federal election and the objectives and tactics of the Albanese Government. What people have in mind is that a decade-long attempt to enliven the centre-right parties with a [...]
The Genius Of Patrick White
By Peter CravenPatrick White is far and away the greatest writer Australia has ever produced in any medium and not to take stock of this would be a very sad thing indeed.It’s only a couple of generations ago when the penny dropped that White, a toff of pastoralist stock who turned in his latter days into a raging lefty, was [...]
Australia’s Two Nations
By Rick BrownIn 1999, Australia conducted its largest taxpayer-funded focus group – the referendum on a republic. Voting in the referendum was compulsory with 95.1 per cent of Australians eligible to vote doing so. In contrast, the 2017 Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, which had optional voting, had a 79.5 per cent participation rate.The result of the republic referendum was [...]
That’s How It Was
By Rocco LoiaconoI think I would have been around ten years-old when I watched the film ‘Ladri di biciclette’, known in English as ‘Bicycle Thieves’ or ‘The Bicycle Thief’.Produced and directed by Vittorio De Sica, it was made in 1948 and is set in Rome just after the end of the Second World War. By the mid-1950s much of the [...]
Their Fiery Cross Of Union
By John RoskamTheir Fiery Cross of Union’ is a brilliant book and one of the most important works of Australian history to appear in recent years. It is deeply insightful, beautifully written, and succeeds in making forgettable and forgotten politicians interesting. It’s both scholarly and entertaining.In 1890s Australia, federation was what climate change is today. It sounded worthy, it was [...]
