Australia Under Construction

Australia Under Construction

Nation-building past, present and future

Edited by: John Butcher orcid

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Description

The Australian nation is a work in progress. So conclude the authors whose views are represented in this most recent offering in the ANZSOG monograph series, Australia Under Construction: Nation-building past, present and future. From its beginnings as a settler society through to present day concerns about ‘broadbanding the nation’, the nation-building narrative has resonated with Australians. The very idea of nation-building has both excited the popular imagination about what we might achieve as a society and a nation, and has occasioned despair about missed opportunities. The eleven authors contributing to this monograph reflect on these, and other themes from a variety of perspectives. They challenge our understanding of the term ‘nation-building’, reflect on its contemporary relevance as a framework for public policy and even re-appraise the contribution of past ‘iconic’ nation-building endeavours. To this subject the authors bring intelligence, wit and a healthy disdain for sacred cows. A stimulating read for anyone interested in the history, challenges and prospects of nation-building in Australia.

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Australia Under Construction »

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  1. Nation-building in Australia: a discourse, iconic project or tradition of resonance? (PDF, 121KB)John Wanna doi
  2. The unfinished business of nation-building (PDF, 141KB)John Butcher doi
  3. In the wake of economic reform … new prospects for nation-building? (PDF, 170KB)Michael Pusey doi
  4. The challenge of teaching Australian history (PDF, 166KB)Anna Clark doi
  5. A passion for white elephants: some lessons from Australia’s experience of nation building (PDF, 132KB)Dr Richard Evans doi
  6. Populate, parch and panic: two centuries of dreaming about nation-building in inland Australia (PDF, 166KB)Dr Robert Wooding doi
  7. Australia’s fiscal straitjacket (PDF, 153KB)Fred Argy doi
  8. The ‘Building Better Cities’ program 1991-96: a nation-building initiative of the Commonwealth Government (PDF, 1.9MB)Lyndsay Neilson doi
  9. Stumbling towards nation-building: impediments to progress (PDF, 127KB)Anthony F. Shepherd doi
  10. Broadbanding the nation: lessons from Canada or shortcomings in Australian federalism? (PDF, 192KB)Michael de Percy doi
  11. Re-imagining the Australian state: political structures and policy strategies (PDF, 214KB)Ian Marsh doi

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