Abbott delves into Down Under

________________________________________Tony Abbott Australia: A History, HarperCollins Australia, pp 395 $ 39.99ROSS FITZGERALD

   “He who controls the past, controls the future” wrote George Orwell in his classic work, 1984. This is something Tony Abbott doubtless had in mind as he set himself to writing this history of Australia: How an Ancient Land Became a Great Democracy.    While many former PMs have written memoirs, Abbott is the first to have shunned that form of self-justification in favour of writing, instead, what amounts to a strong defence of the …

An Improbable SuccessROSS FITZGERALD

Tony Abbott Australia: A History,HarperCollins Australia, 2025 pp 395, $ 39.99

“He who controls the past, controls the future” wrote George Orwell in his classic work, 1984. This is something Tony Abbott doubtless had in mind as he set himself to writing this history of Australia: How an Ancient Land Became a Great Democracy. While many former PMs have written memoirs, Abbott is the first to have shunned that form of self-justification in favour of writing, instead, what amounts to a strong defence of the country itself. His …

Ken Spillman’s review of Chalk and CheeseHAVE-A-GO NEWS No. 403, OCTOBER 2025, p 38.

NEVER judge a book by its cover. While reading Chalk and Cheese: A Fabrication, I thought of this saying many times. Shackled with one of the most insipid and unattractive covers I’ve seen, it’s a cracking read.

If I were not a regular viewer of SBS TV’s Insight program, I would never have sought it out. Insight delves into social issues, exploring different viewpoints in a conversational way. A March episode dealing with the health services and care provided …