Australia Fair? by James Walter

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.

About the Author:

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.

14 Jul 2026
 

Australia Fair?: Democracy, Bureaucracy and the Making of Modern Australia by James Walter ISBN 9780522882148