The Australian Moment is a clear, evidence-based analysis of Australian politics and economics over the last 30 or so years. More detail of the Rudd years would have been beneficial, but otherwise the book was comprehensive. A basic understanding of economics would help understand many of the terms used, and this arguably makes the book a little bit inaccessible. However, I'm not sure the subject matter could be adequately covered using less technical language. The Australian Moment is a summary of recent Australian history (last 40yrs) from a political and economic perspective. It focuses on the prime ministers of the era time (from Whitlam to Rudd) and attempts to draw out the themes of each government. For an Australian immigrant like me, it provided a great deal of context I missed out on for comprehending the current Australian political position (like the Australian people's disdain for Keating and the Labour government of the 1980s pioneering zeal). Necessarily for such a rich period of historyin only 300-odd pages, Megalogenis has focused on a few areas. The Commonwealth parliament is the fulcrum around which the narrative turns -- little reference is made to the politics of the states. Additionally, Megalogenis's lens is primarily political and economic rather than social, with a considerable emphasis on interviews with the former PMs and economic statistics. I must admit to experiencing some intellectual fatigue at points during this book -- there is a rather inevitable chronological path to the narrative with regular updates of GDP growth, fiscal positions and polling numbers having a slightly soporific effect. Overall: as someone interested in contemporary Australian politics but without the background of having grown up here, I found this an enjoyable read.
What do You think about The Australian Moment (2012)?
A rollicking good read, free of bias. Made me feel good to be a Labor supporter, warts and all.
—hellrell
Great run through of Australian fiscal policy and political landscape of the last 40 years.
—Atlantiz
Second half is better than the first. Stick with it.
—anteaterala
