Australia's Second Chance [Paperback]

The bestselling author ofThe Australian Momentasks the most important question confronting the country right now – how do we maintain our winning streak? Most nations don't get a first chance to prosper. Australia is on its second. For the best part of the nineteenth century, Australia was the world's richest country, a pioneer for democracy and a magnet for migrants. Yet our last big boom was followed by a fifty-year bust as we lost our luck, our riches and our nerve, and shut our doors on the world. Now we're back on top, in the position where history tells us we made our biggest mistakes. Can we learn from our past and cement our place as one of the world's great nations? Showing that our future is in our foundation, Australia's Second Chance goes back to 1788, the first contact between locals and migrants, to bring us a unique and fascinating view of the key events of our past right through to the present day. With newly available economic data and fresh interviews with former leaders (including the last major interview with Malcolm Fraser), George Megalogenis crunches the numbers and weaves our history into a riveting argument, brilliantly chronicling our dialogue with the world and bringing welcome insight into the urgent question of who we are, and what we can become.

George Megalogenisis an author and journalist with three decades' experience in the media.The Australian Momentwon the 2013 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Non-fiction and the 2012 Walkley Award for Non-fiction, and formed the basis for the ABC documentary seriesMaking Australia Great. He is also the author ofFaultlines,The Longest Decade,Quarterly Essay 40: Trivial Pursuit – Leadership and the End of the Reform EraandQuarterly Essay 61: Balancing Act – Australia Between Recession and Renewal.