Category Archives: Australia

The Tyranny of Distance: How Distance Shaped Australian History

Historian Geoffrey Blainey writes in the 2001 edition: * The wide ocean parting Australia and Europe impeded the export of Australian commodities. The same wide ocean was also a barrier to the migration of people from Europe. Whereas one powerful … Continue reading

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Compulsive Viewing: The Inside Story Of Packer’s Nine Network

Here are some highlights from this 2000 book by Gerald Stone about Australia’s leading TV network of the time: * What does it take to become a television star? Performers may look like they are speaking directly to you — … Continue reading

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Before I Forget By Geoffrey Blainey

Here are some highlights from this 2019 memoir by the great Australian historian: * When I was old enough to read the handwritten labels on the jam, I realised, to my amazement, the existence of adults who could not spell. … Continue reading

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Who Killed Channel 9?: The Death of Kerry Packer’s Mighty TV Dream Machine

Here are some highlights from this 2008 book by Gerald Stone about Australia’s formerly dominant TV network: * The Golden Age of Australian television. You could say it began the first moment viewers spotted the rich yellow hue glinting in … Continue reading

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Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones

From The Guardian May 13, 2020: Alan Jones: end for the shock-jock whose views on women, race and climate pandered to his tiny audience Fifteen years ago, when broadcaster Alan Jones was at the height of his career, media academic … Continue reading

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