Nick Economou - Australian politics for dummies

Australian Politics For Dummies

by Nick Economou and Zareh Ghazarian

Australian Politics For Dummies

Published by
Wiley Publishing Australia Pty Ltd
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Copyright 2010 Wiley Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Author: Economou, Nicholas.

Title: Australian Politics For Dummies / Nick Economou; Zareh Ghazarian.

ISBN: 978 1 74216 982 8 (pbk.)

Notes: Includes index.

Subjects: Australia Politics and government.

Other Authors: Ghazarian, Zareh.

Dewey Number: 320.994

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Cover image: Auspic (Reference No. 0054) / Robyn Butler, 2009, Used under license from Shutterstock.com

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About the Authors

Nick Economou has studied Australian politics for nearly all his life. He studied politics at school and at the University of Melbourne, where he completed a Master of Arts and, later, a PhD in Political Science. Nick started teaching Australian politics for university students when he was a tutor at the old Swinburne Institute (now Swinburne University) in 1985. In a couple of years he secured a lecturing position at the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education and then, later, Monash University, where he is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Political and Social Inquiry.

In addition to teaching, Nick has been a frequent media commentator on Australian politics, as well as a writer of opinion pieces for a range of newspapers. He has been a contributor to numerous books and published many articles in academic journals on Australian politics. In 1999 he was the editor of The Kennett Revolution (MUP) with Brian Costar, and in 2008 authored Media Politics and Power in Australia (Pearson) with Stephen Tanner.

Zareh Ghazarian is currently an Assistant Lecturer in Politics in the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University. Before teaching Australian politics at university, Zareh observed politics in action when he worked for the parliament of Victoria.

Zareh has published widely in the field of Australian politics, in academic texts as well as non-academic outlets. He has also won a number of academic awards for his research and teaching. In 2008, The Age newspaper listed Zareh among the next generation of thinkers citing his expertise in Australian governance. In addition to teaching politics, Zareh has been an active commentator in the media, as well as regularly being invited to speak on Australian politics to the broader community.

Dedication

Nick dedicates this book to Lydia, his very first Australian politics teacher.

Zareh dedicates this book to Tony and Nadia.

Authors Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the staff at Wiley for their assistance with this book. We would particularly like to thank Charlotte Duff and Bronwyn Duhigg, who thought of us as potential authors and who actually got us to get on with it. We also thank Kerry Davies for her incredible patience and editing skills.

We would also like to thank David Mayer, who not only helped with drafts and advice, but has been a great mentor and friend. Thanks also to Kate Seear, Marina Cominos and Ben Whiteley, and all the others who inhabit the 11th floor of the Menzies Building at Monash University and put up with us running ideas past them and supported us during the various stages of production.

Publishers Acknowledgements

Were proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial and Media Development

Project Editor: Kerry Davies

Acquisitions Editors: Charlotte Duff, Bronwyn Duhigg

Technical Reviewer: David Mayer

Editorial Manager: Gabrielle Packman

Production

Graphics: Wiley Art Studio

Cartoons: Glenn Lumsden

Proofreader: Justin Coughlan

Indexer: Don Jordan, Antipodes Indexing

Photo credits: p. 34, National Library of Australia/Photo by Loui Seselja, nla.pic-an24526893; p. 37, National Archives of Australia; p. 38, Andrew Chapman; p. 93, National Library of Australia, nla.pic-an24355082; p. 99, top, Image Disk Photography; p. 99, bottom, pp. 105, 107, image by permission of the Parliamentary Education Office, www.peo.gov.au; p. 100, Alison Farrant; pp. 248, 252, AEC, copyright Commonwealth of Australia, reproduced by permission; p. 288, Bruce Petty.