Politics and Current Affairs
Melbourne University Publishing at Brisbane Writers Festival
Posted on 30 Mar 2023 under Politics and Current AffairsArts and Literature
The Brisbane Writers Festival has a slew of MUP authors this year dedicated to sharing their personal memories, discussing timely political issues, examining cultural abuse, disseminating government systems and demystifying gender. Scroll through our blog post to uncover all we have on offer at BWF this year.
Going to War Against China—an extract from Secret by Brian Toohey
Posted on 16 Mar 2023 under Politics and Current Affairs
‘Avoiding catastrophe requires co-operation not mindless confrontation, dialogue not constant exploitation of unfounded fears. Fears spread by journalists in thrall to the national security state...steering the country towards a cataclysmic, but unnecessary, war.’ — Brian Toohey
Q & A with Eve Vincent—Author of Who Cares? Life on Welfare in Australia
Posted on 22 Feb 2023 under NewsPolitics and Current Affairs
Even before the pandemic, I was becoming increasingly aware of and concerned about growing inequality in Australia. I wanted to understand what it was like to face poverty, to need assistance, and how today’s welfare system treats those most in need.
A Letter from the Publisher
Posted on 6 Feb 2023 under AcademicMiegunyah PressNew releasesPolitics and Current AffairsArts and LiteratureWriting
Dear friends, Shortly after I arrived at MUP in 2019 Professor Joy Damousi suggested that with the centenary of MUP coming up we should publish a press history. Perhaps not surprisingly I read many memoirs and histories about books and publishing, so I thought this a fine idea. But who to do it? Eventually the back part of my brain spat out the ideal candidate: Stuart Kells, a fellow book and publishing history enthusiast (some would say obsessive) who has written an award-winning account of Penguin, among other works on the subject. As Jason Steger put it, in an early notice of the book’s appearance: 'Stuart Kells knows his way around the book world like the back of his hand’.
Q & A with Clinton Fernandes—Author of Subimperial Power
Posted on 21 Oct 2022 under Politics and Current Affairs
Read our Q & A with author of Subimperial Power, Clinton Fernandes. Find out the role of a subimperial power, and what it would mean for Australia if China became the pre-eminent power in Asia.
Andrew Quilty Book Tour
Posted on 2 Aug 2022 under Politics and Current Affairs
Andrew Quilty, author of August in Kabul will be appearing live at several events across Australia.
Read Janet McCalman's chapter from WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Posted on 13 May 2022 under Politics and Current Affairs
When this pandemic crisis ends, things will be very bad for those with weak, corrupt and incompetent governments. For those with good governments, critical moral decisions will be required: do we reinvest and rebuild positively, or do we inflict austerity to pay down the debt quickly?
Read Anthony Albanese's chapter from WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Posted on 13 May 2022 under Politics and Current Affairs
COVID-19 emerged while Australians were trying to recover from the worst bushfire season experienced in recent memory. Now, as we’ve begun to come to terms with the impact of this crisis, the nation’s gaze has turned towards recovery. In doing so, we ask ourselves what will Australia look like on the other side?
MUP to release 'August in Kabul: America’s Last Days in Afghanistan' by award-winning photojournalist Andrew Quilty
Posted on 22 Oct 2021 under Politics and Current Affairs
Andrew Quilty was one of a handful of Western journalists present in Kabul as the city fell. This is his account of what happened in the chaotic final days of America's capitulation to the Taliban.
MUP at Sydney Writers' Festival 2021
Posted on 23 Apr 2021 under Politics and Current AffairsArts and Literature
Sydney Writers' Festival has returned to Carriageworks for 2021 and we are very pleased to have three Melbourne University Publishing authors showcasing their expertise and literary talents this week.
Spotlight: Where the Water Ends by Zoe Holman
Posted on 16 Apr 2021 under Politics and Current Affairs
Where the Water Ends: Seeking Refuge in Fortress Europe, an expansive account of the refugee crisis and the people at its heart, was published 2 March. Zoe Holman's unflinching gaze in Where the Water Ends lights up the dark side of immigration policy in Europe by tracing the stories of immigrants and their treatment at the hands of Greek and European Union authorities.
Spotlight: White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad
Posted on 26 Jun 2020 under Politics and Current Affairs
White Tears/Brown Scars sheds light on a phenomenon that, prior to the book’s publication, was still largely unexplored in mainstream society: that when a conflict occurs between a white woman and a woman of colour, the former can lean into her race privilege and use it to subdue the other woman.
Steve Bracks in conversation with Bernard Collaery: Opening Remarks by the Hon Steve Bracks AO
Posted on 23 Apr 2020 under Politics and Current AffairsEvents
In this time of the corona virus it is difficult to focus on anything else. Our lives have been disrupted in so many ways. Yet the wheels of our ‘justice system’ and our intelligence agencies continue to turn. The lives of Bernard Collaery and the ASIS agent known only as Witness K, were dramatically disrupted in December 2013 when the home of Witness K, and Bernard’s law chambers, both in Canberra, were raided by ASIO and the Australian Federal Police.
Bill Shorten on #mymum Ann Shorten
Posted on 9 May 2019 under Politics and Current Affairs
In this extract from Bill Shorten’s For the Common Good: Reflections on Australia’s Future (MUP, 2016), he looks back on the emphasis on education and social justice in his childhood, inspired by his mother, Ann Shorten.
Special offer – Our Trailblazing Susan Alberti
Posted on 17 Jul 2018 under Politics and Current AffairsGiveaways and competitions
"I was fearless, I was strong, and I had a determination like you have no idea," says Susan Alberti. Her biography The Footy Lady is the trailblazing story of a woman who fights constantly for her values and to make change happen.
Derryn Hinch – Canberra, One Year Later
Posted on 2 Jun 2018 under NewsPolitics and Current Affairs
Senator Derryn Hinch recounts the progress and movements on key politics issues he's been tracking through Parliament – one year since he last wrote on these topics in Hinch v Canberra.
5 books to read this Anzac Day
Posted on 24 Apr 2018 under Politics and Current Affairs
Over the decades we have spent documenting the Australian national story, MUP have delved into the Australia's involvement in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. Here are some of our must-read picks from the collection.
A Matter of Trust – a timely practical guide to ethical finance
Posted on 28 Mar 2018 under AcademicNew releasesPolitics and Current Affairs
A particularly timely book, A Matter of Trust discusses the effects of how an ethical mishap can cause widespread institutional and systemic shortcomings across the financial sector. On Tuesday we launched A Matter of Trust: The Practice of Ethics in Finance at the University of Melbourne.
The Honourable Paul Keating launches Fair Share: Competing Claims and Australia's Economic Future
Posted on 19 Mar 2018 under NewsPolitics and Current Affairs
Fair Share is a vitally important work in examining the urgent economic challenges facing the nation, and the role of governments in addressing those challenges, said former Prime Minister Paul Keating.
Celebrating women: #IWD 2018
Posted on 8 Mar 2018 under NewsNew releasesPolitics and Current Affairs
This year’s theme for International Women's Day, #PressforProgress, continues to rally for gender equality, and to celebrate women’s achievements everywhere. We're doing that too, by drawing attention to some amazing women we publish at MUP and how their stories have inspired us.