Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class: From Alfred Deakin to John HowardThe Liberal Party of Australia was late to form in 1945, but the traditions and ideals upon which it is founded have been central to Australian politics since Federation. This 2003 book, by award-winning author and leading Australian political scientist Judith Brett, provides the very first complete history of the Australian liberal tradition, and then of the Liberal Party from the second half of the twentieth century. The book sparkles with insight, particularly in its sustained analysis of the shifting relationships between the experiences of the moral middle class and Australian liberals' own self understandings. It begins with Alfred Deakin facing the organised working class in parliament and ends with John Howard, electorally triumphant but alienated from key sections of middle class opinion. This book is destined to become the definitive account of Australian liberalism, and of the Liberal Party of Australia. |
Contents
1 | |
The Moral Middle Class | 7 |
Organisation and the Meaning of Fusion | 13 |
The Liberals Organisational Handicap | 27 |
Protestants | 35 |
Fusion Again | 40 |
Loyalty and World War I | 44 |
Sectional Grievances | 52 |
Keynesianism Affluence and the Expansion of Credit | 135 |
The New Middle Class | 139 |
Whitlam | 144 |
Fraser | 148 |
Shame Fraser Shame | 152 |
Fraser in Government | 157 |
Neoliberalism | 166 |
Economic Rationalism and the New Public Management | 168 |
Good Citizens and Public Order | 57 |
Meetings | 64 |
Order and Anarchy | 69 |
Prime Minister Bruce | 77 |
Honest Finance | 86 |
Bonds of Honour | 94 |
One Small Honest Man | 100 |
The Menace of Inflation | 108 |
The United Australia Party | 112 |
From Menzies Forgotten People to the Whitlam Generation | 116 |
Homes for Everyone | 120 |
Crown and Race | 125 |
The Decline of Protestantism | 128 |
From Duties to Rights | 132 |
From Citizens to Consumers | 172 |
From Independence to Choice | 176 |
John Hewson and the 1993 Election | 179 |
John Howard Race and Nation | 183 |
Pauline Hanson | 191 |
Asian Immigration and Multiculturalism | 194 |
Indigenous Politics and the Limits of Liberalism | 196 |
Claiming the Australian Legend | 202 |
Border Control | 206 |
Conclusion | 213 |
Notes | 218 |
239 | |
252 | |
Common terms and phrases
Aboriginal Alfred Deakin argued Australian Labor Party AUSTRALIAN LIBERALS Australian politics Bank became belief Billy Hughes British Bruce campaign Catholics cent century Church claims class-based commitment Commonwealth Commonwealth Liberal Party conflict conscription Country Party cultural Deakin demands economic electoral experience formation formed Fraser government's groups Hewson hire purchase HONEST FINANCE ibid identity immigration independence indigenous Australians individual industrial issues John Hewson John Howard judgement Labor government leader leadership League Liberal Party loan loyalty Lyons Malcolm Fraser meeting Melbourne ment mobilisation MORAL MIDDLE CLASS movement multiculturalism national interest neo-liberal non-labour NOTES PAGES organisation parliament parliamentary Party of Australia party's people's postwar Prime Minister Protestant Protestantism reform religious responsibility Robert Menzies role savings sectarian self-interest social society South Wales speech Sydney thrift trade union traditional United Australia Party values Victoria virtues vote Whitlam women