Contributors

Monique Ryan

(“Taking the long view”, p.10) is a paediatric neurologist and the federal MP for Kooyong.

Frank Bongiorno

(“The budget balance”, p.12) is a professor of history at the Australian National University and the author of Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia.

Don Watson

(“Heroes and villains”, p.14) is an award-winning author. His books include The Passion of Private White, Death Sentence: The Decay of Public Language, Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: A Portrait of Paul Keating PM, The Bush and Watsonia, a collection of his writing.

Cate Kennedy

(“Reading the mushroom”, p.15) writes fiction, poetry and nonfiction, and lives in central Victoria. Her short-story collections are studied on the VCE English and Literature syllabus.

Sean Kelly

(“The year of living cautiously”, p.18) is the author of The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison, a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and was an adviser to Labor prime ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.

Mark Mckenna

(“Royal flush”, p.30) is Professor Emeritus at the University of Sydney and Honorary Professor at the Australian National University. His most recent book is Return to Uluru.

Margaret Simons

(“When the chips are down”, p.38) is an author, journalist and journalism academic. She has written numerous books, articles and essays. Her latest book is Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms.

Helen Garner

(“The professor’s last lesson ”, p.46) is a novelist and nonfiction writer. Her most recent books are her diaries Yellow Notebook, One Day I’ll Remember

This and How To End a Story.

Tim Winton

(“Natural born killers”, p.48) is a writer. His most recent novel is The Shepherd’s Hut.

Harry Windsor

(“Cult viewing”, p.54) is a Sydney-based writer.

Mireille Juchau

(“Moving towards grief ”, p.58) is a Walkley award–winning critic and the author of three novels.

Shane Danielsen

(“The deep end”, p.60) is a screenwriter and former artistic director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Sarah Holland-batt

(“Life sentences”, p.66) is the author of Fishing for Lightning and The Jaguar, which won the 2023 Stella Prize.

Orfeo Tagiuri

(“Rear view”, p.66) is a London-based artist.

Lauren Bamford

(cover) is a photographer based in Melbourne.