The Rise and Fall of Australia

by Nick Bryant

Never before has Australia enjoyed such economic, commercial, diplomatic and cultural clout. Its recession-proof economy is the envy of the world. It's the planet's great lifestyle superpower. Its artistic exports win unprecedented acclaim. But never before has its politics been so brutal, narrow and facile, as well as being such a global laughing stock. A positive national story is at odds with a deeply unattractive Canberra story.

The country should be enjoying The Australian Moment, so vividly described by the best-selling author George Megalogenis. But that description may turn out to be inadvertently precise. It could end up being just that: a fleeting moment.

At present the country seems to be in speedy regression, with the nation's leaders, on both sides, mired in relatively small problems, such as the arrival of boat people, rather than mapping out a larger and more inspiring national future.

In The Rise and Fall of Australia, BBC correspondent and author Nick Bryant offers an outsider's take on the great paradox of modern-day Australian life: of how the country has got richer at a time when its politics have become more impoverished. In this thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking book, dealing with politics, racism, sexism, the country's place in the region and the world, culture and sport, the author argues that Australia needs to discard the out-dated language used to describe itself, to push back against Lucky Country thinking, to celebrate how the cultural creep has replaced the cultural cringe and to stop negatively typecasting itself. Rejecting most of the national stereotypes, Nick Bryant sets out to describe the new Australia rather than the mythic country so often misunderstood not just by foreigners but Australians themselves.

Genres: Politics, Australia, Nonfiction, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. Probably the best thing I have read on contemporary Australia for many years. A really interesting view from both inside and outside of our horrendous political life at the moment. Could not agree more with his thesis that Australia is a great country ruined by the dreadful state of our political class. I have been teaching, studying and working in politics for 40 years and I have never seen anything like the last 15 years. How sad we have come to this and this book is a great start towards understanding some of the reasons. Absolutely excellent!

[Al Bità · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s bad enough when one is critical of one’s own country and embarrassed by what it has become lately; but when Nick Bryant, (the BBC’s foreign correspondent in Australia for six years starting 2006) publicly reaffirms these criticisms, particularly with what appears to be spot-on analysis of the current political situation here, one realises that the situation is not merely personal. All Australian should read this book, and weep.

It is always interesting to read about one’s own country from a foreigner’s point of view — but one must of course keep in mind the European origins of this particular foreigner… I will acknowledge that in the past Australia has had many achievements of which we can be and are quite proud of, and Bryant is generous in his praise. I am not so sure whether his general assessment from the point of having what he calls a “national narrative” set in place makes too much sense for us. We are such a “young” country that, if anything we are still in the processing of that “narrative” — it is more like a work-in-progress. But it also happening at a time when global developments (if that is the right word for them) are seriously impinging on all nations in ways that will affect everyone (not just Australians). In the Western world at least, the increasingly neurotic attachment to the excesses of Global Capitalism is contributing to the sense of alienation many people feel about their own governments, about Democracy, about “national narratives” where the poor are increasingly differentiated from the exorbitantly rich capitalists who consider the world their oyster, and bugger the rest!

Bryant’s assessment of Australian politics seems exact to me — and I am sure that many other people, whatever their hue, would agree. We are currently in a mess. We have almost daily embarrassments, not only locally, but on the International stage as well. And (thankfully) the interesting thing, perhaps, is that (at least here) nothing seems to be “working” for our political ideologues. Hypocrisy is rampant; George Orwell’s NewSpeak is everywhere, undermining any attempt to provide some sense. All the hard work in getting decent social, educational and health programs off the ground are being stymied on every level; the arts and humanities suffer; pensioners are being targeted; the young and homeless are being punished. Science is being undermined as well. Political corruption on every level is rife. In the meantime, Banks, and Bank CEOs, and those of the Big Businesses continue to report massive profits and massive pay packages for those whose main contribution seems to be maximising profits by cutting back on jobs, firing others, “retrenching”, and expecting those least able to bear the greatest burden.

As I mentioned earlier, these are not just Australia’s problems; but maybe, just maybe, Australia’s relative insignificance globally may just be that which will help it survive the turmoil. One can only hope.

[Wayne]

One may question whether Australia EVER DID have a Rise.

Certainly the Arrival of the First Convicts on the First Fleet
in 1788 would have, MUST have, made the soon-to-be-displaced
Current Residents wonder just WHAT was happening on their
bountiful shores !!
It certainly wasn't a Lesson in what Civilisation may have consisted.
(THEY certainly didn't have a Policy of forcing Newcomers to learn THEIR Language/s.)

But it would very soon be obvious that Their World
had taken a Serious Dive!!!
Many of their Necessary Artifacts were soon being taken, stolen and sent Home to Mother England as interesting curios...canoes necessary for fishing for example; and perhaps communal grinding stones necessary for food production.
(They, however, were to be reprimanded, disciplined for 'stealing' sheep for dinner.)
Anyway, most died from infections too soon...an unintentional Case of Chemical Warfare, which would soon develop into Intentional.
After all, they were savages without culture or organisation.
The Enlightenment view of the Noble Savage was soon set aside by the Civilised Ones,
AND
in that area not too much has changed.
(Clearly more than 200 years is required before Civilisation is able to put down roots.Although the fault no doubt lies with the Stubborn Recipients...or their inherent Low Quality Genes.Not the Sowers of Civilisation!!!)

Whether Nick Bryant examines this particular area I know not.
But he DOES examine Much Else which needs Examining
and I am VERY GLAD INDEED that he has written a Good Kick in the Derriere for what Australia has Become.
Or Never ceased Being since its 1788 Arrival.

This book appears to hold more than One Gem on EVERY page.
I enjoyed a Browse and trust this ensures a...GOODREAD!!

[Jennifer Rolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that Bryant's summation of his thoughts after his time as a journalist in Australia were really well expressed. I agree with him on most of his conclusions especially on race and culture but disagree with his conclusions regarding sexism and Gillard. Misogyny is rampant.

[Jesse Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like Donald Horne’s "The Lucky Country", which is referenced so often in this book, "The Rise and Fall of Australia" may have something of a misleading title. Rather than mapping the trajectory of Australian economic, social, or any other sort of history, Bryant’s book stands as more of an ethnography. It’s equally a tribute to all the wonderful and unique aspects of Australian social and cultural life, and a damning assessment of the negative ones- mainly our politics.

I think it’s a valuable thing that this book was written by an outsider, a correspondent, because it leaves Bryant with more room to make an objective appraisal about his subject matter. How do Australians (both the layman and the paid observer) view the country’s politics, and what is the foreign impression? How racist a country is Australia perceived to be by Australians and others, and what is the reality? Are we a nation of men in cork hats “throwing another shrimp on the barbie”, a country of chardonnay-sipping art and fine music aficionados, or some strange mixture?

The book is entertaining and easy to read, from the entry level reader (me) to the more learned social observer. It is well researched, with a lot of amusing anecdotes as well as facts and figures. A very worthy evaluation of cultural cringe vs. cultural creep, perception vs. reality, and why politics has reached such a low ebb in a society with so much to offer.

[Arthur Banos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written. Amazing grasp of what is 'Australia' and what we were/are.

[Sam Berner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, God, 10 years and nothing changed?? But otherwise still enlightening (if you can be enlightened by darkness).

[Zander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Bryant writes a nice reflection on Australian politice. It's more a complex love letter than a deep analysis but it's helped to widen my understanding of our country.

[Lothario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick gives a very good feel for what Australia is like however he did come across as slightly condescending towards Aussies of Anglo-Celtic background as being backwards, despite these people making up various regional identities across Aus, such as Queenslanders, Tasmanians etc. Whilst the title of the book makes the reader anticipate that Aus is on the decline like it's European cousins, the content of the book makes one consider that Aus is a rising regional power

[Kirk D'Souza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent choice for an introductory book to Australia for anyone interested in learning more about the Lucky Country. Bryant offers a wide-ranging and highly engaging portrayal of the culture and politics of Australia, passionately debunking stereotypes with the rich and nuanced insight of a seasoned correspondent.

I find the subtitle of the book slightly misleading. Contrary to its pessimistic tone, the author does not argue that Australia is on the decline. His most scathing remarks are reserved for the crass and craven nature of national politics, and its polarising media coverage. But on all other aspects of public life, his commentary encompasses a moderate mix of cautious optimism and constructive criticism.

[Ray Gates · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up in the hope I would read a frank discussion about the things that have contributed to Australia's demise, both internally and on the global stage. What I got was a heavily opinionated commentary by someone who still obviously considers Australia to be just 'one of the colonies'. No real information or insight here - I barely got through the preface and couldn't finish the first chapter. Don't bother.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this - I really enjoyed Nick Bryant's writing when he was the BBC's Sydney correspondent. But this book disappointed somewhat. The chapters on Australian politics were excellent, but I found the chapter on cultural creep unconvincing. Perhaps you have to be Australian to really understand the extent to which the cultural cringe still lingers and how mediocrity and the middling still rule in mainstream Australian culture....

[Ann Maloney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the concept but there were some odd gaps and prejudices showing through.

[Michael Kerjman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hands-on historic testimony to contemporary Australia of 1990s-2010s is embedded from a much narrowed notion of a dawn of the British colonisation of the "Terra Nulios".
While a volume of data on contemporary achievements and political turmoils is impressive, author's conclusions have still a room to fill, which is quite understandable as a writer himself is a British subject coupled more recently with Australia by marriage and becoming a father to two Aussie kids-will come-Britts.
Hopefully, in years coming a BBC jurno will publish an extended book version incorporating a present panopticum of zooland covid paranoia is highlighting.

So far, both contextually and linguistically, it's extremely educative work.

[Peter Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book irritated me ,I still acknowledge its detailed outline and analysis of politics here in Australia since WW II.Despite its faults he still holds great affection for the country and wishes us well with some reforms to help us continue our successful way.It has the familiar outlook of all critics from the moderate Left that Australia does not do enough to deal with the obvious problems -climate change,Indigenous issues.asylum seekers - but there are perfectly good reasons for adopting the policies it has.Nevertheless a solid survey of Australian politics over recent years.No one likes political leaders and he makes many good points about our failings there and our ever changing PMs and frequent elections but only slightly offers solutions.

[Bill Perrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

While reading this book, and having finished it, it seemed to me that the author had dashed this off with a copy of “The Luck Country” and a pile of various Australian newspapers, coupled as his information source and his analysis of Australia. Actually “analysis” is too strong a word. There is little analysis in this book. Sure, it is easy to read but the reader has to be sceptical as some of his “facts”, which in fact, are not facts. All he needed to do was to read more than one historian (John Hirst is a rather conservative historian the writer constantly refers to) and also consult documents like the Australian census data and similar sources.
Rather a disappointment.

[Connor Duke · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an absolute slog to get through.

I feel like the point he was making, that Australia finds itself at risk of being stuck in mediocrity (with
average politicians at the wheel) and not taking ownership of its political and cultural identity, probably could’ve been made in 20 pages.

But he just rambles and goes on and on and on and on. The penultimate chapter is literally just Bryant naming every solid contemporary Aussie actor, artist, architect, dancer, CEO, director etc.

Not a fan unfortunately.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and thought provoking book, considering I have little in common with the Author.

I found this book well researched, well formatted and well written, albeit quite negative in its approach. Some elements of the book a wholeheartedly agree with, others I found to be a tad intolerant, closed minded and ill researched. All up it was a pun incredibly valuable book to read and I would recommend you read it, with a pinch of salt :)

[Richard Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read this after reading Nick's books on America. This book is also very enjoyable and informative. A good analysis peppered with amusing observations and anecdotes. Would have liked to have seen what Nick could have told readers about Australian events post 2014; Turnbull, Morrison, Barnaby, Shorten, Albanese, Plibersczek , covid, the Voice, China...the list goes on. Still very well worth reading.

[Victor · Rating 2 out of 5]

A moderate leftist’s perspective on Australia. Not badly written, however not overly insightful or informative either. The writer highlighted events in the book but seldom analysed them or made strong conclusions. I read about half the book before I put it down.

It was okay, perhaps more enjoyable for light readers who are moderate left.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent analysis of recent Australian history with an emphasis on Australian politics and how the crises in politics are at odds with the strength of the economy. (Written in 2014, long before covid 19 and the associated recession. Written by a British journalist who lived in Australia for many years on assignment - an outsider's perspective can be very useful.

Very well written. Hard to put down.

[Craig Penfold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for anyone who calls Australia home.

We need a better class of political leaders than we’ve had for the last few decades. We need visionaries to help define the future Australia and the Australia we want to become

[Julian Bu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly readable despite the puzzling title.

[Yannick Colakovski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cynical but worthwhile look at the formation of Australia today. Always funny seeing Morrison referred to as symbolising the worst in Australian conservatism (this was published in 2014)

[Wombat · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. Australian politics really are the worst though. This was written 11 years ago. I’d hate to see what the author would be thinking about the current state of politicians in Australia.

[Iain Hawkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is by the same author of 'When America Stopped Being Great,' which is another work I've reviewed (I think?) in this thread. TL, DR, that's easily the stronger of the two works, in part because what happens in America is far more important than what happens in Australia, in part because Bryant's thesis runs through that work, where his thesis here runs through some of it, then he turns his mind to other matters. Furthermore, although it was published relatively recently, RFA already feels dated, in that the issues it looks at have largely evaporated, whereas new issues that the book touches on have become bigger. Anyway, I'm going to sum up some of his main ideas:

The titular rise and fall refers to (at least as far as "the fall,") refers to the period of politics that came after John Howard lost his prime ministership to Kevin Rudd. What happened then was basically politics spiralling into mendacity. Canberra became known as "the coup capital of the world" as both the ALP and LNP kept switching leaders, both while in government and outside it. In Labour, we had Rudd, then Gillard, then Rudd again. For the LNP, we had Abbott, then Turnbull, then Morrison. And all the while, a lack of any real policy from either party, but rather a "race to the bottom." He attributes this to two key factors. First, because Aus has had uninterrupted economic growth for over two decades at this point, it's an example of "good times create weak men." Little reason to change anything, so why bother with bold visions when you can snipe at your opponents? Second, because so many MPs are "career politicians," they're out of touch with the regular people. He also looks at the pros and cons of the above-mentioned PMs.

I certainly can't disagree with a lot of this, as I watched the years in question with dismay, as politics devolved into a farce. Whether he's correct in the causes for this is something I can't answer. That said, I mentioned that this came off as outdated, because at least with Morrison, a new political feeling seems to have settled over Canberra. It's less the LNP and ALP being brats, and more that the LNP is governing, the ALP is facing an ideological split, and the states are dealing with Covid. As for his assessment of the PMs in question, I'm of course biased, but I broadly agree with his assessment of Abbott (good opposition leader, useless as prime minister), Turnbull (I've always respected Turnbull, but then, part of the reasons I do is why so many people on the right dislike him), and Morrison (competent, but uninspiring). In contrast, disagree with his assessment of Rudd (weasely, backstabber), and Gillard (not really up to being PM), but again, bias. Me, being on the left, so of course I'm going to be more favourabe to Rudd and Gillard, and respect Turnbull).

Another thing that arguably makes the work outdated is its take on the Australia-China relationship. There's no specific "take" per se, but it's outdated in the sense that since the book was written, Australia-China relations have plummeted.

There's certainly other theses that the author brings up, but the problem with them is that they're mainly incidental to the core theses as to what caused the downfall of Australian politics, and I won't waste your time with them here. Overall, the book's okay, but as far as its core thesis goes, it isn't really new information.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Rise and Fall of Australia" is a form of love letter to Australia from a "foreign" correspondent who has spent the last few years closely observing and reporting its public life.

When promoting the book, some wondered if Bryant had the right to take a critical eye to Australia - but if anything I enjoyed this because he brings an outside perspective, but also tempered with an understanding and appreciation of Australia's place in the international context (something which too few Australian cultural discussions tend to do.)

I agree with many the book is somewhat ill-titled - I didn't draw out of the book much about what is going wrong with Australia or how it has "fallen" (mainly because I'm all too well aware - it's actually why I picked the book up in the first place.) If anything, I realised a big problem has been the lack of public discussion about the ways in which Australia has done well (at least, until last year) which has driven the drive backwards on many progressive areas.

The book also helped me realise much as I have been horrified by Australian politics in the last 18 months especially, much of the problem lies in the politics itself rather than those who are playing it.

In some areas I wished there was more discussion and less reporting - Bryant would often list examples rather than perhaps focusing on explaining what the point was. (While this kind of sweeping over examples works well in an introductory chapter, it needed to settle in over the subsequent topics.) Likewise, the book does not necessarily offer solutions to problems - although there are many instances where the "problems" might not actually exist, or have easily accessible solutions - or at least, none that a journalist can (or necessarily should) devise.

In many ways I wish Bryant had begun with the material found in the final chapter about "throwbacks" - mainly because these are the points that make it seem like Australia is in "fall" - more importantly, this section runs into the territory of actually revealing a position on the new government (whereas I found most of the book quite measured in avoiding a political bias) and undid some of my improved outlook.

I also wish Bryant could have perhaps included a bibliography or footnotes - it is obvious he read widely and I've had to bookmark allusions to other works from contemporary writers which I want to now chase up.

I would also recommend reading it soon - I find works such as this age very quickly, and revisiting the major events in the Howard-Rudd-Gillard eras reminded me of how much we've already forgotten about public political life. Although in many ways the key issues raised will simply continue to resonate (for example, the exploration of the relationship with British heritage came to mind this morning when I heard our PM's comments about Scottish independence) - so while the examples might date, the diagnoses will continue to hold some weight.

[Will · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up in Perth Airport prior to boarding a flight, on special.

I urge you not to make the same mistake,

If you like a breathless, hasty and quite frankly dull tour around the Australian political elite and their successes and failings, go right ahead. If too you like to read the same analysis of the title of Horne's book 'The lucky country' across 312 pages, go right ahead.

In my opinion what Bryant does is paint an immensely negative picture of contemporary Australia (albeit with some justification) but does so in a meandering, rushed and relentless manner with little real analysis. In addition, the editing of this book is dire, sentences go on and on without any discernable stop and I lost count of the amount of spelling mistakes.

I will say that Bryant knows his stuff - his time as BBC Australian Correspondent makes him very authoritative and knowledgable. I am fairly well convinced by his argument that this is a first rate country cursed with second rate leaders. I did come out more knowledgable as a result. Bryant stresses that his message is that he hopes Australia goes on to become more and more successful in the future. But the tone of this book, overly critical, with 'the UK way or the highway' sympathies, does more to disenchant and depress the reader than keep them going. Put simply the tone of his book is entirely at odds with the argument he appears to be making.

On the plus side, the author's relentless, breathless style makes it fairly easy to keep ploughing through it.

Far better things have been written about this awesome country. This is one to avoid.

[Andrew Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rise and Fall of Australia provides a useful reminder that with a slight change of perspective, the contemporary is less contemptuous than complementary.

When Australian's talk about themselves, by indulgence or ignorance we quickly slip back into the ruts in the road left by the 1960s and 1970s. We know their divisive path doesn't lead anywhere, but we can't quite find the language or ideas to escape.

Fortunately however some foreigners are willing to give it a go, and while Bryant doesn't quite manage to help break us out, he does at least remind that other paths can be taken and new grooves made. With a journalists trademark flare, there are a lot of gem lines in this book to be grabbed up and saved for future debates. An easy read, it offers a sense of how the rest of the world, at least of the fellow anglosphere views Australia and some of the warped unhelpful ways we view ourselves.

The title may seem an invoking of Rome or great empires, but it and this book is deeply Australian. Pessimistic on the outside, resiliently optimistic on the inside. Outside the political class, Bryant finds much to love about this country, a message many Australians don't quite want to believe can exist.

For political tragics and news junkies, this book doesn't offer much new in information, but it does help encourage a shift in perspective. And that is worth more than a dozen of the 'I was right' books that currently litter the politics section of our bookstores.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant cultural/political analysis by Nick Bryant, writer of the more recent and excellent When America Stopped Being Great. This time, the book hit much closer to home as I am a proud Australian (though I originated, like him, from the narrower confines of England). The title is actually a little misleading, because rather than describing a sequential rise and fall of the nation - something I disagreed with to the point of being annoyed when I first spotted the book in some charity store - Bryant praises the many great things about our country, but at the same time issues some dire warnings regarding the quite deplorable state of our politics. Published in 2o14, this came just after the ongoing circus that was the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era, and ever since then, the country never really has managed to get back on track. The inevitable string of Liberal leaders were hardly more reliable, and we have long been beset by an epidemic in short-termism and vengeful politics.

Personally, I didn't vote for Albanese in the most recent elections. But I hope, now that Labor has been given another run after so many years, that they can learn from their past mistakes, and not spend all their time simply looking to denounce the previous administration.