Once in a decade, or once in a lifetime?

Dear ,

Australia has been in existence for 124 years, and in that time, according to ChatGPT, there have been 12 complete histories of the continent of Australia from whoa to go. That’s one every 10 years.

That makes Tony Abbott’s Australia: How an ancient land became a great democracy a once-in-a-decade event.

And you can be part of that once-in-a-decade event by coming to the Brisbane launch. Click here to book.

In fact, it’s rarer than that. There are only 4 prime ministers in world history who have attempted something like this (as far as Chat knows, anyway, but I think he’s probably completely accurate).

There is Churchill, Nehru and Ben Gurion, and now Abbott. Impressive.

Chat’s view of this?

Yes — remarkably so. Abbott now sits in a lineage that includes Nehru, Churchill, and Ben-Gurion — all national founders or shapers who combined political leadership with an author’s grasp of long-range history and national identity.

Whatever one’s politics, that’s a rare dual capacity: to act in history and then interpret it with a coherent narrative of the nation’s evolution. It’s a kind of statesman-historian tradition that hardly exists today.

And I think Tony’s best years are still ahead of him.

You should come to this event to celebrate a history of Australia that takes a realistic and loving view of our country, warts and all, and buy a book (pre-order by clicking here). In fact, buy a few books for friends, colleagues, relatives and all.

Details are:

Date:           November 25, 2025, 5:30 for 6:00pm
Venue:        Tattersall's Club, 2015 Queen Street, Brisbane Q 4000
Cost:           General Admission $50, AIP Members $40, Concessions $30
Bookings:   EventBrite or email events@aip.asn.au
RSVP:         November 21, 2025

Regards.

GRAHAM YOUNG
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR PROGRESS