Research and Teaching Interests
Australian politics and political history
Australian State politics
political thought and theory
radical democracy
politics of popular culture
the culture wars
political leadership
political biography
the Liberal Party
Australian conservatism
liberalism
neo-conservatism
Publications
Books
Australia: The State of Democracy (with Marian Sawer and Phil Larkin), forthcoming (2009)
John Howard and the Conservative Tradition (2008) link
Leadership and the Liberal Revival: Bolte, Askin and the Post-war Ascendancy (2007)link
John Hewson: A Biography (1993)
Chapters
"The Culture Wars Down Under" and "The History Wars", in Jim George & Kim Huynh (eds.) The Culture Wars: Australian and American Politics in the 21st Century (2009)
"Re-inventing Australian Conservatism in the States: New Leadership and the Liberal Revival Under Bolte and Askin", in Paul 't Hart & John Uhr (eds.), Public Leadership: Perspectives and Practice (2008) link
"Thomas Lewis", in David Clune & Ken Turner (eds.) Premiers of NSW, Vol II (2006)
"George Reid, The Democrat as Equivocator: Piss and Wind, or Principles in Search of a Constituency?", in David Headon & John Williams, Makers of Miracles (2000) link
Conference Papers
"Capitalism Imperilled? Business Perceptions in Wartime and Post-War Australia"
Paper delivered at Asia-Pacific Economic and Business History Conference, Sydney , 14 February 2007 link
"Three Perspectives on John Howard: The Reid Legacy, NSW Exceptionalism and the Fulfilment of Liberal Prophecy"
Paper delivered at the John Howard Decade Conference, Canberra, March 2006 link
Commentary
Ruling ideology under threat as capitalism slowly crumbles
Canberra Times, 1 May 09
The year 1909 saw a seachange in Australian politics, writes Norman Abjorensen on the anniversary of the fusion of the non-Labor parties
13 Jan 09 |
The Liberal Party in New South Wales is a broad but fractious church, writes Norman Abjorensen in this profile of the independently minded Senator Marise Payne
19 Dec 08 |
Coalitions don't work in opposition, so the federal Nationals would be better off going it alone, writes Norman Abjorensen
18 Dec 08 |
Wayne Swan isn't the weak link the Coalition thinks he is, but Julie Bishop certainly is, writes Norman Abjorensen
03 Dec 08 |
The contrast between the first terms of two governments – Howard's and Rudd's – looks like being vast, writes Norman Abjorensen
26 Nov 08 |
Liberal leaders are given licence to create a party in their own image, writes Norman Abjorensen , and Malcolm Turnbull doesn't see himself as an exception
ABC Perspective, 30 January 2007
Banning Books
ABC Perspective, 26 October 2006
Divided We Stand: Political Reflections on the Federal Experiment
video of Blake Dawson lecture, 24 June 2008, ANU, Canberra
Recent articles (apart from newspaper articles)
"Unions: A Crucial Part of a healthy democracy" Civil Liberties Australia/Canberra Times, 24 October 2007 link “Not Good News: Australia 's Shrinking Media Freedoms”, Refereed audit paper, Democratic Audit of Australia, 2007.
“The Role of Ministerial Advisors”, Refereed discussion paper, Democratic Audit of Australia, 2007
“Rethinking Westminster : South Australia 's cabinet experiment”, Refereed discussion paper, Democratic Audit of Australia, 2006.
“Booze: Politicians and the Demon Drink”, Australian Quarterly , Vol 78, Issue 3, May-June 2006.
“Postmodernism and Australian Football”, Australian Quarterly (2006).
“Strike up the Ban: Censor Joins the War on Terror”, Refereed discussion paper, Democratic Audit of Australia (2006).
“Picture Incomplete: George Reid & Ned Hogan and the Shortcomings of Political Autobiography,” National Library News, (2007)
Journalism
One Hundred Years of Opposition to Labor, Canberra Times, 1 February 2009
How the Aussie battler was born, Sydney Morning Herald (Books) 22 Nov 2008
Costello past his use-by date Canberra Times, 30 July 2008 Statesman made a statement Herald-Sun , 20 May 2008,
Breakaway business group damaging to Liberals Canberra Times , 4 March 2008,
US warfare is buffeting the global economy, again Canberra Times , 18 February 2008
As personal debt rises, prosperity blurs in illusion Canberra Times , 7 February 2008
Running from the right The Age , 17 December 2007,
Liberals lurching in flow of woes Canberra Times , 12 December 2007
Dawn of the long knives Canberra Times , 8 December 2007
Fighting social change in the cultural trenches Canberra Times , 22 November 2007
Two winners who broke the Liberal mould The Australian , 19 November 2007
Liberals may face an uncertain future nationally Canberra Times , 9 November 2007
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