This easy-to-read book provides the important events which helped shape Australia’s history during the past four hundred years until Julia Gillard became Prime Minister. Australian history is relatively modern because there was no documentation before the 17th Century.
It is also a reminder of what once made this nation great, especially as Australian values and way of life becoming increasingly threatened with political correctness.
It is interesting that Australian History For Dummies includes a quote from former Prime Minster Bob Hawke regarding refugees from Cambodia in 1990.
“We’re not here with an open-door policy saying anyone who wants to come to Australia can come … People are saying they don’t like a particular regime or they don’t like their economic circumstances; therefore, they’re going to pull up stumps, get in a boat and lob in Australia. Well, that’s not on. We have an orderly migration program. We’re not going to allow people just to jump that queue … lob here and Bob’s your uncle. Bob is not your uncle on this issue.”
Great Southern Land
The first chapter is a summary of Australia’s history and how world events had impacted on the nation.
However, McDermott explains that Australia has been home to one of the longest continuing societies for several millennia, where indigenous Australians adapted, including their survival during the last Ice Age (about 40,000 years ago). According to McDermott, Australia’s climate was “much, much worse.” The Australian landscape was “desolate beyond anything we can picture now”.
Sea levels were obviously much lower than today so Aboriginals crossed via land bridges from New Guinea into Australia, including Tasmania, which explains how they arrived here.
Others had "discovered" Australia first including the Spanish, the Portuguese and the Dutch.
"It was the most arid and barren region that could be found anywhere on the earth; the inhabitants too are the most wretched and poorest creatures that I have ever seen."
It wasn't until Captain James Cook discovered Australia's east coast and claimed it for Britain that the nation’s history really began. Here, McDermott gives background information why Australia was chosen as a penal colony. British gaols were overcrowded and America was now an independent nation.
However, McDermott does not properly understand the animosity between France and England, except for a reference to Joan of Arc. How many Australians know about Joan of Arc? Or how the animosity between the two nations began? A brief outline of the Hundred Years War would be a good place to start, and British claims on the French throne until 1789.
A recurring theme at the beginning of the book is Australia was colonised as a place to punish people but it turned out to be a chance where convicts can be given a second chance to rebuild their lives once they finished their sentences. Convicts, according to McDermott, lost their rights permanently once they were convicted of crimes in Britain. They couldn't own property or give evidence in court. However, this was not the case in Australia as convicts were given plenty of opportunities to work or own their own businesses.
Australia just after Federation and World War I, which, according to McDermott, hardly rates a mention but he says it was a time when many important and far-reaching events occurred. Australia wanted an egalitarian or classless society. Pensions for widows and the elderly were introduced. Women were able to vote in NSW, Tasmania, Queensland and Victoria. They were given the vote in 1894 in South Australia and 1899 in Western Australia.
World War I marked Australia's entry into the modern era as Australians proved themselves in battle both at Gallipoli and the Western Front. McDermott also examines the origin of the Anzac legend. He recommends reading Australia’s Military History For Dummies for a detailed coverage of World War I and other conflicts.
Landmark Events
This book also includes some Australian notable firsts, including Edith Cowan, the first female parliamentarian, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the boomerang, airline safety devices and the eight-hour working day.
There appears to be more focus on the Labor Party’s origins compared to those of other parties, especially the Liberal Party and The Nationals (Country Party).
Australian History For Dummies also covers the early years of European settlement, the gold rush, the Eureka Stockade, the birth of the nation, as well as the social and economic changes which occurred in recent decades.
Carolyn M Cash - Carolyn M Cash is a freelance writer residing in the Sutherland Shire (aka God's Own Country), Sydney, Australia, whilst studying ...
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