When Ashley persuades her new husband Steve to leave snowy Canada and join her for a year Down Under, she looks forward to an easy transition. After all, Australia's just Canada with more sunshine and strange animals, right? But they soon discover things aren't so simple. Steve struggles to settle and Ashley fears he will come to regret both the move and the marriage - especially after she loses her wedding rings on Bondi Beach. Baffled, homesick and increasingly anxious (in a land renowned for 'no worries'), she is preparing to return to Canada when Steve shockingly announces that he wants to stay in Australia. Forever. For the sake of her marriage and her happiness, Ashley must find an Australia she can belong to: she decides to travel the country, learn its history, decode its cultural quirks and connect with as many residents as she can meet. How to Be Australian is a remarkable memoir, at once familiar and faraway, that shines a fresh, funny and fascinating light onto the country we think we know.

The English language arrived in Australia with the first motley bunch of European settlers on 26 January 1788. Today there is clearly a distinctive Australian regional dialect with its own place among the global family of ‘Englishes’. How did this come about? Where did the distinctive pattern, accent, and verbal inventions that make up Aussie English come from? A lively narrative, this book tells the story of the birth, rise and triumphant progress of the colourful dingo lingo that we know today as Aussie English.

Australian English is perhaps best known for its colourful slang, but the variety is much richer than slang alone. This collection provides a detailed account of Australian English by bringing together leading scholars of this English variety. These scholars provide a comprehensive overview of Australian English’s distinctive features and outline cutting-edge research into the variation and change of English in Australia. Organised thematically, this volume explores the ways in which Australian English differs from other varieties of English, as well as examining regional, social and stylistic variation within the variety. The volume first explores particular structural features where Australian English differentiates itself from other English varieties. There are chapters on phonetics and phonology, socio-phonetics, lexicon and discourse-pragmatics as these elements are core to understanding any variety of English, especially within the World Englishes paradigm. It then considers what are arguably the most salient aspects of variation within Australian English and finally focuses on historical, attitudinal and planning aspects of Australian English. This volume provides a thorough account of Australian English and its users as complex, diverse and worthy of study. Perhaps more importantly, this volume’s scholars provide a reimagining of Australian English and the paradigm through which future scholars may proceed.

Does the Anzac ethos have roots in atheism? Does prayer have a place in Parliament? Should 'creation science' be taught in Australian schools? The Australian Book of Atheism is the first collection to explore atheism from an Australian viewpoint. Bringing together essays from 33 of the nation's pre-eminent atheist, rationalist, humanist, and sceptical thinkers, it canvasses a range of opinions on religion and secularism in Australia.

Permanent migration has long been vital to the story of Australia. From the arrival of early settlers to waves of post-war immigration, the symbolic moment of disembarking onto Australian soil is an image deeply embedded in our nation’s consciousness. Today, there are more than million temporary migrants living in Australia. They work, pay tax and abide by our laws, yet they remain unrecognised as citizens. All the while, this rise in temporary migration is redefining Australian society, from wage wars and healthcare benefits, to broader ideas of national identity and cultural diversity. In Not Quite Australian, award-winning journalist Peter Mares draws on case studies, interviews and personal stories to investigate the complex realities of this new era of temporary migration. Mares considers such issues as the expansion of the 457 work visa, the unique experience of New Zealand migrants, the internationalisation of Australia's education system and our highly politicised asylum-seeker policies to draw conclusions about our nation's changing landscape. Not Quite Australian is packed with fresh insight and challenging new ideas for understanding Australia’s growing culture of temporary migration. Peter Mares is an independent writer and researcher. He is a contributing editor with the online magazine Inside Story and a senior moderator with The Cranlana Programme. Peter was a broadcaster with the ABC for twenty-five years, serving as a foreign correspondent based in Hanoi and presenting national radio programs. He is the author of the award-winning book Borderline: Australia's Response to Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Wake of the Tampa and has written about migration for many media outlets including the Age, Australian Financial Review and Griffith Review. Peter lives in Melbourne with his wife and son. ‘Mares is indefatigable in his data gathering and scrupulously even-handed in weighing the evidence. He strikes an exquisite balance between the personal and scholarly, the humane and tough-mindedness. Not Quite Australian is big-picture storytelling with a pulse, always keeping ideals, blunt realities and people—the exposed who want a place and the lucky ones entrenched here—in the frame.’ Australian ‘An important and timely contribution to the debate about how Australia should handle the migration of people to its territory, and I highly recommend it.’ Australian Book Review ‘Compellingly readable...[Mares’] research is comprehensive, intellectually deft, ethically and philosophically grounded—but digestible, and personally attested...This is on-the-ground, people-focused journalism of the highest kind.’ Sydney Morning Herald ‘Mares has once again presented a controversial and complicated topic with clarity and humanity. At a time when a national conversation about what it means to be Australian (or unAustralian) seems daily social media fodder, Not Quite Australian is an important contribution. And a reminder of the importance of thorough, slow-burn journalism in the hot-takes age.’ Big Issue ‘This detailed, careful and topical book is illuminated by the personal stories of individuals and families caught up in a complex and bureaucratic system, and it leaves a lasting impression of an Australia that is becoming a two-tiered country...Powerful and persuasive.’ Overland ‘This book is one which should be read by policymakers and concerned citizens alike.’ Spectator ‘One of the most important books published in Australia in 2016. An impressive account of one of the biggest scandals in contemporary Australia; how we’ve sleepwalked into a policy environment that encourages the systemic exploitation of an underclass of millions of temporary migrants in our country.’ Tim Watts

I'm Australian! How about you? Many people from many places have come across the seas, to make Australia their home. How Australian is that?

A no-holds-barred memoir and outspoken manifesto from Senator, role model, and modern Australian hero Mehreen Faruqi. Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud is a no-holds-barred memoir and manifesto from outspoken senator, trouble¬maker and multicultural icon Mehreen Faruqi. As the first Muslim woman in any Australian parliament, Mehreen has a unique and crucial perspective on our politics and democracy. It is a tale of a political outsider fighting for her right and the rights of others like her to be let inside on their terms. From her beginnings in Pakistan and remaking in Australia, Mehreen recounts her struggle to navigate two vastly differ¬ent, changing worlds without losing herself. This moving and inspiring memoir shares shattering insights learned as a migrant, an engineer, an activist, a feminist and a politician. 'Compelling . . . If only all political memoirs were this honest.' BRI LEE, author of Eggshell Skull and Who Gets to be Smart 'Faruqi is a shining light' OMAR SAKR, author of The Lost Arabs 'An authentic and powerful voice for human rights, social justice and multiculturalism.' TIM SOUTPHOMMASANE, former Race Discrimination Commissioner 'intelligent and electrifying' BRIDIE JABOUR, journalist and author of The Way Things Should Be 'This is the impassioned insider's account of the state of Australian politics by one of our most trail-blazing politicians.' SUSAN CARLAND, author of Fighting Hislam 'An inspiring and powerful memoir by one of the most fiercely principled, courageous and compassionate leaders in this country.' RANDA ABDEL-FATTAH, author of Does My Head Look Big in This?

A brilliant and important book about Australia’s future Can Australia defend itself in the Asian century? How seriously ought we take the risk of war? Do we want to remain a middle power? What kind of strategy, and what Australian Defence Force, do we need? In this groundbreaking book, Hugh White considers these questions and more. With exceptional clarity and frankness, he makes the case for a reconceived defence of Australia. Along the way he offers intriguing insights into history, technology and the Australian way of war. Hugh White is the country’s most provocative, revelatory and yet realistic commentator on Australia’s strategic and defence orientation. In an age of power politics and armed rivalry in Asia, it is time for fresh thinking. In this controversial and persuasive contribution, White sets new terms for one of the most crucial conversations Australia needs to have. ‘This book, by one of Australia’s leading defence policy thinkers, will be a very important contribution to our national discussion in coming years. Hugh White tackles many challenging issues and opens up the new debate that we need to have as Australia plots its course through a changing international environment.’—Robert O’Neill, former Chichele Professor of the history of war, University of Oxford ‘Hugh White is among our most knowledgeable and practised strategists. While I am strongly supportive of the US alliance, How to Defend Australia is a serious work from a serious patriot that requires close reading. It deserves a wide audience.’—Kim Beazley

Have you ever wondered if time travel is actually possible? Or where the Australian accent came from? Or what it feels like to have dementia? If you’re an inquisitive person who likes to understand how things came to be the way they are, this collection of thought-provoking explainers from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald has got you covered. Explain That answers some of the year’s – and life’s – most baffling questions. Thoroughly researched and eloquently set out by some of Australia’s finest journalists, it provides nourishment for curious minds and fun facts to share with friends and family. What do sharks want (and why do they bite)? How do you win an Oscar? Who thought up table manners? Funny, weird and insightful topics are inventively illustrated and embellished with diagrams, pictures and factoids. If you like to learn new things, if you enjoy trivia or you want to reflect on some of the big questions, this is the book for you. Absorbing, illuminating and always engaging, Explain That is for anyone who has ever asked how and why?

The ultimate book about growing up in Australia – a choice selection of wonderful stories and recollections This special collection is the perfect introduction to Black Inc.’s definitive ‘Growing Up’ series. Featuring pieces from Growing Up Asian, Growing Up Aboriginal, Growing Up African, Growing Up Queer and Growing Up Disabled in Australia, it captures the diversity of our nation in moving and revelatory ways. Growing Up in Australia also features gems from essential Australian memoirs such as Rick Morton’s 100 Years of Dirt and Magda Szubanski’s Reckoning. Contributors include Tim Winton, Benjamin Law, Anna Goldsworthy, Nyadol Nyuon, Tara June Winch and many more. With a foreword by Alice Pung, this anthology is a wonderful gift for adult and adolescent readers alike.