This book is a reflection on what is was like to grow up in a traditional Chinese family in Malaya and Singapore in the l930's and 1940's and the cultural differences between that environment and life in Australia after moving there in 1954 for further education and employment, especially as Australia had then the White Australia policy, and was not the multicultural society it is today. It also comments on life and experiences working as an Australian Trade Commissioner in China in the 1980's and early 1990's when the People Republic of China began to open up to the West . His knowledge of the Chinese language and of the differences between Chinese and Australian cultures allowed him to have a more intimate insight into the so-called inscrutable Chinese thinking.

This book describes the ethnic identity construction involved in ‘being’, ‘feeling’ and ‘doing’ Chinese for multi-generation Australian-born Chinese, who were born and raised in a different social environment. It demonstrates how Chineseness is manifested in a multitude of ways and totally debunks any notion that being Chinese is a simple identity marker. The book shows that while there are commonalities with the American-born, the experiences of Australia-born Chinese are distinct in many ways. This book is a timely and critically examination of the inescapability of Chineseness particularly when social and economic stability is threatened and those in power are looking for a scapegoat.

Rhetoric is ubiquitous in modern discourse: from arguments delivered in the High Court, to advertisements disseminated in the high street. For the legal and political advocate, persuasion is also a professional technique that must be perfected properly to practise each art. In contrast with the classical era and the middle ages, in which grammar, rhetoric and dialectic were basic features of all education, modern curricula almost entirely neglect any theoretical study of the methods of rhetoric. Rediscovering Rhetoric re-introduces to modern practitioners and students a grasp of the speeches, writings and methodologies of the great classical scholars of rhetoric. Part 1 - Law and Language in the Greco-Roman Tradition provides a contextualised introduction to significant theorists of rhetoric in the classical period, and consists of four chapters written by practising barristers and a current Justice of the Federal Court of Australia. Part 2 - The Practice of Persuasion comprises essays by practitioners distinguished in their pursuit of legal persuasion - one former and two current Justices of the High Court of Australia - illuminating their experiences of argument from the perspective of both bench and bar. Part 3 - The Politics of Persuasion performs a similar function to Part 2, in the related domain of politics. It includes a chapter by Graham Freudenberg, former speechwriter for Gough Whitlam and others. Together the three parts provide a unique inter-disciplinary perspective on the theory and practice of legal and political persuasion. Published in association with the NSW Bar Association.

A Figure of Speech is a landmark book tracing the political and social history of post-war Australia through the words of our most prolific political wordsmith. This fly-on-the-wall account of one man's life will leave you with no doubt that behind every great political leader sits an equally great wordsmith and storyteller.