Reviews

Much of the information is useful and undoubtedly interesting ... perhaps its greatest interest for the non-specialist reader will be the extent to which the premiers' lives reflect changes occurring in New South Wales society ... It is possible to trace the origins of the political values with which John Howard and the New South Wales Liberals have re-emerged after almost a century of Deakinite protection as far back as Reid, Waddell and Carruthers. The highlights of the later part of the 20th century are David Clune on Joe Cahill and Ian Hancock on Bob Askin. ... Cahill's maiden speech in 1925 addressed to Fuller's Nationalists might be a contemporary message: " You regard those whom you employ in your workshops as mere pieces of machinery ... Your experience only reaches as far as your office, where you sit in the midst of luxury." For Askin, Hancock has carefully surveyed the available evidence ... Although Askin's political achievements were impressive and he had the common touch, ... he was not himself attractive. - Australian Historical Studies, Vol 128, 2006