Publication Date: Apr 2021
RRP: $19.95
ISBN: 9781922464095
Format: Paperback
Size: 111mm x 175mm
Category: In the National Interest

A Decade of Drift

Martin Parkinson

Also available as an ebook from your favourite retailer.


The erosion of public trust in government has been a characteristic of liberal democracies in recent years. How much have the twists and turns in climate change policy over the past decade contributed to this in Australia? As a senior public servant during six prime ministerships, Martin Parkinson had a front-row seat from which to watch the inability of successive governments to tackle climate change. From an emissions trading scheme through to a National Energy Guarantee, this is a story of science and expertise ignored, short-termism, wasted opportunities and international disappointment. Climate change demands both a local and a global response, just as do pandemics, mass migration and ocean pollution. The increasingly urgent question is whether governments are up to the challenge or are prepared to bear the consequences of inaction or indifference. The history of climate change policy in Australia is a sorry story which should leave Australians demanding more courage and commitment from their political leaders.


Martin Parkinson

Dr Martin Parkinson AC PSM served in Commonwealth Government leadership positions on all facets of economic, social, foreign, defence and national security policies for almost forty years. As the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet between...
Read More