Dignity and Prosperity – The Future of Liberal Australia brings together, for the first time, Australia’s leading liberal luminaries or ‘grandees’ in one place for the purpose of reigniting a renaissance of the Liberal cause.
The distinguished contributors all have extensive experience in their respective fields, and now bring their expertise, knowledge, and insight to design a policy program based around the core values of liberalism – personal autonomy and personal responsibility, free market and entrepreneurship, opportunity and security, limited government and sound fiscal and economic management.
They know that a strong economy leads to strong finances, which in turn provide for strong national defence and together create the foundations for a strong civic society. This is the virtue of a successful liberal democracy.
Contents
Foreword: The foundations of Australia’s liberal democracy
David Stevens
Acknowledgments
1: Enduring liberal principles for successful government
John Howard OM AC
2: The continuing relevance of Menzies’s liberal legacy
Georgina Downer
3: Stronger Regions, Stronger Nation
John Anderson AC
4: Achieving human dignity: challenges to liberalism
David Kemp AC
5: Lessons for liberals from the Anglosphere
Tom Switzer
6: Liberal party foreign policy
Alexander Downer AC
7: Why debt and deficit matter: Building an opportunity
society requires ethical budgeting
Rod Kemp AM
8: The role and size of government
Nick Minchin AO
9: National prosperity and global competitiveness
Hugh Morgan AO with David Stevens
10: Reforming Industrial Relations
Judith Sloan
11: Climate, energy and the new forgotten people
Daniel Wild
12: Freedom of speech and diversity of expression
Richard Alston AO
13: Fixing our education failures
John Roskam
Afterword:
Tony Abbott AC
David Stevens has spent the last 30 years leading major strategy and policy reform projects for public and private sector clients across the globe. He worked for Prime Minister Howard in the 1990s. David lives on the Gold Coast. He is a lifelong liberal.