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Paul D. Williams

Paul D. Williams

Paul D. Williams is a Senior Lecturer in politics and journalism at Griffith University’s School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences. He is a weekly columnist with Brisbane’s Courier Mail newspaper and a frequent media commentator on Queensland politics. He has published widely on voter behaviour and political leadership.

Paul D. Williams reviews 'How Good Is Scott Morrison?' by Wayne Errington and Peter van Onselen

June 2021, no. 432 26 May 2021
Flash back to that election night in May 2019, when Australians, depending on their party affiliation, were either overjoyed or appalled at the Coalition’s return despite the opinion polls. That evening, Scott Morrison – a man little known to Australians until assuming the prime ministership just nine months before after an ugly leadership coup – summed up Coalition sentiment and his own Chr ... (read more)

Paul Williams reviews 'Party Animals: The secret history of a Labor fiasco' by Samantha Maiden

May 2020, no. 421 27 April 2020
There seem to be fewer post-election books doing the rounds after the 2019 federal campaign than has been the case in recent decades. Why is this? The 2019 campaign may have been achingly bland, but the result shocked pollsters, voters, and a news media that had long predicted a Labor win. Morrison’s ‘miracle’ victory is probably Australia’s most historically significant one since the last ... (read more)

Paul Williams reviews 'Plots And Prayers: Malcolm Turnbull’s demise and Scott Morrison’s ascension' by Niki Savva

August 2019, no. 413 22 July 2019
It’s a challenge to navigate the maze of books published after an election as winners and losers pore over the entrails of victory and defeat. It’s even more challenging when that election delivers a result almost nobody expected. Who’s telling the truth? Who’s lying to protect their legacy? Plots and Prayers, by The Australian journalist Niki Savva, offers insight into how and why Libera ... (read more)

Paul Williams reviews 'Born to Rule?' by Paddy Manning

March 2019, no. 409 22 February 2019
Future generations of readers will invariably look back in awe at the second decade of twenty-first-century Australian politics for its ridiculous revolving door of prime ministers. Personal and journalistic accounts of this rare instability – Australia had six prime ministers between 2010 and 2018 – have certainly proved a publishing bonanza. Defeated prime ministers publish memoirs as rapidl ... (read more)