Bøker av Margaret Simons

Elected to federal parliament aged just twenty-eight, Tanya Plibersek has lived almost half her life in the public eye and is the longest-serving woman in Australia's House of Representatives. But how much do we know about what drives her, what she values, and what we can expect from her next? Plibersek was born in Sydney to Slovenian parents, both of whom fled post-war Europe as young adults. Their experiences as migrants would profoundly shape the lives of their children. Driven by a commitment to social justice, Plibersek joined the Labor Party at a time of intense factional battles for the party's future and emerged as part of a new generation of ALP leaders. Throughout her career she has campaigned for reform on issues such as violence against women, paid parental leave and rights for same-sex couples. Award-winning journalist Margaret Simons draws on exclusive interviews with Plibersek, her political contemporaries, family and close friends to trace this modern Australian story. She considers Plibersek's role in the Rudd and Gillard governments, Labor's soul-searching years in opposition and Plibersek's position in the Albanese cabinet. Simons also sheds light on the personal currents that have carried Plibersek, through moments of joy and tragedy, to become the person she is today.

For far too long it has been assumed that women over the age of 55 just fade away. They buy wine, adopt cats, fight depression, or discretely buy vibrators. The stars do not align for middle-aged women. The world largely ignores these accomplished women who have endured five decades of education, work, marriage, divorce, the trials of motherhood, and years of celibacy. But being overlooked is decidedly not in Rosie's future. After her divorce, Rosie is learning how to navigate middle age alone. She finds excitement on the small barrier island of Seabrook, just south of Charleston, with an attractive sailor whom she meets at Bohicket Marina. Before long, an old Yankee boyfriend reappears. Despite Rosie's active love life, a gnawing feeling of depression and self-doubt lingers and manifests into a presence she calls, The Hag. The Hag is always belittling Rosie, leaving her feeling insecure. But Rosie has an ally in her pet Chihuahua, Hades. With Hades unconditional love, Rosie is empowered to make the most of life. Infused with humor and warmth, Sunset in the Lowcountry: Bohicket, illustrates how with a little wit, self-exploration, and perhaps some vodka, women can survive and even thrive in middle age.

Award-winning journalist Margaret Simons journeys through the troubled Murray-Darling Basin exploring the politics of water, drought and food.The Murray-Darling Basin is the food bowl of Australia, and it's in trouble. What does this mean for the future - for water and crops, and for the people and towns that depend on it?In Cry Me a River, acclaimed journalist Margaret Simons takes a trip through the Basin, all the way from Queensland to South Australia. She shows that its plight is environmental but also economic, and enmeshed in ideology and identity.Her essay is both a portrait of the Murray-Darling Basin and an explanation of its woes. It looks at rural Australia and the failure of politics over decades to meet the needs of communities forced to bear the heaviest burden of change. Whether it is fish kills or state rivalries, drought or climate change, in the Basin our ability to plan for the future is being put to the test."The story of the Murray-Darling Basin ... is a story of our nation, the things that join and divide us. It asks whether our current systems - our society and its communities - can possibly meet the needs of the nation and the certainty of change. Is the Plan an honest compact, and is it fair? Can it work? Are our politics up to the task?" Margaret Simons, Cry Me a RiverThis issue also contains correspondence discussing Quarterly Essay 76, Red Flag, from Amy King, David Walker, John West, Richard McGregor, Henry Sherrell, Wanning Sun, Caroline Rosenberg, Sam Roggeveen, and Peter Hartcher