Quarterly Essay, founded in 2001, is an Australian periodical published by Black Inc., concentrating primarily on Australian politics in a broad sense. Printed in a book-like page size and using a single-column format, each issue features a single extended essay of at least 20,000 words, with an introduction by the editor, and correspondence relating to essays in previous issues.
In early 2004 founding editor Peter Craven was sacked by the magazine's owner, property developer Morry Schwartz, over a dispute about the joint authorship of one essay, and, more widely, the magazine's future direction. Schwartz stated that while he had a vision of the magazine as more "political and Australian" whereas Craven was perhaps "more broad and internationalist". __TOC__ Editions #AuthorTitlePublishedNotes1Robert Manne"In Denial: The Stolen Generations and the Right"April 20012John Birmingham"Appeasing Jakarta: Australia's complicity in the East Timor tragedy"June 20013Guy Rundle"The Opportunist: John Howard and the Triumph of Reaction"October 20014Don Watson"Rabbit syndrome: Australia and America"December 20015Mungo MacCallum"Girt by Sea: Australia, the Refugees and the Politics of Fear"March 20026John Button"Beyond belief: What future for Labor?"August 20027John Martinkus"Paradise Betrayed: West Papua's Struggle for Independence"September 20028Amanda Lohrey"Groundswell: The Rise of the Greens"November 20029Tim Flannery"Beautiful Lies: Population & Environment in Australia"March 2003Review by Sue Bond, API Network10Gideon Haigh"Bad Company: The cult of the CEO"June 200311Germaine Greer"Whitefella Jump Up: The Shortest Way to Nationhood"August 2003Interview with ABC TV presenter Andrew DentonReview by Mitchell Rolls, API Network12David Malouf"Made in England: Australia's British Inheritance"November 200313Robert Manne with David Corlett"Sending Them Home: Refugees and the New Politics of Indifference."December 200314Paul McGeough"Mission Impossible: The Sheikhs, the US and the future of Iraq"June 200415Margaret Simons"Latham's World: The New Politics of the Outsiders"September 200416Raimond Gaita"Breach of Trust: Truth, Morality and Politics"December 2004Review – Quarterly Essay 16: Matilda by larrikin17John Hirst"Kangaroo Court: Family Law in Australia"March 200518Gail Bell"The Worried Well: The Depression Epidemic and the Medicalisation of Our Sorrows"June 2005Interview with ABC presenter Eleanor HallInterview with ABC presenter Richard AedyReview by Patrick Cullen in The ProgramResponse by Gordon Parker, Black Dog Institute19Judith Brett"Relaxed and Comfortable: The Liberal Party's Australia"August 200520John Birmingham"A Time for War: Australia as a Military Power"December 200521Clive Hamilton"What's Left? The Death of Social Democracy"March 200622Amanda Lohrey"Voting for Jesus: Christianity and Politics in Australia"June 200623Inga Clendinnen"The History Question: Who Owns The Past?"September 2006Interview with ABC presenter Phillip AdamsInterview with ABC presenter Paul Barclay24Robyn Davidson"No Fixed Address: Nomads and the Fate of the Planet"November 2006Review by Arthur Lucas, University of East Anglia25Peter Hartcher"Bipolar Nation: How To Win The 2007 Election"March 200726David Marr"His Master's Voice: The Corruption of Public Debate under Howard "May 2007Public debate, with ABC presenter Phillip AdamsReview – His Master's Voice27Ian Lowe"Reaction Time: Climate Change and the Nuclear Option"September 200728Judith Brett"Exit Right: The Unravelling of John Howard"December 200729Anne Manne"Love and Money: The Family and the Free Market"March 200830Paul Toohey"Last Drinks: The Impact of the Northern Territory Intervention"June 200831Tim Flannery"Now or Never: A Sustainable Future for Australia?"September 200832Kate Jennings"American Revolution: The Fall of Wall Street and the Rise of Barack Obama"November 200833Guy Pearse"Quarry Vision: Coal, Climate Change and the End of the Resources Boom"March 200934Annabel Crabb"Stop At Nothing: The Life and Adventures of Malcolm Turnbull"June 200935Noel Pearson"Radical Hope: Education and Equality in Australia"September 200936Mungo MacCallum"Australian Story: Kevin Rudd and the Lucky Country"November 200937Waleed Aly"What's Right? The Future of Conservatism in Australia"March 201038David MarrPower Trip: The Political Journey of Kevin RuddJune 201039Hugh White"Power Shift: Australia's Future between Washington and Beijing"August 201040George Megalogenis"Trivial Pursuit: Leadership and the End of the Reform Era"November 201041David Malouf"The Happy Life: The Search for Contentment in the Modern World"March 201142Judith Brett"Fair Share: Country and City in Australia"June 201143Robert Manne"Bad News: Murdoch's Australian and the shaping of the nation"September 201144Andrew Charlton"Man-Made World: Choosing between progress and planet"November 201145Anna Krien"Us & Them: On the Importance of Animals"March 201246Laura Tingle"Great Expectations: Government, Entitlement and an Angry Nation"June 201247David Marr"Political Animal: The Making of Tony Abbott"September 201248Tim Flannery"After the Future: Australia's New Extinction Crisis"November 201249Mark Latham"Not Dead Yet: Labor's Post-Left Future"March 201350Anna Goldsworthy"Unfinished Business: Sex, Freedom and Misogyny"June 201351David Marr"The Prince: Faith, Abuse and George Pell"September 201352Linda Jaivin"Found in Translation: In Praise of a Plural World"November 201353Paul Toohey"That Sinking Feeling: Asylum Seekers and the Search for the Indonesian Solution"March 201454Andrew Charlton"Dragon's Tail: The Lucky Country After the China Boom"June 201455Noel Pearson"A Rightful Place: Race, Recognition and a More Complete Commonwealth"September 201456Guy Rundle"Clivosaurus: The Politics of Clive Palmer"November 201457Karen Hitchcock"Dear Life: On caring for the elderly"March 201558David Kilcullen"Blood Year: Terror and the Islamic State"May 201559David Marr"Faction Man: Bill Shorten's path to power"September 201560Laura Tingle"Political Amnesia: How We Forgot to Govern"December 201561George Megalogenis"Balancing Act: Australia Between Recession and Renewal"February 201662James Brown"Firing Line: Australia's Path to War"June 201663Don Watson"Enemy Within: American Politics in the Time of Trump"September 201664Stan Grant"The Australian Dream: Blood, History and Becoming"November 201665David Marr"The White Queen: One Nation and the Politics of Race"March 201766Anna Krien"The Long Goodbye: Coal, Coral and Australia's Climate Deadlock"June 201767Benjamin Law"Moral Panic 101: Equality, Acceptance and the Safe Schools Scandal"September 201768Hugh White"Without America: Australia in the New Asia"November 201769Mark McKenna"Moment of Truth: History and Australia's Future"March 201870Richard Denniss"Dead Right: How Neoliberalism Ate Itself and What Comes Next"June 201871Laura Tingle"Follow the Leader: Democracy and the Rise of the Strongman"September 201872Sebastian Smee"Net Loss: The Inner Life in the Digital Age"November 201873Rebecca Huntley"Australia Fair: Listening to the Nation"March 201974Erik Jensen"The Prosperity Gospel: How Scott Morrison Won and Bill Shorten Lost"June 201975Annabel Crabb"Men at Work: Australia's Parenthood Trap"September 201976Peter Hartcher"Red Flag: Waking Up to China's Challenge"November 201977Margaret Simons"Cry Me a River: The Tragedy of the Murray–Darling Basin"March 202078Judith Brett"The Coal Curse: Resources, Climate and Australia's Future"June 202079Katharine Murphy"The End of Certainty: Scott Morrison and Pandemic Politics"September 202080Laura Tingle"The High Road: What Australia Can Learn From New Zealand"November 202081Alan Finkel"Getting to Zero: Australia's Energy Transition"March 202182George Megalogenis"Exit Strategy: Politics After the Pandemic"June 202183Lech Blaine"Top Blokes: The Larrikin Myth, Class and Power"September 202184Jess Hill"The Reckoning: How #MeToo is Changing Australia"November 202185Sarah Krasnostein"Not Waving, Drowning: Mental Illness and Vulnerability in Australia"March 202286Hugh White"Sleepwalk to War: Australia’s Unthinking Alliance with America"June 202287Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens"Uncivil Wars: How Contempt is Corroding Democracy"September 202288Katharine Murphy"Lone Wolf: Albanese and the New Politics"November 202289Saul Griffith"The Wires That Bind: Electrification and Community Renewal"March 202390Megan Davis"Voice of Reason: On Recognition and Renewal"June 202391Micheline Lee"Lifeboat: Disability, Humanity and the NDIS"September 202392Alan Kohler"The Great Divide: Australia's Housing Mess and How to Fix It"November 202393Lech Blaine"Bad Cop: Peter Dutton's Strongman Politics"March 202494Joelle Gergis"Highway to Hell: Climate Change and Australia's Future"June 202495Don Watson"High Noon: Trump, Harris and America on the Brink"September 202496George Megalogenis"Minority Report: The New Shape of Australian Politics"November 202497Jess Hill"Losing It: Can we stop violence against women and children?"March 202598Hugh White"Hard New World: Our Post-American Future"June 202599Marian Wilkinson"Woodside vs the Planet: How a Company Captured a Country"September 2025100Sean Kelly"The Good Fight: What Does Labor Stand For?"November 2025101Michael Wesley"Blind Spot: Southeast Asia and Australia's future"March 2026
References
External links
Extracts of all issues