Category: Books

The Conversation In the midst of the debate around whether Australia is correctly taxing miners, Paul Cleary provides a well-researched and written account of Norway’s approach to the development of its oil resources since the 1960s in his book Trillion Dollar Baby. Cleary ties together a number of threads that are surprisingly relevant for many…

Trillion Dollar Baby review by Chris Fowler, Canberra Times I have been reflecting on the squandered opportunities by successive governments over the past 20 or so years [or more] to establish a sovereign wealth fund similar to that of Norway.  Others have written and spoken about it to little avail, notably Paul Cleary (in his…

Trillion Dollar Baby review by Simon Caterson, The Australian So, how did the government of a relatively remote European nation, with a population of a few million and a traditional reliance on primary industries such as forestry and fishing, manage to establish what has grown to become the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world? …

For Mine-Field We interview Paul Cleary about his new book Mine-Field: The Dark Side of Australia’s Resources Rush. What is Mine-Field about?This book documents the rising power of the resurgent resources sector and the need for the government to play a more vigorous and independent role in protecting people and the public interest, especially prime…

Too Much Luck review by Michael Gilding, Inside Story This is a slim book about a big issue. Paul Cleary believes that the current mining boom in Australia is a national disaster in the making. We are destroying the rest of the economy. We are squandering the windfall on private consumption. We are stealing the…

Shakedown review by Tim Johnston, The Australian The exercise of power is rarely a pretty thing to watch; but there is something particularly ugly in watching the inept exercise of power.  Australia’s engagement with East Timor during the past 70 years has been a bewildering mixture of crude realpolitik and enlightened assistance. The jury is…

Far Eastern Economic In late 2006 while walking home one starry night, stupidly ignoring warnings about the dangers on Dili’s streets after dark, I was accosted by several youths who asked in menacing tones if I was Australian. I set them straight and they let me pass, making me wonder just how many places in…

Australian Book Review East Timor’s former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has a knack of hiring international advisers who win access to his inner circle then publish tell-all books on leaving his employ. First there was Lynne Minion, whose Hello Missus: A Girl’s Own Guide to Foreign Affairs (2004) lampooned him mercilessly and sold like hot…

Green Left Weekly This is a story about how Australia bullied East Timor out of its rightful share of oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea. Paul Cleary, a journalist for the Australian newspaper, was a media adviser with the Timor Sea Office during the bilateral negotiations. The negotiations are set in the context…