Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—at the request of the member for Moreton, I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that:

(a) books can be an escape from the worries of everyday life;

(b) reading reduces stress by 68 per cent;

(c) reading makes your world bigger and makes more things possible;

(d) literacy and reading are tools that can help you achieve your goals and help others;

(e) reading helps your mind grow;

(f) by reading other people's stories you can walk in their shoes; and

(g) books build empathy, connection and help you feel less lonely;

(2) notes that:

(a) the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many literary activities;

(b) major writers' festivals have been interrupted;

(c) schools have moved to online learning for weeks at a time; and

(d) libraries and adult education forums around the country closed their doors to in-person attendees; and

(3) acknowledges:

(a) Tuesday, 14 September 2021 is Australian Reading Hour and this year's theme is, Stories that Matter;

(b) Australian Reading Hour is in its tenth year and is a showcase for Australia Reads; and

(c) Australian Reading Hour highlights the importance of reading in transforming lives.

The ability of books to transport us has never been more important than in 2021, when the only places we could go to were in our imagination. After fires, floods, COVID, more floods and then, like the rest of Greater Sydney, four months of lockdown, it's no wonder people from my electorate in the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury sought refuge in books. One of the moments of lightness in my week has been the Megalong Books weekly quiz on Instagram. Thank goodness no-one else sees your score! The independent book shops in my electorate will be please that they can now have the doors open again and people walking in to browse.

I was the kid with the torch reading Seven Little Australians under the bed covers, hoping my mother wouldn't notice as she walked down the hallway. I'm one of those people who has to read a few pages of a novel before I fall asleep, although it's more likely to be a self-lit kindle these days. So, in the 10th year of the Australian Reading Hour, on 14 September, I shared one of my favourite books with my community on social media: Boy Swallows Universe, and I asked my local bookworms for their recommendations. I was overwhelmed. From many other people also singing the praises of the exceptionally talented Trent Dalton through to the recommendations for Australian authors like Liane Moriarty, Kristin Hannah to Debra Oswald, literally hundreds of people took to social media to comment on what they were reading and what they liked about their books, including, I might add, the shadow minister for women, who also loves Boy Swallows Universe.We even had talk about books that were yet to be published, like local author Victoria Brookman's 'Burnt Out'. I have an advance copy of that that I can't wait to get started.

My post sparked so many conversations between strangers who found something in common. It helped people find a connection with each other while we were being forced by a global pandemic to be physically apart. I hope it helped some people perhaps feel a little less lonely. That is the beauty of books. That small interaction really was proof that books can be an escape from the worries of everyday life. We can get lost walking in someone else's shoes and for a few precious minutes forget about the homeschooling or working from home or not working. We can all empathise with others.

The statistics bear out the anecdotal evidence. Last year during the first wave of lockdowns, the Australian Institute of Family Studies noted a 30 per cent increase in the number of Australians reading books. Maybe we'd worked out that reading reduces stress by 68 per cent and works faster than listening to music, playing a video game or going for a walk.

My community is filled not just with readers but also with writers. The Blue Mountains is home to Varuna, the National Writers' House, arguably the country's leading development place for literature. People go there to create wonderful stories. Originally the home of writers Eleanor Dark and Dr Eric Dark, Varuna's house and gardens were gifted to the Australian public in 1989 by their son, Mick, to be used as a retreat for writers. More than 200 writers participate in residencies and professional development programs at Varuna every year, with hundreds more readers and writers taking part in workshop programs and literary events. I was very pleased to be able to help support Varuna's work in 2020, helping them secure funding through the Volunteer Grants program.

The Blue Mountains Writers' Festival is a highlight of the Varuna calendar each year, and it should be happening this week. We will miss it, but Varuna has continued to support our writers, recently announcing the 29 winners of its residential fellowship for 2022 from more than 440 submissions received. I congratulate all those who were successful and the team, who've continued to support writers online through this pandemic.

The theme for Australian Reading Hour 2021 was 'stories that matter'. I'd like to end on a story that really matters to the many creatives living in my electorate: the loss of income that they've experienced through the pandemic. While book sales went up, the events that helped them earn income went down. The Australian Society of Authors found that 53 per cent of authors and illustrators had lost events income, so it's not been an easy ride. I'd urge everybody to take the time to explore the world through a book—especially an Australian book. Support our local authors; support our arts and publishing industry. Your mind will grow, your spirit will grow and you might just learn something about yourself.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Celia Hammond (Curtin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moreton for raising this motion. I was raised with books. While I wasn't raised by books, books certainly played a pivotal role in my childhood and undoubtedly sparked my imagination and shaped my development, my understanding of the world and others within it, my dreams and my goals. Enid Blyton was with me from an early age, from the Faraway Tree and the Wishing-Chair through to the Secret Seven, Famous Five, Malory Towers and St. Clare's series. I then went on to other authors, which included the Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew series, and Australian classics Seven Little Australians, the Norah of Billabong series, Picnic at Hanging Rock and May Gibbs's Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. Like many, there are books which played an indelible role in my teen years as well: Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, The Outsiders, The Bell Jar, Nineteen Eighty-Four and anything by Jane Austen.

As is noted in the wording of the motion moved by the member for Moreton, himself both a prolific reader and writer, reading books has the capacity to not only broaden our minds and increase our knowledge; it can also help with improving our overall wellbeing. It has been said that 30 minutes of reading has similar psychological effects to 30 minutes of yoga—and reading comes with considerably less pain! Reading is shown to reduce stress by 68 per cent, by lowering your heart rate and blood pressure. It can also help to alleviate symptoms of depression, as feelings of isolation can be lessoned by switching away from your own world to an imagined one. In fact, regular readers are 28 per cent less likely to report feelings of depression.

I also note that reading is recommended as part of a healthy regular sleep routine, because the lowering of your heart rate and blood pressure can act as a physical and mental wind-down to the day, allowing your body to transition to sleep. I would note a word of caution on this, however, because there have been many times when I have been so caught up in a book that I have continued to read 'just another chapter' before switching off the light; such is the danger of a really great book that it doesn't necessarily always lead to better or longer sleep!

Australia Reads is a not-for-profit joint initiative of a number of organisations which actively promotes the joy, pleasure and benefits to be had in reading books. In addition to providing excellent resources, including recommended reading lists, for the last 10 years Australia Reads has been promoting the annual Australian Reading Hour, with the goal of highlighting the importance of reading in transforming lives. Held on Tuesday 14 September, it encouraged all Australians to set aside just one hour to read—whatever they wanted, wherever they were located and however they chose to read.

This year's theme celebrated Stories That Matter, acknowledging the vital role reading plays in both our childhood and our adult lives. The book which I was reading during Australian Reading Hour is without any doubt at all truly a story that matters: The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku, this is Eddie's memoir, chronicling his extraordinary tale of survival, escaping a death march from Auschwitz towards the end of World War II, moving to Australia in the 1950s, settling down, having a family and dedicating his life to teaching about the dangers of intolerance and the importance of hope. Eddie died just last week at the age of 101, and this is a huge loss for all. But because of his book, his legacy and inspiration to all of us will live on.

To that end, I want to finish with the final words from Eddie Jaku's book: 'Seventy-five years ago, I never thought that I would have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I was at the bottom of humanity and now, here I am. So after you put this book down, please remember to take time to appreciate every moment of your life, the good, the bad. Sometimes there will be tears, sometimes there will be laughter and, if you are lucky, there will be friends to share it all with, as I have known throughout my life. Please, every day, remember to be happy and to make others happy too. Make yourself a friend to the world and do this for your new friend, Eddie.' Eddie, rest in peace.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton has the call, and has a tough act to follow there!

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I'm speaking to you from Sunnybank on Yuggera and Turrbal lands. I especially thank the wonderful member for Macquarie for moving this motion on my behalf, and the member for Curtin for her lovely words.

Since 2017 I have been co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Australian Books and Writers, along with Senator Hughes. When we could, we would meet face to face in parliament. This friendship group has had some memorable events. Trent Dalton attended one of our early events and spoke about his then-new book, Boy Swallows Universe, and what a treat that was. In 2018 we had an event to announce the short-listed authors for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. As a group we were really gathering steam and then 2020 hit and everything stopped—everything except reading. If ever there was a time when we all needed our books, as the previous speaker said, these last two years have been it. Whether you have re-read old favourites or found new friends through new authors, books have been a lifeline for so many Australians.

Australia Reads is the leading not-for-profit initiative to promote reading in Australia. Their mission is to get more people reading more books more often. They're passionate about Australian reading because they know through decades of research how reading improves peoples' wellbeing, improves cohesion in our community and stimulates growth in the economy. We know that reading books reduces stress by 68 per cent—more quickly than listening to music, or playing video games or walking. For 10 years, Australian Reading Hour has been the signature showcase for Australia Reads. Authors, booksellers, educators, libraries and publishers all celebrate the importance of reading in transforming lives.

This year, Australian Reading Hour was celebrated on 14 September, while we were in the winter recess, which is why we are talking about this a little bit late this year. The theme was 'Stories that Matter', and I wanted to share the top 10 stories that matter to me. It's always difficult to come up with just 10 Australian novels that matter, but it did make me realise what a breadth of talent we have spread across this great, brown land of ours. We have incredible authors whose stories have changed lives not only here in Australia but all around the world. I won't list all the 10 books again—you can check them out on my social media pages—but I will tell you my No. 1 Australian story that matters to me, and that's Tim Winton's Cloudstreet, a book I still love and could read again and again. This Miles Franklin Award-winning novel is recognised as one of the greatest works of Australian literature. I'm not the only one who thinks Cloudstreet is a special novel. Here's a quote from the wonderful Mem Fox, a living treasure herself and bestselling writer:

If you have not read Cloudstreet, your life is diminished … If you have not met these characters, this generous community, these tragedies, the humour … It is so wonderful.

Thank you, Mem. You can just hear the pure joy in that quote from Mem Fox. It captures Tim Winton's work so perfectly. Make sure you read it.

Reading books is such a special treat, but sharing our love of books with each other brings its own special delight. A love of books and reading is the best gift you can give your child. Research tells us that literacy skills don't just create educational gains; they promote strong family relationships, improved health choices and employability. But what is really interesting is that reading for pleasure has been revealed as the most important indicator of the future success of a child. I say that as a teacher. It's really that important. I mentioned Mem Fox earlier. Mem's books are often an Australian child's first experience of books and reading. Mem Fox has written more than 40 books for children, including one written in 1983, which I think is read by nearly every Australian child, Possum Magica delightful book that I read to my two boys. What an amazing contribution Mem Fox has made to educating Australian children. I'm also incredibly pleased to report that she's not done yet. Mem has just released a new children's book called Cat Dog with acclaimed illustrator Mark Teague. I'm actually a little bit envious that I don't have children young enough to be enthralled by a new Mem Fox book, but I am sure it will spark that passion for books and reading like all of Mem's books.

I would like to thank Australia Reads for their passion and their collaboration across the industry with public libraries, authors, illustrators, booksellers and publishers to get more Australians reading more books more often; it is infectious. My love of books and all things literature has been with me all my life. But, every year, the Australian Reading Hour initiatives make me think again about the wonderful books I've read and the ones I still have on my reading list to tick off.

Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link]

Pig was a pug,

and I'm sorry to say,

he would often tell lies

just to get his own way.

And when he would fib,

he was awfully clever.

When Pig got in trouble…

he would always blame Trevor.

So begins Pig the Fibber, just one in a very funny series of books from Australian author Aaron Blabey about a rather mischievous pug. This was the book of choice read by my youngest daughter, Molly, for Australian Reading Hour on 14 September. To be able to read is a joy, and learning to read can set up a lifelong love with the written word, where we understand the power of a book and the feelings it can evoke. I'm sure many of us here have a list of favourite books that have resonated with us for various reasons. Breath by Tim Winton, an author beloved by many Australians, is a personal favourite.

My island state—in particular, the northern Tasmanian region—has an ever-growing list of wonderfully talented writers. In recent years, Launceston's Rohan Wilson and Robbie Arnott have become well-known names, penning award-winning novels. Wilson had a start that most authors would dream of, with his first book, The Roving Party, beating out all other unpublished manuscripts in Australia to win the Vogel Award in 2011. Rohan himself admitted that it was the first thing of substance he had ever written and said, 'When I entered the award I didn't even know if I could write.' Wilson has since gone on to write two additional award-winning novels: To Name Those Lost and Daughter of Bad Times.

Robbie Arnott's debut novel, Flames, was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and won the Margaret Scott Prize in the 2019 Tasmanian Premier's Literary Prize and followed up this year with The Rain Heron, which has been nominated for multiple accolades and has taken out the Age Book of the Year. For Launceston writer Robyn Friend, author of a number of works, including Eva and The Butterfly Stalker, her many years of dedication to the writing community and mentoring new writers, particularly in Tasmania, was recognised a few years ago with a nomination from the Society of Women Writers Tasmania for the prestigious Alice Award. The award acknowledges a significant contribution to Australian literature, and Robyn was most certainly a worthy nominee.

As the member for Moreton noted in his speech, COVID-19 has interrupted many literary festivals across the country. In Northern Tasmania, the popular biennial Tamar Valley Writers Festival was, sadly, cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Looking ahead to 2022, where a fully-fledged three-day festival is planned, the committee banded together to create a smaller pop-up festival in September called Word of Mouth. This included the world premiere of Marjorie Unravelled, a musical about Tasmania's answer to Dame Edna, Marjorie Bligh. There are also school workshops with authors Lyndon Riggall and Kyle Perry plus a day of writing and storytelling events at Tamar Valley Resort. There are book clubs with morning tea, an editing workshop and a panel discussion on crime writing with award-winning scriptwriters and authors, including Vicki Madden, Kyle Perry, Alan Carter and Tansy Rayner Roberts.

Committee member Johanna Baker-Dowdell told me, 'It was designed to be like a tasting plate of storytelling, conversation and performances, but we also hoped it would keep everyone's spirits up when we had so much being cancelled or changed due to COVID.' I would encourage anyone interested to check out the festival's own podcast, where Lyndon Riggall and Annie Warburton talk to Tasmanian authors, playwrights, comedians, poets and editors about their works, how they draw inspiration from Tasmania and what's in store for them. This can be found on the festival's website page at www.tamarvalleywritersfestival.com.au.podcast.

I'd also like to take this time to acknowledge the role that our local libraries play in our communities. Across Northern Tasmania the Beaconsfield, Bridport, Exeter, George Town, Launceston, Lilydale, Ravenswood and Scottsdale libraries all play a critical role in ensuring that books are accessible to all. Our libraries offer so much more than providing free books—offering courses, literacy programs, school holiday programs and more. A big congratulations to the Launceston Library on its recent 50th birthday celebrations.

Finally, if you're looking to purchase a book, I would encourage you to put your money behind your local small-business book store and encourage everyone to visit australiareads.org.au. (Time expired)

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very glad to speak to this motion and to speak up for the joys and benefits—and, I'd say, the necessity—of reading, to speak up for the centrality of stories and storytelling and everything from identity to entertainment and from problem-solving to politics, and to speak up for Australian writers and Australian publishers.

If I were to make a list of things that have been essential to me, reading would probably rank just behind the basic human needs of food, water, shelter and love. Without reading, I would have struggled in terms of my education and my happiness, especially when I was young. I attended five different primary schools in three countries by the time I was 12, and reading was the glue that held together all the pieces across all the gaps. It was the mainstay of my sense of self, my confidence and wellbeing. It was the main line linking my imagination and curiosity into the wider world. It was occasionally, as the motion describes, a refuge—not from anything particularly terrible but as an escape from the noise and awkwardness and isolation or sadness that many of us feel from time to time.

My fascination with reading became my aspiration, with respect to writing. Unlike the member for Moreton, I never managed to produce anything book worthy. I still believe the efforts I made on the road to being a failed novelist are amongst the most productive, creative and crafty hours that I have spent.

As a dad, I don't know that I've done many things of greater value than to read to my kids and tell them stories. One of my favourite memories is sitting on the carpet with my girls in their bedroom, telling a story, and seeing my son, our eldest, crawl out of his bedroom in the dark to be close enough to hear. My wife, Georgia, surpasses me in everything that I have mentioned, in reading, writing and storytelling, by mentoring writers and by editing and publishing their work at the mighty Fremantle Press. I'm lucky to live in a wordy household and I am blessed to represent a community that holds writing dear. I know I am lucky to enjoy reading. That is a lot easier when you can find yourself represented in stories. It's easier when your folks pass on a love of reading, as mine did. It's easier if you have access to teachers who are supported in their vital work. It would be easier for kids who face disadvantage if we could ensure schools are enabled to respond with the right resources and time for those who need it most.

As part of the broad effort to ensure we welcome diversity and difference, we need our stories to reflect and cherish diversity—to cherish our First Nations heritage and our multicultural and LGBTIQ+ communities and to reflect the experience of all ages and all abilities. Right now it's still the case that the world of published stories, like so many aspects of life, is skewed towards a narrow range of identities and experiences. This is particularly limiting in the form of children's literature. There are people working to change that—people like Jessica Walton, a queer disabled writer and teacher whose latest book, a graphic novel called Stars in Their Eyes, is published by Fremantle Press. Jessica has spoken about her experience: 'As I became disabled and then later as I came out as queer I felt the lack of representation. Later as an adult, when I did get a lot more representation, there was that emotional feeling of, "Oh, I didn't have this and now I do," and I am sad for the kid that I was.' Jessica says: 'Your child might not be disabled now, but they might develop a disability at some point in their life or acquire a disability. Let's give them the space to be exposed to disability in literature and film and TV so that when they interact with disabled people in the real world they're not doing so from a place of fear.'

One of the effects of the pandemic has been to spotlight what is most precious to us all: our health, our connection to family and community, our environment, and also books and reading. While writers and publishers and bookshops may have felt that love through this time because book sales have risen, there has nevertheless been harmful impact with the cancellations of festivals and especially with the brutal hit on universities. This affects the livelihood of Australian writers and, as with other workers and businesses in the creative sector, writers and publishers have not been properly supported through the pandemic.

As we look back at the 10th annual Australian Reading Hour, which occurred last month, we should acknowledge that reading is one of the foundation stones of our educational and creative lives. We must support Australian writing to ensure our kids and their kids can see themselves and can hear our distinctive stories and greater diversity in the years to come. In what has been a difficult time, I give a shout-out to all the writers in Australia—not just the famous and successful ones but all the hundreds and hundreds of writers who toil away in the hope of being published one day and who ultimately underpin our vital and diverse Australian literature.

Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to thank the member Moreton for moving this motion and providing me, a dedicated bookworm, this opportunity to speak on this topic. Books inspire the future generations of Australians. Books and learning to read play an important role in literacy skills and early development of children. As a paediatrician and mother of four, some of my most special moments were listen to go my children read and seeing their confidence grow, from Possum Magic through to the Harry Potter series, which I read in its entirety with my children.

Earlier this year, in May, there was a National Simultaneous Storytime. In fact, this was the 21st successive year of this event. This year's event combined literature with science—both of which are passions of mine. Children from right across Australia and New Zealand came together in libraries, schools, preschools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places. 2021 was the biggest and most successful National Simultaneous Storytime to date, with over 1.29 million participants at over 14,000 locations, including participants from New Zealand, Thailand, UK, Canada, Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The book for this year was titled Give Me Some Space! and written by Philip Bunting and—quite remarkably—was read by the astronaut Dr Shannon Walker from the International Space Station. The book centres on a young child called Una, who is fascinated by space:

Una dreams of a life in Space. Life on Earth is just so so-so. But how will she get there? And will she complete her mission to discover life in Space?

Una, along with many Australian children who are also finding life 'so-so' through the COVID lockdown, will be able to dream big soon, with the recent announcement by the Morrison government that Australian technology will be sent to the moon, and the pending lifting of COVID restrictions in my home state of Victoria, where we have endured, unfortunately, the longest lockdown in the world. The agreement made between the Morrison government and NASA includes an Australian-built rover, which will be the first piece of Australian technology to be deployed on the moon.

Literacy has never been more important than it is at present. The fight against COVID has been a marathon event. With every vaccination it becomes a less deadly disease for us all, but we can't forget the shadow impacts of the COVID pandemic, including the mental health impacts, particularly on our children. In late August 2021, the Murdoch Children's Research Institute—where I used to work—released a report outlining the enormous impact COVID is having on the mental health and wellbeing of our young, particularly the most disadvantaged. The report says that prolonged school closures and lockdowns will exacerbate these impacts. Due to the lockdowns, students across Australia have been missing out. Through the pandemic, face-to-face learning has been replaced with online classes. And let's be clear: parents have been given a unique insight into the amazing work involved in educating our children.

It is not only parents but also our crucially important public libraries, such as the Stonnington libraries and the Glen Eira libraries in my electorate of Higgins, that have had to pivot and adapt their services to provide important programs for children, such as story time, baby time, children's holiday programs and literacy festivals. These have all been delivered online in my electorate of Higgins. For the most vulnerable in our society, there was also the home library service. But it is not just about the books on shelves that libraries provide. Our libraries have become a source of information during the pandemic, for example, by assisting people with finding where the nearest vaccination hub is or by assisting jobseekers with online courses for resume writing.

Statistics don't lie: reading has so many benefits. Readers are 28 per cent less likely to report feelings of depression. One in five claims that their reading habits prevent feelings of loneliness. Readers are 10 per cent more likely to report high self-esteem than non-readers, and this increases to 18 per cent if they read for at least 30 minutes a week. Readers are also more likely to report greater life satisfaction—and who can argue with losing your head in a book? I reflect on my childhood, when I discovered my passion for reading through my favourite childhood books, Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree and CS Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. These books ignited my passion for reading, through magic and mystery. Therefore, I encourage everyone to pick up a book, scroll through an e-book, or listen to an audio book and immerse yourself in the magic of reading, where anything is possible.

Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Moreton for bringing forward this vital motion on the value of reading. Time will not permit me to mention all of the books that have touched me during this year, but I want to use the little time I have to give a short rundown of some of them. At the outset I want to give a shout-out to some Canberra region authors: Marion Halligan—hard to ignore—a great writer; crime writer Chris Hammer; historical writer Robyn Cadwallader; the new suspense writer Peter Papathanasiou, who has written a terrific book called The Stoning; and Omar Musa, a spoken-word poet and modern novelist.

But books can shape how we think about policy and politics. I think the industry minister would be better off having read Ian McEwan's novel Machines Like Me, Walter Isaacson's biographies Leonardo Da Vinci, Einstein, Steve Jobs, and TheInnovators; Ed Catmull's book Creativity, Inc.; and Kazuo Izuguro's novel Klara and the Sun. The housing minister would be better off for having read Matthew Desmond's book Evicted, and the sports minister for having read Bonnie Tsui's Why We Swim, Adharanand Finn's The Rise of the Ultra Runners and Alex Hutchinson's Endure. The Treasurer should read Amy Klobuchar's Antitrust and Tim Wu's The Curse of Bigness, not to mention Martin Sandbu's The Economics of Belonging and Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo's Good Economics for Hard Times.

My thinking to climate change this year has been shaped by Bill Gates's How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Alan Finkel's 'Getting to Zero' in Quarterly Essay and Richard Flanagan's The Living Sea of Waking Dreams. Anyone's thinking on education can't fail but be changed by reading Tara Westover's harrowing biography, Educated; Alison Gopnik's The Gardener and the Carpenter, a beautiful book about parenting and child education; and Jordan Ellenberg's How Not to Be Wrong:The Power of Mathematical Thinking. Anyone interested in immigration should of course read my colleague Tim Watts's terrific book The Golden Country, not to mention Abul Rizvi's Population Shock and Peter Mare's Not Quite Australian. The home affairs minister would also do well to read Geoffrey Canada's FistStick Knife Gun. Few books have better characterised the way to think creatively about violence. For the health minister it would be beneficial to read Judith Miller's book Germs, on biological warfare, and Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind, about the emerging science of psychedelics.

All members of parliament should delve into some of the great books that have been written about politics this year: Ezra Kline's Why We're Polarized, Barack Obama's A Promised Land and Anne Appelbaum's Twilight of Democracy. We are all being deluged in email, and Cal Newport's A World Without Email has a discussion of the problem and some ideas on solving it. Kate Ellis's Sex, Lies and Question Time is a vital book in the Me Too era.

When Macgregor Duncan and I wrote an article in 2010 about what parliamentarians were reading, George Orwell topped the list for both sides of the House. The conservative side most loved his novels; the progressive side most loved his essays. In that spirit, I would recommend Dennis Glover's Orwell's Australia and The Last Man in Europe:A Novel. Many of my colleagues have been writing books, including Richard Marles's Tides That Bind and Kate Thwaites's book with Jenny Macklin, Enough is Enough.

Then there are just some great books: John McWhorter's Nine Nasty Words; Alice Pung's Unpolished Gem; Glennon Doyle's Untamed; James McBride's Deacon King Kong; Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet, the most extraordinary depiction of losing a child; Patrick Keefe's Say Nothing, based on the Boston University interview transcripts about the Irish troubles; Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain, beautiful and brutal at the same time; Oceon Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeousjust some stunning phrases; Seth Stephens-Davidowitz's Everybody Lies, an extraordinary exposition of big data; Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, one of the best books you'll read about race and identity; and anything by Sam Harris, including Free Will, Lying and Waking Up.

All leaders should be readers. All of us in the parliament should be reading more.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.