Past Event
Greg Fleet launches Error Australis by Ben Pobjie
22nd Jun 2016
Presenter: Affirm Press
Website: http://www.affirmpress.com.au
Event Duration: 120 minutes
Reality TV recaps are an in(s)anely popular form of journalism these days, so what better way of retelling the greatest reality of all: the reality of Australia and how it came to be.
In ERROR AUSTRALIS, TV columnist, comedian and history buff Ben Pobjie recaps the history of Australia from its humble beginnings as a small patch of rapidly cooling rock to its modern-day status as one of the major powers of the sub-Asian super-Antarctic next-to-Africa region.
As thrilling as it is to see Delta Goodrem’s chair turn around, there is an argument that World War Two was even more exciting. Like any good recapper, Pobjie provides an immediate, visceral sense of what it was like to be there in the moment at our nation’s defining events. From the failure of the First Australians to implement a good border security policy to Malcolm Turnbull weeping on becoming prime minister because he had no more worlds to conquer, ERROR AUSTRALIS covers the lot and, arguably, in a more interesting way than has ever been done before.
Only by looking at where we have been can we understand who we are, what we stand for and why nothing seems to work. ERROR AUSTRALIS is a scholarly and hilarious account of a young nation that has spent many years seeking its place in the world, and almost as many years not liking what it has found.
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Praise for ERROR AUSTRALIS
‘Australian history like they just don’t make it anymore. This is a great read!’ –Peter Fitzsimons
'Savage, provocative, hilarious, deeply depressing and brilliant – should be required reading for secondary students.’ – Noni Hazelhurst
'It’s as if Manning Clark had a lobotomy and rewrote his Short History of Australia with a crayon. I enjoyed it.’ – Shaun Micallef
About the Author
Ben Pobjie studied history at the University of Western Sydney before his lust for glamour led him to comedy writing. He is known for his TV columns in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and political satire for New Matilda, Crikey and the ABC, among others. He is the author of Superchef and The Book of Bloke and has written for the TV shows Reality Check and The Unbelievable Truth. He lives in Melbourne with his wife, three children and a rising sense of panic.
*Of the 51,268 2011 VCE students, only 2.2% chose to do Australian History (according to VCAA; HSC in NSW doesn’t even have an Australian History subject for Year 12 students).