Books by Tom Frame

Australia is an early adopter of new technology and Australians are usually receptive to practical innovations. Nuclear power is, however, the notable exception. Over the past half-century, several inquiries have recognised the potential benefits and possible advantages of a local nuclear industry but a single nuclear power station has yet to proceed beyond the concept stage.Submarines represent the most extensive application of nuclear power throughout the world, other than for industrial and household use. In 2016, the Australian Government announced that the 12 French-designed Attack class submarines replacing the ageing Collins class would be ''regionally superior'' but conventionally powered. Nuclear propulsion was not considered.This collection of thoughtful essays by highly experienced policy-makers, nuclear engineers, energy analysts and strategic planners considers the case for establishing an Australian nuclear industry, starting with the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines to meet Australia''s rapidly changing defence needs. The contributors call for an informed discussion of nuclear power that transcends the ideological rigidities of the 1980s and 1990s. Their insightful views provide a firm foundation for a continuing conversation the nation cannot avoid.Professor Tom Frame AM is Director of the Public Leadership Research Group at UNSW Canberra and a former naval officer.

Philip Ruddock was commended for conviction and condemned for cruelty in his management of Australia’s Immigration program between 1996 and 2003. As Australia’s longest-serving Minister for Immigration and second longest-serving Federal parliamentarian, he won praise in the 1970s and 1980s for his strong commitment to human rights and refugee resettlement but in the 1990s and 2003 drew sharp criticism for offshore processing and the mandatory detention of asylum seekers. A reserved man, Ruddock did not display his emotions when confronted with human tragedy or angry protests. His reserved manner led to allegations he was uncaring and callous. This book is the first extended treatment of Ruddock’s political career, focussing specifically on Immigration and the place of compassion in the development and administration of public policy. It will interest students of Australian politics, particularly the Howard era, and engage anyone committed to the exercise of moral virtues and ethical values in national life.

"This short book focuses on Harold Holt's political philosophy and its expression in what I have termed 'liberal imagination'. It is an attempt to show how a man of genuinely liberal instincts applied his initiative and creativity - the essence of imagination - to a range of political issues and practical challenges during the middle decades of the twentieth century... The life of Harold Holt provides some useful illustrations of political imagination and, later in his career, political stagnation. Notwithstanding the passage of fifty years, there is much to be learned from what Holt did and didn't do, and why." - From the Introduction

The complete and authoritative account of the sinking of the HMAS Sydney, and the recent finding of her wreck.On 19 November 1941, the pride of the Australian Navy, the light cruiser Sydney, fought a close-quarters battle with the German armed raider HSK Kormoran off Carnarvon on the West Australian coast. Both ships sank and not one of the 645 men on board the Sydney survived. Was Sydney s captain guilty of negligence by allowing his ship to manoeuvre within range of Kormoran s guns? Did the Germans feign surrender before firing a torpedo at the Sydney as she prepared to despatch a boarding party? This updated edition covers the recent discovery of the wreck with the light this sheds on the events of that day 67 years ago, and the closure it has brought to so many grieving families. Tom Frame has produced the most comprehensive and compelling account of the loss of HMAS Sydney to date. His judgements are fair and his conclusions reasoned. If you only read one book on this tragic event in Australian naval history, and want all the facts and theories presented in a balanced way, Tom Frame s book is for you - Vice Admiral Russ Shalders AO CSC RANR Chief of Navy, 2005-08.

No-one in the Australian government or army could have predicted that in the 25 years following the end of the Cold War army personnel would be deployed to Rwanda, Cambodia, Somalia, Bougainville, East Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Solomon Islands. In a constructive critique of the modern Australian Army, On Ops examines the transformation that has taken place since 1999.