Books published by Connor Court Publishing Pty Ltd

The scientific method seeks to explain natural phenomena using natural laws, verifiable and reproducible observations and measurements that validate logical conclusions.

Governments have begun to act as if your body belongs to them. They have become a parent, telling child-like citizens how to behave: instructing, forbidding, taxing and berating citizens about their personal choices.

"Giles Auty was one of only four outstanding art critics in Britain in the past forty years" -- Paul Johnson, The Spectator, February 17, 1996 When I switched course in mid-career from being a painter to a writer I certainly experienced a few nervous moments. Would I ever feel as confident about writing as I did with a paintbrush in my hands? Then purely by chance, after years of wondering, I met an Italian Professor of English at a cocktail party in Venice. "I can't believe I've met you" he told me "because I am always holding your writing up as a model for my students." How thrilled my late father, a noted English scholar himself, would have been to know that I was at least trying to maintain family standards. "G. K. Chesterton surely had essays such as these in mind when he wrote, 'No criticism of Rembrandt is as good as Rembrandt; but it can be so written as to make a man go back and look at his pictures.' Giles Auty, well-known as art critic and painter, is gifted with a writing style that shuns impenetrability. It challenges us to go back and take a fresh look, not just at Rembrandt, or Signorelli, but at political correctness, global warming, post-modernism, democracy, our education system, Catholicism, the media, and life itself. He does this in an entertaining way, and even dares to suggest answers." -- Fr Paul Stenhouse, Editor of Annals Australia

With a final vote on same-sex marriage expected within months, Faith, Love and Australia is a timely book that puts the definitive case for same-sex marriage. Written by Tony Abbott's chief prime ministerial speechwriter, it argues that same-sex marriage reflects a fulfilment of conservative values rather than a rejection of them. "Allowing same-sex couples to marry is not just a matter of law. It's also a matter of heart and soul. It reflects a universal hope: to be blessed by family and friends, and to share your life, with its trials and tribulations, laughter and joy, with the one that you love. "The institution of marriage affirms us as people; gives standing to our most significant relationship; and changes our families for the better. It is an institution that points to a better life and helps us answer the deepest question, can I selflessly love another and find meaning and purpose in that love? This is a conservative ideal." Faith, Love and Australia puts the case that same-sex marriage is good for Australia because it strengthens marriage, affirms families and expands the freedom of Australians.

The question of the formation of Christian character is an important contemporary issue. Our society is undergoing radical change at the personal and social level. There are forces at work that deconstruct the traditional patterns of human life - the family, the understanding of masculinity and femininity, our view on the nature and use of our sexuality. These forces are rebuilding human society in such a way that it is free from the influence of a religious perspective on life and free from the constraints of a moral approach to human living. The modern attitude is to reject traditional models of the virtuous life in favour of a self-realisation freely pursued outside the constraints of moral codes. There is a certain "morality" which is fashioned by society. Certain things are determined to be "politically correct". Certain stances become fashionable like ecological sensitivity or the perceived threat from sexism, but these are fluid positions and change with fashions of thought. They do not impinge particularly on the inner quality of character but rather reflect certain acceptable attitudes. They are superficial and do not promote serious inner growth. This book seeks to explore the nature of the human person. Then, by drawing on our Christian tradition, consider the ways in which we can build a healthy and happy life fulfilling what God has intended us to become as a faithful imitation of his Son. This is a book about identifying the nature of Christian character. It offers a path which will lead to mature Christian character.

Art & Life contains extracts from diaries, letters, essays, travelogues and poetry written by Elizabeth Durack (1915-2000) over the course of seven decades. With wit and candour, the writing reveals some of the most important influences and episodes - and the paradox - of her life. Durack read and travelled widely and drew inspiration from many sources: from the men and women she knew; from classical Western and ancient Aboriginal traditions; and from contemporary politics.

Liberty at Risk: Tackling Today's Political Problems is a compilation of twenty-three commentaries on current affairs from a libertarian perspective. It is a companion to Peter Fenwick's previous work - The Fragility of Freedom: Why Subsidiarity Matters. Libertarianism is the political philosophy of individual liberty. It is based on the principle of private property and founded on natural rights theory as expounded by John Locke in the seventeenth century. The essential elements of the libertarian creed are self-ownership, private property and the free market. In practice, this leads to a society of co-operation, tolerance and mutual respect; a preference for voluntary organisations; and a minimal role for the state. Wherever this ideology has been tried, mankind has flourished. Per capita incomes have risen multiple times; longevity has increased by many years; education has become universally available; women have been treated equally; there has been more time devoted to culture and the arts; and there has been noticeable increases in civility. Elsewhere, throughout history, only small ruling elites led the good life; the majority led a precarious and unpleasant existence. Unfortunately, over the past hundred years the social democratic welfare state has inhibited progress in the West, and now theocratic Islamists are creating mayhem in the Middle East. Our wonderful, free and prosperous society is being threatened by ideologies, from within and without, that compromise the reasons for its success. If we are to succeed in our battle with competing ideologies, then we need to acquire an appreciation of the legacy of our Western Civilization and be determined to live up to its ideals.

Geopeko was the exploration arm of the Australian mining company, Peko-Wallsend Limited. From a start as a small copper miner in the Northern Territory, Geopeko's discoveries built Peko-Wallsend into one of Australia's premier mining companies. It was a leader in the development of the geological theories and technologies that underpin mineral discovery. Geologist John Elliston and geophysicist Lew Richardson built a team of earth scientists, technicians, and drillers that laid the foundation for the success. This is the story of that success, compiled by those who were responsible for it, with an analysis of why it was successful.

Geopeko was the exploration arm of the Australian mining company, Peko-Wallsend Limited. From a start as a small copper miner in the Northern Territory, Geopeko's discoveries built Peko-Wallsend into one of Australia's premier mining companies. It was a leader in the development of the geological theories and technologies that underpin mineral discovery. Geologist John Elliston and geophysicist Lew Richardson built a team of earth scientists, technicians, and drillers that laid the foundation for the success.This is the story of that success, compiled by those who were responsible for it, with an analysis of why it was successful.

The decades immediately preceding and following Federation were the formative years of Australian politics. This biography tells the story of that period of transition through the life of one of its central protagonists. Sir Joseph Carruthers had a distinguished and eventful career as Premier, a Father of Federation and a Member of the New South Wales Parliament for forty-five years. His greatest legacy is the adaptation of nineteenth-century classical liberalism to the politics of Australia's nascent party system. It is in large part because of Carruthers, and his great friend George Reid, that liberalism in Australia came to be associated with the centre-right.

For this issue, we remember two great intellects, Cardinal Patrick Moran and James McAuley.Back in 2006, Connor Court published the new edition of The Heart of James McAuley by Peter Coleman. For the launch of the James McAuley book, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) with John Roskam, held what we at Connor Court remember as one of our best book launches. The speakers on the night, included the Hon Tony Staley, the Hon Tony Abbott and Peter Coleman AO. Thanks to the IPA, the speeches of all three speakers were faithfully transcribed at the time and published on the IPA webpage. So here, thanks to the IPA, are the speeches of the book launch, which rightfully honours the great intellect, James McAuley.The first half of the quarterly is a controversial paper given back in 1901 by Cardinal Patrick Moran to the Royal Geographical Society of Australia (RGS) entitled: 'Was Australia Discovered by De Quiros in the Year 1606?' Here Cardinal Moran boldly argues the case that the first Europeans on the East Coast of Australia were in fact, back in 1606 the Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Quirós. It was a bold claim, largely dismissed by RGS and many historians since. But what if, there is some substance to the claim. The paper is well argued and could be an excellent launching-pad for the Gladstone region in Queensland to claim their own version of Botany Bay. We have preserved the original scans of the pamphlet, without any editorial additions. It is our hope this work can create further articles on the topic on who were the first Europeans to visit Australia's east-coast.

With a Foreword by Hon Andrew Rob MP and contributions from: Mike Adams, Nicolas Brown, Peter Collens, John Dawkins, Greg Dodds, Leith Doody, Pat Evans, Ralph Evans, Tim Fischer, Richard Fletcher, Bruce Gosper, Terry Goss, Tim Harcourt, Roger James, Greg Joffe, Peter Langhorne, Lucy Luo, Bruno Mascitelli, Elizabeth Masamune, Bruce Nicholls, Phil Ruthven, Laurie Smith, Geoff Spears, John Tinney, Petr Vodvarka, Peter Wilton and Ian Wing. Bruno Mascitelli is Associate Professor at Swinburne University of Technology. Between 1982 and 1997 Bruno was employed by Austrade as a local employed staff in the Milan (Italy) office. He joined academia in 2000 and has since then published widely in the area of international business, migration and the Italian diaspora.

It is certainly self-evident that sound principles are needed to help guide better understanding and public policy making going forward. The Ten Principles of Regulation and Reform, to be discussed at length in the coming pages, therefore is such a guide, where each of the following chapters is broadly structured as follows: - What is this principle exactly?- Why is this principle important?- How is this principle applied?

Since I'm first and foremost a public finance economist, I'll share one of my favorite tactics when debating fiscal policy. I'll oftentimes share a table showing a list of nations that have achieved very good results by restraining the growth of government spending. I'll show how the burden of government spending declined as a share of economic output and I'll show how budget deficits also shrank as a share of GDP. I'll then ask my colleague from the other side to please share a list of nations that got good results by raising taxes. Unsurprisingly, the usual response is either untrue claims or hemming and hawing. When seeking to educate and convince a non-ideological audience that they should favor economic freedom, I've learned that there's no substitute for this kind of real-world evidence. Most people think of themselves as being practical. My daily columns are designed to reach these people. If I can reach their minds, maybe their hearts will follow. -- From the Introduction

Extracts from the Conclusions: ...The book also tracks the modern day religious descendants of the first Christian converts -Jews, indigenous Aramaic and Coptic speaking gentiles, and even the Greek (Antiochian/Melkite) colonists living in the Middle East... In the seventh Christian century, tensions between Rome and Constantinople and private treaties between Byzantine emperors and the newly emerged Arab Muslim caliphs suggest how the Middle East's religious make-up, as the world's heartland of Christianity, was to be considerably altered into the future.... The culture of Aramaic Catholics in the medieval period points to many ongoing influences on the architecture, dress and customs of Western Christianity and Islamic society. Examples are provided such as the succession of Maronite popes in Rome, Western hospital emblems, the Muslim hijab and the minaret tower of mosques. Extract from foreword of Professor Carole Cusack, Department of Studies in Religion, The University of Sydney: "...This book...merits a wide readership ...and has significance and power for Christians around the world. Peter El Khouri deserves commendation for his patient and careful analysis of a far more diverse Christianity than most Australians in the twenty-first century have ever heard of. I am delighted to warmly recommend this book".

The context for Biemans' work is the development of law and practice on abortion in the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. The choice of these two countries is apposite. The UK (with the exception of Northern Ireland) was one of the earliest western countries to legalise abortion and the UK law provided a template for many other countries with similar legal frameworks, most particularly across the Commonwealth. Whether or not the reality matches the theory, the Netherlands has come to be seen as the ultimate liberal country in which abortion is (relatively) rare but almost always legal. Thankfully, the Western European context provides a basis for a much more complete discussion of the issues and arguments surrounding abortion which will be of immense value right across the world. Biemans draws together insights from the fields of medicine, economics, psychology, politics, law, theology and ethics. He engages effectively with the most recent empirical work on the practical impact of abortion law and uses this to provide fresh insight into the key ethical debates. Integrating such disparate fields is no easy task and it is to his great credit that he has managed to find a balance between rigor and accessibility which will enable this work to be of use to a broad range of users. The importance of caring for both the mother and baby have been understood and put into practice by the pro-life movement for many years, as has the recognition that women need care and reconciliation rather than condemnation after abortion. This understanding is central to Biemans' work, as is his conclusion that rights and needs of the mother and the unborn baby are not only of paramount importance but complementary to each other rather than in opposition. Given Biemans' understanding of theology and Church history, this volume will surely become a standard source of reference within Catholic institutions. However, I am confident its reach will be much greater than that. The approach is balanced and scholarly, but it is hard for the reader to avoid the conclusion that the right to life of the unborn, the rights of women and the social consequences of abortion should not be seen as standing in opposition to each other and requiring of compromise. Rather, laws which protect the vulnerable unborn, also protect mothers and society as a whole. Of course this has been the wisdom of the Catholic Church for centuries, but it is wonderful to see such a clear-sighted presentation of the logic and evidence in their entirety.

from the introduction... We have written this book because we believe in 'traditional' marriage and wish to see it protected. But who are we? We are two unmarried men from very different backgrounds. John is the second of eleven children and his parents remain happily married after thirty-three years. Jeremy is the eldest of two children, whose parents separated when he was nine and later divorced. John was raised Catholic and, despite a rocky patch in his early twenties, he has never abandoned his faith. Jeremy was not raised in any faith tradition and for some years was strongly anti-Christian. For most of his twenties he also considered himself exclusively homosexual, and for nearly five years he was in a relationship with another man. After many years of having no faith at all, he became a Catholic in his early thirties. You might have expected us to end up on opposite sides of the marriage debate, given our vastly different upbringings and life-experiences. Yet we did not. Although both of us are now practising Catholics, this is not a religious book. It so happens that, when each of us first thought seriously about the subject of marriage, religion barely came into it. John was at rock bottom career-wise, emotionally and spiritually, though still a believer. Jeremy was not even a believer. He had recently broken up with his partner, but had hopes of getting back together with him. He and his ex-partner had even talked of getting married. Nonetheless, his reflections on marriage led him in the same direction as John: towards the 'traditional' (one man, one woman) view of marriage. This book is our attempt to explain why.

The Way of Jesus offers fresh insights into the relevance of the Beatitudes for our lives. It inspires us to live with the heart of Jesus, and challenges us to go beyond ourselves in being genuine disciples in an increasingly complex world. -- From the Foreword, Most Rev Christopher Prowse, Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn

It's easy to be gloomy about the future prospects for the tropical jungles of Southeast Asia. This book takes a constructive look at jungle conservation, arguing that implementing economic measures that value jungle trees is the way to sustain them and their biological values. The central thesis of the book is the need to inject a dose of economic realism into a subject that has been long on superlatives and emotion, but short on commercial reality. The book sets out an argument for the management of tropical jungles founded on an economic case that in part lies in the increasing prospects of sustainable, legally verified wood production and climate change abatement carbon credit trading. It also advocates that making trees too valuable to destroy is a critical piece of the jungle survival puzzle. It advances an argument for developing economic incentives to retain healthy, functioning, viable jungle ecosystems across Southeast Asia. Such a prescription will help to create a set of circumstances where tropical jungles are seen as economic assets, not liabilities, and where governments, corporations and local communities have a vested interest in keeping trees standing. This is author John Halkett's fifth tree related book. He runs a forest consultancy business in Sydney, Australia and has expertise in temperate and tropical forest management and forest based industries. John also serves on the Board of the Global Timber Forum. He has held senior positions in government forest and conservation agencies in Australia and New Zealand. John has also worked in the United States, Canada, Papua New Guinea, across Southeast Asia, Myanmar, China and Africa. In addition to his books he has written numerous scientific papers and writes for trade publications.

C. Barkley's little manual on rat catching (and rabbit catching) is from a past era when life was much simpler and our propensity to call a pest a pest was not diminished by the selective fads and niceties of modernity. Most important of all, it was an era when the Aristotelian idea of ends - the proper conduct of a life towards a desired conclusion - was of importance not just for humans, but for all living things. It was proper and ordained for rats to live rat-centred lives, doing the things rats do, just as it was proper for ferrets to do the things that come natural to them. And, as Barkley himself indicates in his Introduction, it was ordained in the great scheme of things that dogs should come to their human masters and not the other way round, for this, too, represents a natural order in the hierarchy of being. It was proper also, that each human occupation should be regarded as having an intrinsic worth and the value of the trade of rat-catching should be seen in no less a light than that of any other profession. Indeed, as Barkley hints in the book, the value of a rat-catcher might well be regarded in a higher light than that of your average politician who, as Barkley reminds us, is prone to giving speeches when Parliament is not sitting or, indeed, at every possible opportunity! And this, as Barkley tells us, is why he decided on a school text book for prospective rat catchers.

A biography of the Democratic Labor Party's first Parliamentary Leader.

Drawing on his extensive overseas and Australian experience of parish life, Fr James Grant shows that, despite rising secularism and religious apathy in the West, there is no need for priests and parishioners to accept an inevitable decline in parish life and activity. His key insight is that churches have to move with the time while staying true to their core beliefs. This does not mean reading the zeitgeist of passing fashions or pursuing political causes from the pulpit. Many traditional faith brands such as Methodism and Presbyterianism have virtually disappeared, while erstwhile pillars of yesteryear, such as the Anglican Church, are rapidly withering on the vine. By trying to blend political causes with religious beliefs they have only succeeded in confusing their lifetime supporters, while failing to persuade activists to come on board. Activists may be passionate about their pet causes, but they don't need to do so within a church framework. The Catholic Church has over a billion adherents worldwide and is still expanding in many countries - not because it bends with the political wind but because it stays true to its long held beliefs. Even those who don't strictly follow its teachings on such subjects as contraception and divorce can still admire its consistency of purpose and high principles. After all, its basic message of primacy for the poor and disadvantaged is a timeless and peerless one, which first captured hearts and minds nearly two thousand years ago. The bulwark of modern society has always been the family and family values, but what has previously been taken for granted is now under vigorous assault. Marriage is becoming an optional extra for many, while its definition is undergoing profound re-thinking. But a multitude of studies have shown that those who have settled family lives are much more likely to achieve both material and spiritual prosperity, as well as a greater degree of happiness and life satisfaction. Father Grant gives many practical examples of what a forward thinking but traditional values based programme can achieve. Those who already attend church are almost, by definition, amenable to an offer of further spiritual uplift and would be willing to contribute to community and parish life in various ways, if they can see an active agenda. Those who have turned away or are still looking for something to fill the spiritual hunger gap would be attracted by a parish priest and council which is keen to engage them on issues of mutual concern, whether pastoral or charitable. Care and compassion and concern for the poor should be core business for churches. So a programme which marries the traditional values and teaching of the gospel with the busy lives of ordinary people should have widespread appeal. Fr Grant shows that this can, indeed must, be done if the Catholic Church is to remain vibrant and relevant to the lives of ordinary Australians.

Digital disruption is transforming the marketplace and improving our lives in ways we never imagined. But by comparison government services seem clunky, sluggish and slipshod. Angus Taylor says it is time governments caught up. The transformative power of digital technology can disrupt traditional lacklustre public services, redefine regulation and make governments more efficient, open and accountable. Crucially digital innovation puts the citizen back at the centre of the modern state in line with fundamental liberal and conservative principles. Series Editor: Nick Cater

From its inception, s 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) has been controversial. This law makes unlawful any act reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or group of people because of their race, colour, nationality or ethnicity. Serious concerns have been raised about s 18C's effect on freedom of expression. In this book, the authors argue that s 18C is too broad and too vague to be constitutional. They argue that relevant international treaties do not support the sweeping scope of s 18C. Further, they argue that s 18C's breadth and complexity impermissibly infringes the freedom of communication about government and political matters implied from the Commonwealth Constitution. In the course of their argument, the authors also cover issues relevant to Australia's common law legal tradition and liberal democratic heritage. This book makes a timely contribution to the fight for freedom of expression in Australia. Joshua Forrester: BA (Hons) (Murd), LLB (Hons) (UWA), PhD Candidate (Murdoch). Lorraine Finlay: BA (UWA), LLB (UWA), LLM (NUS), LLM (NYU), Lecturer in Constitutional Law, Murdoch Law School. Augusto Zimmermann: LLB (Hons), LLM cum laude, PhD (Mon) Senior Lecturer in Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, Murdoch Law School; Law Reform Commissioner, Law Reform Commission of Western Australia; Professor of Law (adjunct), University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney.

All Catholics must accept Catholic social teaching with religious submission of mind and will; Laudato Si' summarises Catholic social teaching where environmental and related issues are concerned; Laudato Si' applies Catholic social teaching to the current state of the environment as perceived by Pope Francis; The Pope's description of the state of the environment is open to debate; On climate change the Pope opts for and heavily promotes the "consensus" account of the science without referenced justification and does not refer to any other view; The Catholic Church lacks the competence to resolve continuing scientific debates; The debate over anthropogenic global warming is far from complete; Laudato Si', Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter On the Care of Our Common Home, repeatedly calls for a "forthright and honest debate" (nn. 16, 61, 135, 138, 188); The present author takes no "side" in the debate about climate change and wants the debate to continue, but in a context which provides for a much fairer hearing to be given to all sides to that debate; This book as a part of the Living Ethics Series is intended as a contribution to that "forthright and honest debate" on environmental issues generally for which the Pope calls.

It is impossible to make sense of modern Australia without understanding the achievements of Sir Robert Menzies. Half a century after Menzies left the Lodge, this timely work invites us to think again about the Menzies legacy and the enduring influence of his Liberal philosophy.