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Paul Kelly will be in will be in conversation with Frank Bongiorno on his new book The Twilight of Exceptionalism. The Liberal and Conservative Era 2013-22, an incisive assessment of modern Australian politics.

The Twilight of Exceptionalism is the third in Paul Kelly's masterful trilogy on modern Australian politics, following The March of Patriots (2009) and Triumph and Demise (2014). It charts the most turbulent era of Liberal and conservative politics since Sir Robert Menzies formed the Liberal Party, tracing the crisis besetting the Coalition and how Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison struggled to govern.

From 2013 to 2022 Australia fought to remain a leading democracy against the challenges of the 21st century - economic performance, climate change, cultural polarisation, technological transformation and geo-strategic threats. Paul Kelly examines how the Liberal Party lost its long-standing grip on the Australian psyche as it cycled through three temperamentally and ideologically divergent prime ministers. Despite its many achievements, the Coalition in office was marked by a period of under-performance and doubts over the political system's capacity to serve the national interest.

Australian exceptionalism, as initiated by Bob Hawke and Paul Keating in 1983 and carried on by John Howard and Peter Costello, has been eclipsed and slipped into a disappointing twilight. Kelly contends that Australia must rally and recover - or face a troubling phase of decline and betrayal of its finest aspirations.

Paul Kelly FASSA FAIAis Editor-at-Large and a former Editor-in-Chief of The Australian. He writes on Australian politics, policy, history and international relations, and has covered every prime minister from Gough Whitlam to Anthony Albanese. He has written or co-authored twelve books on our politics and history. He holds a Doctor of Letters from the University of Melbourne and in addition holds honorary doctorates from three other Australian universities.

Frank Bongiorno AM FRHistS FASSA FAHA is Donald Horne Professor of History and Public Ideas at the University of Canberra, Emeritus Professor of the Australian National University and President, Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS). His most recent book is Remembering the Hawke government. Edited by Frank Bongiorno, Carolyn Holbrook and Joshua Black. (2026)

The vote of thanks will be given byProfessor Mark Kenny Director of the Australian Studies Institute at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵlogo,

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event. 

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A podcast will be made available after the event.

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