Seize the Moment: Australia’s Real Opportunities in an Unstable World (Bernard Keane, Allen & Unwin)

In Seize the Moment: Australia’s Real Opportunities in an Unstable World, journalist Bernard Keane uses the last 25 years of global politics and economics as a framework for considering Australia’s future. Part performance review and part manifesto, the book examines how Australia has weathered 21st-century crises to assess how the nation should prepare for the upcoming challenges of Trump-era politics, the AI boom and an ageing population.

A central argument of the book is that Australia should reconsider its US-led alliance and instead pursue relationships that better reflect its geography and values. One of Keane’s more provocative arguments is that Australia should implement age-weighted voting, inspired by Danish political theorists concerned with intergenerational fairness. When discussing tax reform, Keane presents a nuanced argument by breaking down reforms by their practical “bang for buck” economic impact.

Seize the Moment is at its strongest when Keane presents bold and controversial ideas. While his arguments are engaging and well researched, the book can at times feel more like a political podcast or extended essay than a tightly structured work of nonfiction. By the final quarter, Keane has already made his central positions clear, and the remaining material lacks the punch of the book’s earlier chapters.

In this intriguing and enjoyable read, Keane’s optimistic stance that there is an opportunity for Australia to “seize the moment” is a refreshing take.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Eman Mourad is an Australian Egyptian emerging writer based on Gadigal land. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

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