Catalyst
By: Paul Bennett
Publisher: Robert Hale
Published: 2009
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 223
ISBN-13: 9780719805691; 9780719805677; 9780709088035
Subjects: Petroleum chemicals industry; Plastics; Political Process; Environmental aspects; Recycling; Corrupt practices; Fiction; POLITICAL SCIENCE; Health aspects; FICTION; General; Political Advocacy
Description: In a world of big government and big business, individuals can still make a difference &#150; especially when their fight sparks the media's interest and the survival instincts of politicians. In this compelling book, eleven stories from across Australia show how one person can be a catalyst for change. A Victorian mother overturns a law preventing her family receiving compensation for her asbestos-related disease. A South Australian grandmother campaigns for tougher break-and-enter laws after a spate of home invasions. A Queensland father inspires new legislation for victims of crime. These accounts chronicle individual's triumphs against outdated state legislation. For this powerful and engaging analysis, radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist Madonna King has interviewed more than 130 people &#150; from state premiers and attorneys-general to Supreme Court judges and lawyers, from journalists and criminals to academics and social workers. But it is the brave and often untold stories of ordinary Australians that have inspired this book.