Author(s): Tim Rowse

Australian Non fiction

"Divided Nation" is the first book-length account of Australian public opinion about Aborigines, and the political uses of public opinion research. Rowse and Goot portray the changes and continuities in Australians' public opinions about indigenous Australians, including their claims for recognition and for social justice. The book examines four episodes in which the Australian public debated indigenous issues: the 1967 Referendum, the Hawke government's national land rights proposal in 1984-86, the Native Title debate, and the 2000 Reconciliation debate. Each episode was defined, in part, by intensified research on public opinion. "Divided Nation" is not only about the attitudes discovered by such research, but also about how public opinion research affects the political process.