In the 1950s and 1960s much of the progress that was unfolding, by extending great cities such as Sydney and the first start of native film, acting and drama schools and a native literature, well recognised firstly in the Whitlam years meant here was a high degree of optimism and growing cosmopolitanism not unlike that of Provincial America or the new cities of Canada for example.
This spirit of inventiveness was not restricted to the high arts but farming, particulary broad acre farming which was pioneered here and undertaken often the case in the US an Europe. This spirited efficency meant that the traditional pastoral industries could achieve record highs in achievement and also succede in untried warters because the very old Imperial preferences scheme was no more. Australian farmers still have this leading edge ability.
Also the development of many successful small and medium businesses in major suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne for example has mirrored much of the success of the family based farmers.
Change and leadership became therefore important to business and public leaders. However there also grew an increasing belief in and a need to trust coherency by consulting literature especially the media available throgh books. This change has yet to trickle down fully even to top markets such as Sydney but the continuing prestiege of the printed word satisfies so many.
I know from contact with professional management, and leadership bodies responsible for the formation of so many skilled people, such as nurses, public servants,business people, the armed forces and police that there is a great appreciation of non fiction literature to mentor and train those engaged in serious tasks. I hope that Australians develop their own literature concerning leadership as the need for local solutions is great.
Other literature including indegenous literature is also flourishing. However contact with senior diplomats and politicians here in Canberra has led me to recognise we need a lot of revisions, of accepted accounts including that of World War 2 because very old censorship provisions are noy suitable. Cooperation in this area will be importan
