Andrew Leigh will be in conversation with Lin Hatfield Dodds on his new book Battlers and Billionaires: The Updated Story of Inequality in Australia.

Is Australia fair enough? And why does inequality matter anyway? From egalitarian beginnings, Australian inequality rose through the nineteenth century. Then we became more equal again, with inequality falling markedly from the 1920s to the 1970s. Now, inequality is returning to the heights of the 1820s. The housing and cost-of-living crises we face are some of the defining issues of our time.

In Battlers and Billionaires, Andrew Leigh shows that while inequality can fuel growth, it also poses dangers to society. Too much inequality risks cleaving us into two Australias, with little contact between the haves and the have-nots. And the further apart the rungs on the ladder of opportunity, the harder it is for a kid born into poverty to enter the middle class. Battlers and Billionaires sheds fresh light on what makes Australia distinctive, and what it means to have - and keep - a fair go.

'Fun, fascinating and fundamentally important. A must-read for anyone who cares about bridging our divides.' -Julia Gillard

'A thought-provoking book which emphasises how far we have strayed from confidently discussing public policies that seek to give meaning to our egalitarian spirit.' -Laura Tingle

Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, and Federal Member for Fenner in the ACT. Before being elected in 2010, Andrew was a Professor of Economics at The Australian National University. He holds a PhD in Public Policy from Harvard and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences. Andrew is the author or co-author of 11 books, on topics including innovation, inequality, community, globalisation and existential risk.

Lin Hatfield Dodds has spent her adult life working with others for a fairer deal for people who are left out and miss out. Lin leads The Benevolent Society, a for-purpose organisation that has advocated for positive social change and provided support services to people from all walks of life for over 200 years. Lin’s previous roles include Deputy Secretary, Social Policy, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and National Director of UnitingCare Australia, the national body for Australia’s largest NGO network of social, health and aged care services. Lin has served on boards and government advisory bodies, including as Chair of the Australian Social Inclusion Board, and President of the Australian Council of Social Service.

This event is in association with Harry Hartog Bookshop. Books will be available for purchase. Pre-event book signings will be available 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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