The incredible story of the special investigations unit that tracked down the Nazis who called Australia home after World War II.

In 1986 journalist Mark Aarons presented a Radio National series, which established that a significant number of Nazi collaborators and war criminals - particularly from Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Yugoslavia - had settled in Australia after World War II.

Aarons' explosive reporting led to the formation in 1987 of the Special Investigations Unit, which investigated over 800 suspected war criminals living in Australia. This book gathers the recollections of historians, archaeologists, police investigators, SIU leaders, translators and lawyers to create a detailed insiders' account of the unit's efforts to prosecute Australian residents and citizens believed to have participated in horrific war crimes.

The SIU left an important legacy. As well as pursuing justice for victims of the Holocaust, it demonstrated that historical investigation of war crimes was possible, even decades later. In the words of former SIU director Graham Blewitt, 'Australia should be proud that, for a brief period in our legal history, we stood up and did the right thing. There was a time when Nazi collaborators living in Australia were wondering when the SIU knock on the door would come.'

For this special event, Mark Aarons will be in conversation with Tim McCormack, and the event will be opened by Julia Flint. Join them at the Afterword Café.

Join acclaimed authors Kate Mildenhall (The Hiding Place) and Fiona Hardy (Unbury the Dead) as they explore crime, community, and the hidden truths that shape our lives.

From fierce female fixers to families unravelling in the bush, their novels reveal how loyalty, deception, and survival collide in contemporary Australian storytelling.

Michael Wesley will be in conversation with Hugh White on his new Quarterly Essay 101: Blind Spot: Southeast Asia and Australia's Future.

Australia has forgotten what keeps it safe. So argues Michael Wesley in this sharp and compelling essay about our place in the world. Southeast Asia is the key to our national security and prosperity. If China dominates the region, as it plans to, Australia will be very vulnerable. So why are we following an American strategy that isolates and alienates us from our neighbours?

Wesley argues that the focus on AUKUS and sticking with Trump is a dangerous distraction. Whereas the United States has little at stake in Southeast Asia, Australia has everything to lose. How did our foreign policy elite become so wedded to the US worldview? What do our Southeast Asian neighbours have to tell us, if only we would listen? Blind Spot is a gripping essay about strategic folly and the future of our region.

“It should be clear that Australia has made the wrong bet: that relying on the US alliance to address the threat of a Chinese-centred Sphere of Deference on its northern doorstep has left it dangerously exposed and unprepared. The nation is arguably at an all-time low in its ability to shape events and attitudes in Southeast Asia.” —Michael Wesley, Blind Spot
 

Michael Wesley is Professor of Politics and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global, Culture and Engagement) at the University of Melbourne and was formerly Head of the Lowy Institute and Dean of ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific. .His  books include There Goes the Neighbourhood: Australia and the Rise of Asia and Mind of the Nation: Universities in Australian Life. 

Hugh White AO FASSA is Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University. He is the author of The China Choice and How to Defend Australia, and four Quarterly Essays, Power Shift, Without America, Sleepwalk to War and Hard New World.

The vote of thanks will be given by Emeritus Professor James Fox FASSA.

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event.

Michael Wesley in conversation with Geraldine Doogue on Quarterly Essay 101: Blind Spot: Southeast Asia and Australia's Future

Australia has forgotten what keeps it safe. So argues Michael Wesley in this sharp and compelling essay about our place in the world.
Southeast Asia is the key to our national security and prosperity. If China dominates the region, as it plans to, Australia will be very vulnerable. So why are we following an American strategy that isolates and alienates us from our neighbours?

Wesley argues that the focus on AUKUS and sticking with Trump is a dangerous distraction. Whereas the United States has little at stake in Southeast Asia, Australia has everything to lose. How did our foreign policy elite become so wedded to the US worldview? What do our Southeast Asian neighbours have to tell us, if only we would listen? Blind Spot is a gripping essay about strategic folly and the future of our region.

“It should be clear that Australia has made the wrong bet: that relying on the US alliance to address the threat of a Chinese-centred Sphere of Deference on its northern doorstep has left it dangerously exposed and unprepared. The nation is arguably at an all-time low in its ability to shape events and attitudes in Southeast Asia.” —Michael Wesley, Blind Spot


Michael Wesley’s books include There Goes the Neighbourhood: Australia and the rise of Asia and Mind of the Nation: Universities in Australian life. He is Professor of Politics and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global, Culture and Engagement) at the University of Melbourne and was formerly head of the Lowy Institute and dean of ANU’s College of Asia and the Pacific.

Geraldine Doogue has had a long and distinguished career in various arms of Australian journalism. She is currently co-presenter, with Hamish Macdonald, of the podcast/RN program Global Roaming, which focuses each week on international developments that influence Australia’s place in the world. For the previous 18 years Geraldine presented RN’s Saturday Extra, which specialised in foreign policy, regional issues, good books, good travel.

Michael Wesley will discuss Quarterly Essay 101 at Stanton Library.

Southeast Asia has never been more important to Australia – and Australia has never been more alienated from Southeast Asia and with so little idea of what to do about it. What has our foreign policy elite's subservience to the United States stopped us from seeing and doing?

This event will be held on Level 1 and is accessible for people using mobility aids via lift. A hearing loop is also installed.

About the author

Michael Wesley is a Professor of Politics and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global, Culture and Engagement) at the University of Melbourne and formerly head of the Lowy Institute and dean of ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific.

Readings Carlton are delighted to host the launch of Julie Andrews' Where's All the Community? Aboriginal Melbourne Revisited.

Julie Andrews will be in conversation with Jedda Atkinson-Costa to discuss this groundbreaking account of the people and places that have shaped Aboriginal Melbourne.

In Where's All the Community? Andrews paints a vivid portrait of the Aboriginal community in Melbourne, from 1835 to today.

Drawing on extensive interviews with community members, her research in anthropology and her own family's story, Andrews traces the bonds that have shaped and sustained Aboriginal Melbourne. She explores the importance of kinship, geographic mobility and ties to other First Nations communities. She considers health, education and housing, including the crucial role played by Aboriginal-led organisations. And she describes the ongoing campaigns for social justice, land rights and self-determination.

Professor Julie Andrews OAM is a descendant of the Yorta Yorta people. Her community and family connection is to the Aboriginal Melbourne community and the Cummeragunja Aboriginal Reserve. She also has connection to the Wiradjuri and Wurrundjeri Woiwurrung peoples. Her family has been instrumental in establishing Melbourne Aboriginal organisations and Aboriginal women's networks across Australia. She is director of the Gabra Biik Wurruwila Wutja Indigenous Research Centre at La Trobe University.

Jedda Atkinson-Costa is a proud Wemba Wemba, Yorta Yorta and Mutti Mutti woman from Narrm. Growing up with a love for storytelling, she pursued a Bachelor of Communication (journalism) before forging a media career as a cross-platform news reporter at the ABC. During her time at the national broadcaster, Jedda wrote stories that would go on to earn her the Victorian Rural Press Club's Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2021. She has since used her skills to train and support grassroots campaigners and community advocates to better understand the country's media landscape. Having worked within various media and Aboriginal community spaces, Jedda has become a vibrant presenter and host with a passion for uplifting voices within her community. She currently works as a Media and Communications Advisor at the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria.

Join us for a conversation with Michael Wesley, one of Australia's most respected observers of world affairs, as he explores why Australia perennially overlooks Southeast Asia in its geopolitical considerations. Our cultural and strategic ties lie in the Western world, and our economic links are overwhelmingly in North Asia. So, what is Southeast Asia to Australia? Why does the region matter, and what should Australia do to overcome its long-sightedness?

The conversation will be moderated by Sam Roggeveen, Director of the Lowy Institute's International Security Program.

Join us as foreign policy analyst and commentator Professor Michael Wesley discusses his Quarterly Essay with Misha Ketchell, Editor of The Conversation.

In his Quarterly Essay Michael Wesley outlines why Southeast Asia has never been more important to Australia – and Australia has never been more alienated from Southeast Asia and with so little idea of what to do about it.

For Australia, the region holds the key to our security and prosperity. Yet as a society we have never fully grasped its importance. Our gaze has vaulted over Southeast Asia towards Northeast Asia's industrial giants, and now towards a rising India. Yet Southeast Asia is where the future world order will be decided – the place where China's bid for regional power will succeed or fail.

This illuminating, original essay reveals Australia's blind spot. What do we need to know about Southeast Asia? What has our foreign policy elite's subservience to the United States stopped us from seeing and doing? What do our neighbours have to tell us, if only we could hear? This is an essay about values, imagination and a new way of seeing ourselves.

Be inspired by ex-Greens leader and lifelong environmentalist, Bob Brown, in conversation with ABC broadcaster Hilary Harper, as he discusses some of the pivotal campaigns of his career and examples of active resistance. This will be an empowering session for young and old who want to stand up for the planet.

We are delighted to invite you to hear Michael Wesley, Professor of Politics and Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Melbourne, talking about Quarterly Essay 101: The Crucible: Southeast Asia and Australia's Future

Southeast Asia has never been more important to Australia - and Australia has never been more alienated from Southeast Asia and with so little idea of what to do about it. This illuminating, original essay reveals Australia's blind spot. What do we need to know about Southeast Asia? What has our foreign policy elite's subservience to the United States stopped us from seeing and doing? What do our neighbours have to tell us, if only we could hear? This is an essay about values, imagination and a new way of seeing ourselves.

Join us for the Brisbane launch of the new Quarterly Essay 101 on Australia and Asia by Michael Wesley

ABOUT THE BOOK

Southeast Asia has never been more important to Australia – and Australia has never been more alienated from Southeast Asia and with so little idea of what to do about it.
For Australia, the region holds the key to our security and prosperity. Yet as a society we have never fully grasped its importance. Our gaze has vaulted over Southeast Asia towards Northeast Asia's industrial giants, and now towards a rising India. Yet Southeast Asia is where the future world order will be decided – the place where China's bid for regional power will succeed or fail.
This illuminating, original essay reveals Australia's blind spot. What do we need to know about Southeast Asia? What has our foreign policy elite's subservience to the United States stopped us from seeing and doing? What do our neighbours have to tell us, if only we could hear? This is an essay about values, imagination and a new way of seeing ourselves.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Wesley's books include There Goes the Neighbourhood: Australia and the Rise of Asia and Mind of the Nation: Universities in Australian Life. He is Professor of Politics and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Global, Culture and Engagement) at the University of Melbourne and was formerly head of the Lowy Institute and dean of ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific.

Is it possible to write a singular story about Australia?

In his Shortest History of Australia, eminent historian Mark McKenna distils hundreds of years of post-encounter and many thousands of years of First Nations history into a concise but wide-ranging, thoughtful, generous history. As we learn not only from First Nations storytellers but all those who have been marginalised by conventional histories, we need new ways of understanding who we are and where we have come from. In this McKenna includes Country itself as historical actor – a leading player in our story rather than its backdrop. This is a bold, creative, and short book that presents Australia in striking new light. ‘Original, eloquent and moving,’ writes Tom Griffiths on the book’s jacket, ‘this book takes us on ‘a revelatory journey’.

This conversation will be held in-person at St James’ King Street and streamed live. Please join us for refreshments in the crypt after the event.

In their recent, gripping novels, Kate Mildenhall and Holly Wainwright establish secluded, seemingly idyllic worlds where tensions build and secrets emerge. The question transpires: how well do we really know our friends? In conversation with Nina Cullen, Kate and Holly speak about betrayal, trust, and the pressures of parenthood.

Susan Lever will be in conversation with Robert Hefner on her new book A.D. Hope. A Life, the first biography one of Australia's greatest poets.

Alec Derwent Hope (1907–2000), with a long association with the Australian National University, was one of Australia's most acclaimed poets. His first collection was not published until he was forty-eight years old, mainly because of its sexual nature and fears of censorship, but its release cemented his reputation as the pre-eminent Australian poet of his time.This biography recounts Hope's early life in rural Tasmania, the influences of his education at Sydney and Oxford universities, his notoriety as a critic and wit in the 1940s and '50s, and his career as a poet and academic, which placed him at the centre of Australian literary life for over fifty years.

Drawing on Hope's poetry, notebooks and surviving letters to friends, biographer Susan Lever examines the many contrasts and contradictions of Hope's life: a polite, softly spoken man with a savage wit; a professor who refused to confine himself to the narrow specialisations of the academy; an intellectual with an emotionally complex inner life who lived in an outwardly conventional way in ordinary Australian suburbia; a poet responding to the major cultural shifts of the twentieth century and concluding that the contemporary poet's task was the renewal of tradition.

'In this highly engaging biography, Susan Lever provides invaluable insight into one of Australia's most important cultural figures, revealing A. D. Hope to be a poet of complexity, a generous promoter of other writers and an early advocate of Australian literary studies. This finely-researched book should generate much-needed fresh readings of Hope and his work.' —Ann Vickery,

Dr Susan Lever OAM, a graduate of the ANU and Sydney University, taught literature for many years at the University of New South Wales, Canberra, and she is the author and editor of several books, including The Oxford Book of Australian Women's Verse and A Question of Commitment: Australian Literature in the Twenty Years after the War.

Robert Hefner is a former Acting Editor and Assistant Editor of Eureka Street. He was Literary Editor of The Canberra Times from 1988 to 2000 and currently works as a freelance writer, editor and musician.

The vote of thanks will be given by Emeritus Professor Paul Hetherington.

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event.

Readings Carlton are delighted to host the launch of award–winning author Kate Holden's The Ruin of Magic.

Kate Holden will be in-conversation with Chloe Hooper to discuss the book.

In gorgeous prose Holden meditates on her instinctive yearning for long-ago Europe versus the natural belonging she feels to the Australian landscape, and asks, What is a home? The strongest shelter or the most lethal trap, a museum of ourselves or a showcase of fashions? What, then, does it mean to make ourselves at home in an Australia still finding its way amidst old and avoided truths? Is nostalgia a reasonable mourning of timeless lore lost or a dangerous fantasy? And what has happened to magic and beauty in the glare of modern life?

Tony Abbott and Mark McKenna with Sally Warhaft

Books about Australia’s past continue to engage readers and dominate non-fiction bestseller lists. Tony Abbott, Rhodes Scholar, history buff, former parliamentarian and Australia’s 28^th Prime Minister, and Emeritus Professor Mark McKenna, of the University of Sydney (author of The Shortest History of Australia), will discuss their new books with anthropologist and broadcaster Sally Warhaft.

Chris Hammer, Lee Kofman and Kate Holden with Hannie Rayson  

Three writers, each with very different writing styles and books, discuss what compelled them to write in their own voice, and capture their own thoughts on page. Playwright Hannie Rayson, who also takes workshops on memoir and biography writing, will host this event. 

Sarah Bailey, Kate Mildenhall and Heather Rose with Jaclyn Crupi

For years, they forged successful careers in professions unrelated to the literary world. The desire to write a book  was too powerful, however. At what point can writers in Australia afford to go full-time? How do they survive financially, and how precarious/scary/rewarding/joyful is their choice?

Bob Brown, Tom McIlroy and Marian Wilkinson with Jo Dyer

This esteemed panel - former Greens leader Bob Brown, Guardian political editor Tom McIlroy and Walkley Award-winning journalist Marian Wilkinson - discuss "when did climate change politics become unsexy?"

Peter Doherty, Elizabeth Finkel and Corey Tutt with Libbi Gorr

What has caused some communities to doubt science’s research, findings and facts? And how much of this new scepticism is fuelled by politics? 

This session is supported by DeadlyScience  

Kate Holden, Lucinda Froomes Price and Jayne Tuttle with Peter Wilmoth

These writer guests reveal why they decided to commit their own personal stories to paper, and how cathartic (or otherwise) the process proved to be. 

Helen Trinca and Susan Wyndham with Laura Macdonald

The brilliant Australian post-war novelist and short story writer Elizabeth Harrower was private and guarded, and for many years readers knew little about her. With the arrival of two new biographies about her life, a new 21st Century fan club is emerging.

Hear from Moreno Giovannoni on his latest book, The Immigrants, a story of love, dreams, exile and tragedy, told with heartbreaking beauty.

Set in the Victorian town of Mitrefò, The Immigrants depicts a family as they build a new life in a strange land. Through love and exile, industry and tragedy, their unspoken dreams and fears unfold in this astonishing and moving book.

Moreno Giovannoni is the author of the critically acclaimed The Fireflies of Autumn and a freelance translator. The Immigrants was shortlisted for the 2026 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.

Emma Shortis, Bruce Wolpe and Don Watson with Heather Ewart  

President Theodore Roosevelt once said: "The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.” Our panel stress-tests this theory against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s second administration and considers the country’s future as a world leader and prosperous, integrated civil democracy. 

Elizabeth Finkel, Jane Montgomery Griffiths and Sean Scalmer with Inala Cooper

In recent times, technology, sciences and technical skills have been deeply connected with jobs for the future,  while humanities were undervalued and resource-starved. With the arrival of AI, perhaps it’s time to rethink  the value of critical thinking, creativity, historical and social analysis, and clear communication. Welcome back, history, literature, philosophy and civics! Our panel discusses.

"We just have to be defiant,” says lifelong environmental activist and former Greens leader Dr Bob Brown. His new book Defiance presents challenges and provocations, ideas and new thinking, concern and optimism - and leaves the reader breathless with possibilities. We are honored to have Bob join us at Sorrento, in conversation with journalist and author Virginia Trioli.

Richard King and Toby Walsh with Seth Robinson

How humans might co-exist harmoniously with AI to achieve good is one of the most vexing questions of our age. Its positive impacts on education, science and medicine, research, climate and commerce are already part of our lives.  But what is the physical cost of digital intelligence? And how does it threaten our social and political fabric?  

Dennis Altman, Esther Anatolitis and Mark McKenna with Inala Cooper 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pretty much declared no referendum on whether Australia should become a republic - at least, not on his watch. Yet in the UK, calls for greater public scrutiny of the British Monarchy grow louder, while the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor saga continues to tarnish reputations and harness anti-Royal public sentiment.  The panel discusses: what next for Australia and the King as our Head of State? 

Don Watson with Paul Daley

Award-winning author, historian and contributor to The Monthly, Don Watson, joins journalist and author Paul Daley for a deep-dive into The Shortest History of the United States of America, Don’s new bestselling new book. 

Helen Trinca, Nadia Wheatley, Geordie Williamson and Susan Wyndham with Jason Steger

Join these biographers as they recall the journey of researching and writing the stories of some remarkable women authors. 

Join us for a drink and hear what it’s like to have your writing work acknowledged by the literary and journalism communities – with Bri Lee, Sofie Laguna, Erik Jensen, Patrick Mullins and Pip Williams. 

Candice Fox, Rosalie Ham and Niall Williams with Kate Mildenhall

Candice Fox, Rosalie Ham and Niall Williams have experienced their books being optioned and turned into movies. They discuss with writer Kate Mildehnall the process of seeing your characters and storyline come to life on the big screen. 

John Silvester, Kate Wild and Marian Wilkinson with Madeleine Grummet

An investigative journalist's anatomy of a scandal often reveals attempts to cover up, bury information, lie, blame others and fabricate stories result in more harm and more illegal or inappropriate behaviour. Our three multi award-winning journalists discuss what happens when smart people panic. 

Peter FitzSimons, Jock Serong and Helen Trinca with Michael Cathcart

How does a biographer deal with the ghost in the room, the person whose story you are trying to tell - creatively, engagingly and with accuracy? How do biographers navigate their way through truth, empathy, objectivity, admiration and those ”Eureka!” moments of discovery as they retell someone’s life journey? 

Sean Scalmer, Sarah Wilson and Toby Walsh with Stephen Lunn

In just five years, office life for most Australians has changed beyond what anyone might have imagined 10 or 20 years ago. Our panel members will share their research and observations how the modern worker’s routine has changed, and why anxiety, stress, breakdowns in physical and mental capacities, performative productivity and the erosion of home-work boundaries are very real challenges to employers and employees.

Bri Lee, Kate Mildenhall and JP Pomare with Hannie Rayson
Where do great characters come from? Do your family or friends ever recognise themselves in your work? And why is the flawed, imperfect oddball in a novel way more interesting than someone nice? 

Troy Bramston, Lucinda Holdforth and Don Watson with Libbi Gorr

Whether it’s a wedding, a funeral, a conference or a key-note, writing and delivering speeches is no easy task. Our three panel members - each speechwriters to Australian politics leaders - discuss how to take audiences on a journey they’ll never forget. 

Geraldine Brooks, Jennifer Byrne, Annabel Crabb and Marian Wilkinson with Tom Wright 

This session is supported by Pitcher Partners

Evelyn Araluen, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Erik Jensen, Richard King, Thomas Mayo and Richard Piper with Jane Montgomery Griffiths

This session is supported by I-Nex

Madeleine Gray, Sarah Krasnostein, Michael Shmith and Georgie Williamson with Jason Steger

Elizabeth Buchanan, Bob Carr and Toby Walsh with Steve Bracks 

War, invasion and conflict are still alive and well but in 2026, there are new forces in play threaten a nation’s security, including cyberspace and data centre control, “green grabbing” and the dismantling of indigenous land sovereignty, and acquiring land to ensure supply chains function. Our panel reflects upon land’s role as ultimate superpower asset.

Konrad Marshall, Martin McKenzie-Murray with Rose Donohoe

Newspaper sports sections - and sporting books - still produce some of journalism’s best reporting and finest writing. Our panel discusses why.

Chris Kohler and Marian Wilkinson with Daniel Ziffer  

Panel member Chris Kohler’s new book How They Get You:  Sneaky Everyday Economics and Smart Ways to Hold on to Your Money is the catalyst for a conversation with investigative journalist Marian Wilkinson about businesses that behave badly - and what communities can do to fight back. 

Sean Kelly, Amy Remeikis, Don Watson with Brendan Donohoe  

At a time when political pundits are questioning the Liberal -National Party alliance and its capacity to win government, our panel dissects the past, present and future of conservative politics in Australia. 

Readings Carlton are delighted to host the launch of Sirens: Inside the Shadow World of First Responders Martin McKenzie-Murray.

Martin McKenzie-Murray will be in-conversation with Gideon Haigh to discuss the book. 

Three first responders - a paramedic, a police officer and a firefighter - are motivated by a desire to serve the community. But they are drawn to their work by more complicated impulses as well- a need for control, an acute awareness of danger, and childhood experiences they are still running from.

Peter, a paramedic, served at high-profile disasters including the Port Arthur massacre and the Beaconsfield mine collapse. Tara, a firefighter, experienced devastating loss at a young age. Brett, a police officer, survived childhood neglect and abuse. In telling their stories, Martin McKenzie-Murray draws on his own experience and his research into trauma and recovery to ask profound questions about human motivation and survival.

This is a free event, but bookings are essential.