The Australian Political Book of the Year Award was established in 2022 by York Park Group and Hill of Content, to recognise the vital part political books play in better understanding Australian politics and public policy.

At a special event at Hill of Content, the Shortlist was announced by one of the Award’s judges, journalist Barrie Cassidy, with speeches from author and political commentator, George Megalogenis, and publisher Morry Schwartz.

“The circus moves on so quickly now that a lot of the stories that matter – who won, why, who did what to whom – they tend to get left behind.” – George Megalogenis

The 2024 Australian Political Book of the Year Award Shortlist is:

• Flawed Hero: Truth, Lies and War Crimes by Chris Masters
• Killing for Country: A Family Story by David Marr
• Bad Cop: Peter Dutton’s Strongman Politics by Lech Blaine
• Donald Horne A Life in the Lucky Country by Ryan Cropp

Each of the Shortlisted authors will receive $1,000.

In determining the Shortlist, the Judges said: “These four books were all chosen because of their combination of dense and compelling storytelling and powerful writing which reflect on the challenging times in which we live and the changing nature of the issues and conduct of our national political debates.”

“It has been another big year, certainly in terms of the entries but also with the quality.” – Barrie Cassidy

Barrie Cassidy described two central themes the Judges noticed among the entries this year: Firstly, that housing was a dominant issue; secondly, the rise of shortform essays, with two Quarterly Essays making the Longlist for the first time.

“I congratulate York Park Group which came up with the idea for this important Award, and the Hill of Content, one of my favourite book shops in the universe, for co-sponsoring it. I congratulate them for the generous and intelligent framing. I predict that it will have a long life and become increasingly central to Australian non-fiction publishing.” – Morry Schwartz

The 2024 Australian Political Book of the Year Award winner will be announced on Wednesday 20 November 2024 by Treasurer the Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra.

The winner will receive $15,000 in prize money.