Far more than just a foreign policy issue, Australia’s response to China is reshaping the country’s domestic politics as well. Few will dispute that Canberra’s relationship with Beijing is at an “all-time low”, but there is little consensus as to what has brought us to this point. How and why did Australia-China relations fall apart, and where is this leading? Is Australia’s choice, as some would have it, a simple one of confrontation or capitulation? Or are there better ways forward?

Join us for a panel discussion to mark the release of David Brophy’s China Panic. Richard Rigby will chair the event, and will be joined by David, Yun Jiang, and Iain Henry.

Australia has now woken up to China’s challenge, from passing foreign interference laws to banning Huawei from our 5G network. But at what cost? Will we see a further slump in relations? How best to protect our security, economy and identity?

Drawing on interviews with Scott Morrison, Malcolm Turnbull and other key policymakers, as well as leading Sinologists and a rare interview with Australia’s spy chief, Red Zone is a gripping look at China’s power and Australia’s future.

Mark McKenna has come to be regarded as one of Australia’s most esteemed historians. His new book, Return to Uluru, unravels the story of an incident which occurred at Uluru in 1934, the killing of an Aboriginal man by a white policeman, a story that Mark came to see as a mirror for race relations during those early years of exploration of the centre.

Join us for a conversation with bestselling author of memoirs Unpolished Gem and Her Father’s Daughter and award-winning writer of Laurinda, Alice Pung. Pung’s latest novel One Hundred Days is a mother–daughter drama exploring the faultlines between love and control. Hosted by performer, library officer and audio narrator of One Hundred Days, Sun Park, don’t miss this conversation with one of Australia’s most celebrated authors as she discusses the novel and what went into writing this new work.

The YVWF makes its in-real-life debut! The festival runs 16–18 July and this year’s program will champion resilience.

Don’t miss these Black Inc. authors:

• Don Watson (Watsonia) and Billy Griffiths (Deep Time Dreaming) at the opening night
• Don Watson in conversation about his collection, Watsonia
• Kate Holden on The Winter Road, a true story of murder and land ownership
• Alice Pung (One Hundred Days) on the power of the mother figure
• Dennis Glover, author of Factory 19, on Australia’s class divide
• Sean O’Beirne (A Couple of Things Before the End) on short stories and Helen Garner

Click through for more details.