Savva’s Bulldozed wins Australian Political Book of the Year

Niki Savva has won the 2023 Australian Political Book of the Year award for her book Bulldozed (Scribe).

Bulldozed was announced as the winner at an event at the National Press Club in Canberra on 25 October. The book was selected from a shortlist of four titles, revealed earlier this month, which also included Australia’s China Odyssey: From euphoria to fear (James Curran, NewSouth), Black Lives, White Law: Locked up and locked out in Australia (Russell Marks, La Trobe), and Crossing the Line (Nick McKenzie, Hachette).

Savva receives $15,000 in prize money—a 50% increase on last year’s inaugural prize. Each shortlisted author also receives $1000.

Introduced last year by Collins, the award recognises the books ‘the judges believe provide the most compelling contribution to understanding Australian political events and debates’. This year’s judging panel included Laura Tingle, Barrie Cassidy and John Warhurst.

Judges said that Bulldozed was a ‘unanimous choice’ for the 2023 award: ‘Savva’s blunt and often eye-popping account of the Morrison Government has smashed the mould of contemporary writing on our country’s political contest, which is so often relegated to a rushed retelling of events, usually by the winners who get to shape the historical narrative, using multiple anonymous sources and hindsight. What emerges is a portrait of politics as something beyond just partisan politics and ideology.’

The 2022 winner was Dean Ashenden for Telling Tennant’s Story: The strange career of the great Australian silence. More information about the award is available on its website.

Category: Awards Local news