Australia: A History: A history by the former Prime Minister Tony Abbott with a foreword by Geoffrey Blainey; from ancient land to great democracyHow an ancient land became a great democracy Australia is one of the world's great success stories: a land long hidden from outsiders, chosen as a convict dumping ground, where since 1788 people from many backgrounds have built one of the freest, fairest and most prosperous countries on earth. By the standards of a harsher time, the early governors tried to respect the original inhabitants and to encourage the convict outcasts of the British Isles to