Australia's longest serving Minister for Immigration, Philip Ruddock, advocates for strong and positive immigration
Gladys Berejiklian launches Philip Ruddock's book Nation Building on 21 September in front of 150 guests
Philip and Heather Ruddock with community members at the launch of his book
In the contested debate about immigration in Australia, Philip Ruddock highlights its positive role in building Australia
I have never accepted that immigration should be judged only by its controversies. For all the debate, it remains one of the great nation-building stories of modern Australia and the world.”
SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA, September 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- GLOBAL STORIES ANNOUNCES PHILIP RUDDOCK’S FIRST POLITICAL MEMOIR— Philip Ruddock
Global Stories is pleased to announce the launch of Nation Building: How Immigration Made Australia, the first political memoir from the Hon Philip Ruddock AO, Australia’s second longest-serving federal parliamentarian and longest-serving Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Gladys Berejiklian, a former Premier of New South Wales officially launched the book at an event held at the Philip Ruddock Heritage Centre in Parramatta attended by over 150 community and political leaders.
Nation Building: How Immigration Made Australia argues that immigration did not simply change Australia, it built Australia.
Released on 21 September 2026, Nation Building is Ruddock’s first-hand account of a political career spanning 43 years in the Australian Parliament and his role in reshaping the nation’s immigration system.
Written with journalist and political writer Anthony Brewster, the book moves beyond the controversies that have long defined public discussion of Ruddock’s record. It traces the broader evolution of Australian immigration: from the end of the White Australia policy and the emergence of multiculturalism to the development of a predominantly skills-based migration program.
At its centre is Ruddock’s argument that immigration has been one of the great nation-building forces in modern Australian history, helping to create a younger, stronger, more prosperous and more globally connected country.
The book examines the reforms undertaken during Ruddock’s period as Immigration Minister from 1996 to 2003, including the shift towards skilled migration, new pathways for international students and temporary skilled workers, the mainstreaming of multicultural policy and efforts to maintain public confidence in Australia’s migration and humanitarian programs.
It also confronts the most difficult and divisive episodes of his ministerial career, including the rise of Pauline Hanson, the Tampa affair, unauthorised boat arrivals and the events of 2001. Ruddock reflects on the decisions that were made, the principles that guided them, their consequences and the areas in which Australia could have done better.
Philip Ruddock said the book was intended to place those controversies within the much larger story of immigration and modern Australia.
“I have never accepted that immigration should be judged only by its controversies. For all the debate, it remains one of the great nation-building stories of modern Australia and the world.”
“Immigration did not simply change Australia; it built Australia. This book is not an attempt to silence criticism, but to set down the story as I saw it: how our migration system evolved, what those changes achieved and what immigration must continue to mean for Australia’s nation-building future.”
Global Stories founder Jaqui Lane said Nation Building offers a rare account from a political figure who had been directly involved in some of the most consequential immigration debates and reforms of the modern era.
“Philip Ruddock is one of the most consequential and contested figures in recent Australian political history,” Ms Lane said.
“Nation Building gives readers the opportunity to engage with his record and reasoning in full. The achievements, the controversies and the lasting policy consequences. It is a serious contribution to a debate that is too often reduced to slogans.”
The book includes a foreword by former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration Dr Abul Rizvi, providing an expert perspective on the policy reforms undertaken during Ruddock’s ministerial tenure and their continuing influence on Australia.
The book also turns to what Ruddock describes as “a global dilemma”: the present state of a world increasingly shaped by migration and mass displacement. With 117.8 million people forcibly displaced at the end of 2025, Nation Building examines how conflict, persecution, fragile states, economic insecurity and people smuggling are placing immense pressure on the international refugee system.
The book confronts the difficult question at the heart of modern humanitarian policy: when no country can offer protection to everyone, how should governments identify those most in need, share responsibility fairly and preserve the capacity and public confidence required for a humane and sustainable refugee program?
At a time when immigration, population growth and multiculturalism are again at the centre of national political debate, Nation Building provides both a record of the past and a timely reckoning for Australia’s future.
The book is available for sale in softcover for $39.95 and hardcover for $49.95. A dual-language English and Mandarin edition is also being undertaken and will be available for purchase at end of November . To order online:http://thebookadviser.com.au/product/nation-building-how-immigration-made-australia/
Jaqui Lane
The Book Adviser
jaqui@thebookadviser.com.au
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