Drawing on a lifetime of public service and reflection, Peter Baume addresses decision-making, medicine, death, liberalism, climate change and social justice with clarity, compassion and intellectual rigour.

The title of this book is perfect and its gripping writing style concentrates the reader’s mind. Peter Baume and I have been close friends for over 50 years and I know that his mind is outstanding.

The book reveals a vast range of issues succinctly. It is riveting to read and is so challenging that I could not resist rereading many of the paragraphs. I found myself contemplating the intense relevance of each segment to our lives.

Peter is a charming man with an extremely noble intellect. This is evident in each chapter as Peter explores human nature and the challenges that most of us face. His insights are revealed in the first paragraph of the first chapter: Making Decisions.

Having had an extensive career in many spheres each chapter reveals many diverse themes and Peter’s learning from them. Chapter two: Doctors and Doctoring reveals that in a most enlightened manner. His years as a medical practitioner were vital to Peter and most beneficial to his patients and all who associated with him in his crucial work. While Peter was to have many other successful aspects of his career the commencement of his medical profession was especially important.

Chapter three is entitled ‘Dying’. As in every chapter it is most informative, analytical and compassionate. Wisely and humanely Peter supports voluntary assisted dying. Needless to say I agree with him completely. His conclusion to this chapter reflects the views of so many people I know. But most politicians still adhere to uninformed assertions against allowing people to make their own decisions about death being introduced into their body when all quality of life has gone. When this is considered carefully by close family members those with caring love will support requests to be able to die with dignity. Our law should allow that when citizens are in nursing homes or in homes of dearest relatives when lacking memory or a capacity to recognise even family members or close friends.

I have experienced such situations and will never forget when I visited a close friend in Sydney after I had not seen him for several years. As I entered the room in which he and other patients lived he smiled briefly in recognition of me but could not engage in conversation about anything that I said about holidays and other experiences that we had shared over many years. His wife experienced this each day she saw him. Yet our laws do not allow dementia people like him to be granted a medically prescribed death. The deep sadness of family and friends who witness such experiences should be reduced by humane treatment and laws.

In the final paragraph of this chapter Peter concludes with words that are humane and compelling: “ We are going to die. Let us do it peacefully. Let us not ask those we love most to watch us suffer badly in the last days of our hospital life. Let us make decisions about ourselves, advised by medical experts. It is our dying and our life.”

The next chapter – Classic Liberalism in Crisis – reveals the importance of liberalism to this topic and another reason why the Liberal Party has ceased to be liberal. Peter mentions the many roles he had in the Liberal Party over many years. In each he displayed true liberalism. These are amplified in this chapter.

“This chapter is written because of desolation at what the Party is presenting," he writes. “It is written because the Liberal Party no longer promotes values important to many of us voters. It no longer talks about us, our hopes, our problems, our concerns, our lives. It seems not to endorse the idea of obligation. It seems to decry the educated and affluent. At present it seems not worth supporting. I express opinions that I have expressed many times.”

Peter continues to express opinions that we have shared for decades and which I have expressed also, especially after I lost preselection from the Liberal Party in 1989 by the Victorian Head Office for expressing liberal principles and opinions consistent with Fraser government policies.

Peter adds that many who voted for Independent candidates in the last two federal elections are disaffected liberals. Most of the elected Independents are women, termed ‘Teals’. When Peter and I were in Parliament there were very few women. Therefore, we expressed the views of feminists and tried to influence our head office officials in Sydney and Melbourne to encourage more women to seek pre-selection. Such genuinely liberal views were dismissed by the two head offices. The power asserters did not want liberals raising public opinion against their positions. This has almost deprived the Liberal Party of access to visionary people.

Peter is correct when he writes: “Moderate people have stopped supporting the Liberal Party of Australia and its vote is therefore dropping steadily. And worse still, many voters do not see any reason to support the Liberal Party in the future, to return to it, to vote for it once more.”

The remainder of the chapter extends this examination of the prospects of a return of a genuinely liberal party and the fact that the Liberal Party will lose majority support if it does not return to liberal values.

The next chapter – Politics of Warfare – extends further the philosophy of liberalism and its practical application as it covers issues beginning with climate change.

As in other chapters, each page is succinctly filled with information and analysis. In this case the emphasis is on welfare needs until the issue of constitutional reform is raised and why it is vital to our achievement of all other issues raised. Given the vast changes in transport and communications technology since 1901 when the Constitution was implemented there are many aspects of the Constitution that are outdated and  need substantial rewriting. I have studied it closely over decades and believe that Peter has, again, drawn attention to it succinctly. One of its benefits will be to draw attention to welfare policies in a more cost effective manner.

Chapter six tackles climate change, where Peter compellingly argues: “The climate is changing too rapidly, and human activity is contributing to that precipitous change. The results for our world are already very bad and will be disastrous in the future. It is because of that contribution by human activity that we must act now.” Peter amplifies that assertion with reference to scientific research.

In the rest of that chapter Peter succinctly reports on current scientific developments in climate change action. He reports that “renewable energy is now the cheapest form of energy available. And it will become cheaper. And we will gain extra ability to store what is produced cleanly. The present opponents of necessary actions will become more irrelevant with each year that passes.”

With further wisdom Peter writes “Australia is an island with a long coastline. Tides are independent of wind and sun and we have yet to harness the many tides around our island to make energy for all of us. That energy would be reliable. It would be clean. That is, it would not be dependent on the sun shining or the wind blowing.” Peter briefly outlines how this would be achieved. He cites the German successful process of transitioning from coal without hurting too much financially.

Peter emphasises that “coal mining is dying as an industry.” He leaves us in no doubt that about why it should: “The coal industry appears to be using the same tactics as the tobacco industry used. It denies the legitimacy of the compelling evidence and it seeks to sow doubt in the minds of the community.” As Peter stresses, while there has been some action federally we need more and soon.

Another important chapter in Peter’s book deals with the formation and application of policies important to the wellbeing of mostly neglected First Australians. As Peter writes: “We have to confront our troubled past and face the injustices that we have inflicted on Indigenous people.” He then outlines actions that should be taken. I cannot resist quoting another of Peter’s fine words on page 64: “I first sat in the Senate with an Aboriginal Australian (Neville Bonner) who had been President of the One People of Australia League – an assimilationist organisation. He was a wonderful friend who taught me so much about the Senate and about how to be a politician and a better human being.”

All of this chapter is important in recording the extreme failures of the past in the absence of caring policies for First Nations people.

The final chapter – Violence against Women – is an excellent summary of a tragic issue that requires determined action. Peter writes: “There is an epidemic of domestic violence against women. A woman dies from domestic violence in Australia every four days….They stay in those relationships because they have no where else to go.”

In the final paragraphs of the book he writes: “Because we need the attitudes of the whole society to change, privileged people with no lived experience of domestic violence and the unfair treatment of women must be part of the change that must occur. Angry women might give the messages and then the parliamentarians (many of them being privileged people) will hopefully pass the necessary laws. But more of the status quo will not do – the present situation is not good enough.

“In fact, the problem goes deeper – new laws and procedures are necessary, but change will only occur if communal attitudes change – and that is more difficult – but worth pursuing, and we will watch our political leaders to see if they are promoting that change.”

I only add that this is an issue for all men and boys – most violence is by male perpetrators. Thanks to Peter this vital issue should be even more in the public domain and be a major concern and receive overwhelming support from the public in passing extensive legislative reform.

I hope that what I have written will convince citizens concerned with essential issues in our social, economic and foreign policy that this book is vital to a real understanding of Australia’s imminent future.

I strongly believe that Peter Baume’s succinct book is vital to the increasing learning of all Australians and should be in all universities, high schools and social and business organisations.