Geoffrey Blainey: Writer, Historian, Controversialist

Geoffrey Blainey is often described as Australia's 'greatest living historian', a writer whose prolific output includes such iconic books about the country's past as The Tyranny of Distance and Triumph of the Nomads. However, Blainey has also been a controversial figure. His 1984 comments about Asian immigration triggered a major political controversy. In turn, the reaction of his critics raised fundamental questions about freedom of speech and set the scene for the 'history wars' fought ou...