In 1964, Donald Horne described Australia as ‘a lucky country run mainly by second-rate people who share its luck’ in his iconic book. Now, more than five decades later, internationally respected scientist and environmentalist Ian Lowe shows that little has changed after generations of short-sighted leadership. In his frank and fearless way, Lowe assesses the state of Australia in four key areas: our environment, population and society, geographical position, and unrelenting pursuit of economic growth. Highlighting that the global economy and the environment are in crisis, Lowe illustrates the need – and the opportunity – to transform Australia into the world-leading model of sustainable development that we have the potential to become.