AustLit

'How is it possible that an impoverished Welsh stonecutter could rise to the position of the first Labor Premier of South Australia?

'Born to an alcoholic father and an illiterate mother, Tom Price would overcome the daunting obstacles of the slums of Liverpool, become an apprentice at the age of nine, discover the value of education and, against the odds, marry the woman he loved. Immigrating to South Australia to seek remedy from stonecutters’ lung disease, Tom and his family possessed nothing but a chest of belongings and determination to somehow make the world a happier place for working men and women.

'Within three decades Tom as master mason would carve the columns of Parliament House before entering its chambers as a politician, feared by the conservatives and loved by the people.' (Publication summary)

'Teenagers Danny and Ned are at home on the family farm for the school holidays. The drought is taking its toll and their parents Sal and Monty don't seem to be getting on. When Ned finds out their father has been accessing an internet site advising ways to commit suicide, both children fear the worst.'

Source: ABC Radio National's Airplay website, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/airplay/
Sighted: 21/07/2010

A doctor treats an Indigenous Australian patient who admits to having defied a tribal taboo and visited a sacred cave. After the encounter, the doctor begins to experience strange dreams, and finds herself drawn into a 200-year-old mystery.