Includes index.

Bibliography: p. 332-336.

Contents:
1. The hat goes home -- 2. The baby boomer -- 3. The loner -- 4. The pressure cooker -- 5. The sting in the tail -- 6. Action man! -- 7. The bush spruiker -- 8. Straddling barbed wire -- 9. A question of leadership -- 10. The hat makes it -- 11. Winning back roots -- 12. Courting the silent majority -- 13. Buckets and carts -- 14. A maverick in Asia -- 15. Under the gun -- 16. The peril of Pauline -- 17. Slaying the dragon -- 18. The wombat trail -- 19. Trading places -- 20. Home is where the hat is -- End notes -- Index.

A candid account of the life and career of Tim Fischer, one of Australia's best-known and most respected politicians. June 30, 1999. Tim Fischer, Deputy PM and Leader of the National Party, rises in the House of Representatives to announce his resignatioThis is a fascinating account of the life and career of a man who, for many, bridges the gap between urban and rural Australia. It is an inside look at Australian politics during a time which saw many difficult issues for rural Australia and the nation as whole. It is also the very personal story of a man struggling with the conflicting demands of political life and family life, against the background of his elder son's autism. It is, ultimately, an exploration of just what makes the politician known as