The Big Fix: Rebuilding Australia’s National Security
By Dr Albert Palazzo, Winner – 2025 Sam Bateman Book Prize
Synopsis: Inaugurated in 2021, The Australian Naval Institute’s Commodore Sam Bateman Book Prize is awarded annually by the ANI to recognise excellence in books making a major contribution to the study and understanding of naval and maritime matters. The Prize is sponsored by the National Shipbuilding College and is named after Commodore Sam Bateman AM RAN (1938-2020), a former ANI Councillor and strategic thinker in recognition of his efforts to raise greater awareness of naval and/or maritime matters and progressing the understanding and value of navies in society.
The winner of the 2025 SBBP is Albert Palazzo and his book, ‘The Big Fix’: Rebuilding Australia’s National Security. The Big Fix is a bold and frequently scathing critique of recent Australian defence policy, framed heavily by the 2024 National Defence Strategy and AUKUS agreement. In an unashamed challenge to the status quo, Albert offers a bold and unique alternative policy perspective for Australia’s defence and in this episode of Saltwater Strategists, host Duncan MacRae sits down with Albert to unpack the book’s many controversial themes.
Link: https://soundcloud.com/saltwater-strategists/5-4-the-big-fix-rebuilding
