ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 turns to the 2007 Australian election policy statement of the Howard Coalition Government. Published in October of 2007, I analyse this text first for the way it comments on achievements and draws on statements from past speeches by Prime Minister Howard, to problematize the role of government and its relationship to civil society. The analysis brings into view the representation and conceptualisation of threats crisis and globalisation as key tropes in advancing the notion of a strong, prosperous and secure nation. I also draw out the use of Enlightenment concepts of virtuous and vicious circles, which serve to heighten narratives of risk and choice. A key argument I make in this chapter is the way these liberal/neoliberal narratives enter into discourse as a normalising function to serve the government of human populations.
