When Bill Tully, Stephen Matthews and Ian McFarlane sat down in a Canberra café to consider the idea of co-editing a quarterly journal of comment and review, they were, seeking to increase the relevance of Australian literature, and encourage the independence of political, social and cultural comment. That idea became Voice and the first issue was, launched in March 2002. Editorial themes have tackled a diverse range of issues, from the human rights of refugees, Indigenous reconciliation and the environment, to global conflict and economic rationalism, often including a public forum at which invited speakers welcomed discussion and questions from the floor. As contributing editor, Ian McFarlane wrote a series of keynote essays. The elegantly expressed passion of the twenty-one pieces selected here attacks the moral vacuum of right-wing arrogance with a search for humanity

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