Book Review: Elianne by Judy Nunn and the "Asian nannies" solution

As far as Australian authors go, Judy Nunn is one of my favourites. Her greatest strength, to me, is her uncanny knack and skill in bringing the history of this country back to life, in full technicolour! Through much of my travels through this country, I remember her books and the cities they are based on - the characters, the lives and the livelihoods, the history and the historical events, the struggles and the hopes of common men and women...

I spent most of last week devouring her latest work, Elianne, (Random House Australia, published October 2013). And now I've got a terrible case of 'book hangover'. The book relates a sweeping saga of the Durham family, from the 1880s era of blackbirding right through to the 'free love' and Vietnam War 1960s. 'Elianne' is the young French wife of British Australian soldier Big Jim. To show his love for his wife, Jim builds a grand estate around his sugarcane plantation and mill in Bundaberg, Queensland and names it "Elianne".

Bundaberg's early sugar industry was the result of semi-slave labour by the "Kanaka"s 'recruited' from Pacific islands such as Vanuatu. (In fact, Vanuatu has recently called upon Australia to officially apologise for blackbirding). Elianne traces the relationship between White Durhams and their Kanaka labour as the laws of the land change, make the practice illegal and deport most of the Islander labour from Australia in the early 1900s even as the "White Australia Policy" started with the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901.

Fast forward to the 1950s and 60s, Elianne's great grand children are now adults and have caught on to the catchphrase of the decade: Freedom. Freedom to love, to rock 'n' roll, to go on the Pill, to fight for their own rights... Australia vows to go 'All the way with LBJ' in the Vietnam War.. Indigenous rights become an important issue for the Australian young, including protagonist Kate. Cars and roads become more commonplace and Elianne's employees start moving into the city rather than live on the estate. Mechanisation changes the character of the sugar mill. Change is the constant here, in Elianne and in Australian life through these decades. Not all members of the Durham family and their employees deal with change well, especially as dark and distant secrets start to surface.

To cover such a long span of time, Judy employs an interesting technique of Kate (in the 1960s) learning more about her great grandmother Elianne through her diaries. The story shifts back and forth between the 1880s/90s to the 1950s/60s making the contrasts stark....

Elianne ends in 1974, showing the remaining characters (and presumably Australia) having transformed into a more tolerant version of themselves. I have to wonder though, what Judy would write if she continued to write about today. When the Prime Minister claims victory for having 100 days without boats! And an NGO focused on promoting Indonesia-Australia relations wants us to employ Asian nannies for $200/week. To compare, a typical shared childcare facility in the CBD is >$100/day. Childcare workers get paid between $20 - $35/hour depending on qualifications, experience and how many children they have under watch.

There are some protectionist reactions of course, just like in 1890s Elianne - ".. they will come here and take away all our jobs.." but to me, even worse are the so-called I-feel-so-much-for-them do-gooders - ".. to be given the opportunity to earn comparatively good money and have their children cared for, to them, would be a vastly better situation than that of their native country". So let me get this straight:

• You pay someone way below the minimum wages of this country
• You completely disregard experience, qualifications, market rates and go only by nationality and skin colour to decide on a "fair" wage
• You actually feel good about it saying at least they are better than in their native country

Huh, I must be back in the 1890s. And to think of the nightmare of managing and enforcing this double market. Oh you look Asian, so you'll charge $200/wk right? What do you mean you are Australian, you look Asian enough to me! Oh - do I have to check passports now before employing nannies. And have to vet the agency, just in case they are exploiting foreign labour even more than the law allows them to! Urgghh!! Social change is the mantra in Elianne, but I wish the change stopped in Elianne's version of 1974. Where this country - collectively and individually - is tolerant, free of prejudices and poised to lead the world in modern times.