If Australian politics and public policy is a war of ideas, the National Press Club is the battleground. For the past half-century, the NPC has been the epicentre of political and social debate in Australia. Leaders and opinion-makers have used its stage to launch leadership bids, rattle the cage of public opinion with courageous and sometimes outrageous ideas, and make a stand. Stand & Deliver brings to life the NPC's rich and colourful history by presenting the best speeches of the past fifty years. It also lifts the lid on the protests and controversies experienced by this national institution. Featuring many of the giants of recent Australian and international history - including Bill Gates, the Dalai Lama, John Howard, Paul Keating, Julia Gillard, Barry Humphries, Germaine Greer and Bob Hawke - Stand & Deliver is an illuminating and entertaining journey through the last fifty years of public debate and discourse that have shaped our nation and the world.