THE LIBERTARIAN COMPASS
Essays to Challenge the Status Quo
Richard Davies
Paperback, 244 pages, $29.95
Release Date: August 2025
ISBN 9781923224995
"Liberty is not a luxury — it is the foundation of human flourishing."
This book invites readers to rediscover a political philosophy that places the individual — not the state — at the centre of public life. Libertarianism is rooted in the belief that people flourish best when free to make their own choices, trade freely, associate voluntarily, take personal responsibility, and live without coercion from an overreaching government.
In an age of growing bureaucracy, creeping authoritarianism, and mounting economic distortion, libertarianism offers not just resistance — but a compelling alternative. This collection of forty short essays explores timeless principles through the lens of modern challenges, from economic freedom and decentralisation to civil liberties, community cohesion, and global peace.
These are not academic treatises or party talking points — they are sharp, accessible reflections inquiry, and political observation. Topics range from tax policy and government overreach to personal freedom, cultural resilience, and national prosperity.
What inspired this book was the need for a universal ethical framework — one that makes sense of political choices, supports moral clarity, and helps us build a nation where no one is held back by
bureaucracy or prejudice, and where every person with the will to succeed is free to do so.
As libertarian ideas surge again on the world stage — from Argentina to New Zealand, and across Europe and North America — it’s time to reassert the case for liberty here in Australia.
This book is both a defence of classical liberal values and a challenge to the status quo. It is an invitation to think freely, to question inherited assumptions, and to reimagine what a truly free society could look like today and beyond.
About the Author
Richard Davies is a long-time advocate for liberty, a political organiser, and a lifelong student of ideas. His undergraduate studies were first in Science and then in Economics, along with an MBA and a Master’s in Technology Management, and has completed postgraduate studies in Adult Education, Applied Linguistics, and Migration Law.
Disillusioned by the direction of the major parties — particularly the growing authoritarianism and fiscal recklessness of the Coalition — Richard joined the Libertarian Party (then named Liberal Democrats) in 2013. Like many, he was inspired by Senator David Leyonhjelm’s unapologetic defence of lower taxes, individual freedoms, and limited government.
Since then, Richard has served on both the State and Federal Executives of the Libertarian Party, playing a leading role in its development, strategy, and public messaging. In 2023, he oversaw the transformation of the Queensland Division of the Liberal Democrats into the Libertarian Party of Queensland (LPQ) and currently serves as its inaugural President.
But this book is not party propaganda — it is a personal project, written not as a spokesman, but as a citizen with a passion for ideas. These essays are the result of a decade spent wrestling with political theory and ethics, engaging with policy, and walking the difficult line between idealism and real-world compromise.
Libertarianism, to Richard, is more than a set of economic preferences. It is a vision of human dignity and peaceful cooperation — a way of ordering society that empowers people, trusts their judgment, and defends their right to live free from coercion.
This book is not the end of a conversation, but the beginning of a movement — one that welcomes those who question, who think, and who are ready to reclaim their sovereignty as individuals and citizens, and who are concerned at the state of the world. If you believe Australia deserves a freer, fairer, more prosperous future — welcome aboard.
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