2004 is the centenary of the Australian federal industrial system, and, in recognition of this landmark anniversary, Stuart Macintyre and Joseph Isaac have edited a volume recounting its first 100 years. The Commonwealth of Australia was federated in 1901. Only three short years later, the Federal Government established a court system to arbitrate over industrial disputes in a country that already had a history of half a century of organized labor.

2004 is the centenary of the Australian federal industrial system, and, in recognition of this landmark anniversary, Stuart Macintyre and Joseph Isaac have edited a volume recounting its first 100 years. The Commonwealth of Australia was federated in 1901. Only three short years later, the Federal Government established a court system to arbitrate over industrial disputes in a country that already had a history of half a century of organized labor.

Volume 2 of The Cambridge History of Australia covers the period 1901 to the present day. It begins with the first day of the twentieth century, which saw the birth of the Commonwealth of Australia. In Part I the fortunes of the nation-state are traced over time: a narrative of national policies, from the initial endeavours to protect Australian living standards to the dismantling of protection, and from maintenance of the integrity of a white settler society to fashioning a diverse, multicultural one. These chapters relate how Australia responded to external challenges and adapted to...