This book recounts the story of AustraliaaEURO (TM)s nationhood as the story of Australian Liberalism. It is a story of great and continuing debates about how best to meet the material needs of the nation, how to care for those who must look to the community for aid and assistance, and how to establish a role for ourselves in the world in trade as much as in diplomatic terms. It is also a story of strong and colourful personalities with deep convictions, formidable characters, and large ambitions for themselves as well as their country.