People and Politics in Regional New South Wales

People and Politics in Regional New South Wales 1950-2006, Volume Two, recounts half a century of democratic government at a time when old certainties were undermined and established economies were uprooted. It is the story initially of a settled world re-established after the trauma of drought and depression and the trials of war. But the economic and social winds blow, some warm, some chill: old industries die and employment with them; towns wither. Education and technology and lifestyle become the drivers of new economies. The coastal regions boom, and universities replace agriculture and mining as hubs for inland economies and employment. Each region changes in its own direction, and the electors want representation reflecting their local world. The established parties struggle to satisfy these new, changing and sometimes competing demands. The day of the independent dawns This book recounts the political history of each of the eleven regions of country NSW in the second half of the 20th century. It shows how the different regions with varying and changing problems found political solutions to their particular local issues. It is the story of the men and women who took part in state politics at the local level. It explains why some people were elected to parliament, and what they promised, and why others were rejected. It is full of names and places and events, and provides a fresh and unparalleled view of New South Wales.