'Good-bye the State's Progress': State Enterprise and Labor's Plan for a North Queensland Steel Industry, 1915-20

Abstract

The Ryan and Theodore Queensland Labor governments of 1915-20 have been presented as trailblazers in the development of policies of state ownership, but also as examples of the practical limits of Labor's approach. While most previous work has focused on the enterprises that were successfully established, such as the butchers' shops and the state hotel, this article examines the ultimately unfulfilled plans to build a state iron and steel works in northern Queensland. It sets the plans to establish a nationalised iron and steel industry in Queensland in its specific local and regional context, and acknowledges the influence of a broader regional development agenda. It is argued that while the nationalisation issue has traditionally been seen in 'big picture' terms, regional and local factors need to be considered in more detail.