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Beyond the Protective State
註釋Since the 1980s, Australia has undergone a quiet revolution in its national policy for manufacturing industry. Protectionism, the basis of policy for over a century and a strong tenet of Australian political culture, has been abolished and corrective policies phased in. These special industry plans, devised by the Labor Industry Minister Senator John Button, aim to facilitate structural adjustment and force competition, yet leave many Australian industries exposed to volatile world markets. This book is a historical and theoretical account of this transition from a protective to a corrective state. It gives a comprehensive analysis of the corrective policies of the Hawke government and presents case studies of three troubled manufacturing sectors: steel, motor vehicles, and textiles, clothing and footwear. The changing role of the state is discussed: long seen as a vast public utility providing services and infrastructure, the Australian state has been cut back and streamlined by policies of privatisation and corporatisation. Yet the authors argue that there is still a strong role for the state in encouraging and promoting industry, with a level of involvement comparable to the forging of the protective state in the early years of federation. This book makes a significant and timely contribution to writing on the Australian state and economic policy. It will prepare the way for debate on how Australia might create a new political economy beyond the protective state.