Overview
Is Australia a lucky country and has that luck run out? In this unit you will examine the political and economic history of Australia from before colonisation to the present day. The topics that you will explore include health, education, housing, work, and transport. Key episodes to be studied include First Nations' economies, the gold rushes, Federation debates, the impact of the Depression, and the Whitlam reforms. As a political and economic history, your investigation engages with current frontiers of Indigenous historiography and ongoing political and economic debates. At the completion of this unit, you will have a firm grounding in Australia's political and economic history and an understanding of the essential literature.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: Minimum of 18 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
- Collect and critically evaluate relevant scholarly texts and published scholarly criticism using initiative and judgement
- Offer critical syntheses of contending positions in Australian historiography dealing with topics of health, housing, work, transport and education
- Discern qualitative shifts in the drivers of historical change across discrete periods of Australian history
- Engage in immanent critique of the extant scholarship on the intersection of politics and economy in Australian history.
N/A
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Annotated bibliography - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Presentation - 30% | ||||
| 3 - Essay - 40% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Turabian
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.collins2@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
The lucky country?
Chapter
Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
What is the origin of this oft-quoted phrase and how can we ascribe meaning to its sentiment in 21st century Australian society? This introductory seminar considers the contours of the present conjuncture and opens avenues of inquiry from Australia’s distant past into now.
Module/Topic
Story lines
Chapter
Chapter 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived on the continent now known as Australia for at least sixty millennia. This seminar reflects on the frontiers of knowledge regarding their unbroken custodianship of country and explores the tantalising prospects of new forms of knowledge gleaned from indigenous history.
Module/Topic
Genesis?
Chapter
Chapter 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
The story of so-called ‘western civilisation’ posits a series of ‘first encounters’ with the people of an undiscovered great southern land. This seminar examines the historical evidence surrounding these encounters.
Module/Topic
First fleet?
Chapter
Chapter 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
When does the history of ‘Australia’ begin? This question is increasingly controversial given the ambiguity surrounding celebrations like ‘Australia Day.’ This seminar considers the controversy around ‘changing the date’ in relation to what exactly transpired with the arrival of the First Fleet.
Annotated Bibliography Due: Week 4 Wednesday (6 Aug 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Eureka!
Chapter
Chapter 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
The Eureka flag adorns many an arm of a ‘bronzed aussie’ who seeks connection with their national iconography. What happened at the Stockade in 1854 and how has a symbol of struggle from that time come to represent such antagonistic views in the present?
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Such is life?
Chapter
Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Iron-clad bushrangers defying colonial police are a mainstay of the Australian national identity. What political and economic conditions inhered in the autonomous colonies to create the foundations for the emergence of these heroes of Australian tragedy?
Module/Topic
Federation?
Chapter
Chapter 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
What political and economic imperatives underpinned Federation? This seminar examines the various constraints and compulsions surrounding Federation.
Module/Topic
Money! Men! Markets!
Chapter
Chapter 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
What explains the impetus to rapidly expand Australia’s population and economy from the 1920s? How did this policy platform contribute to establishing pathways of economic development within which Australia would be mired for decades to come?
Essay Due: Week 8 Wednesday (10 Sept 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
A lucky country?
Chapter
Chapter 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
What were the sources of Australia’s apparent luck in the so-called ‘golden age’ of capitalism in the period after World War 2?
Module/Topic
Accord?
Chapter
Chapter 10
Events and Submissions/Topic
Why did the Australian federal government embark upon an ambitious strategy of ‘accord’ between labour, capital and the state in the early 1980s?
Module/Topic
Too much luck?
Chapter
Chapter 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
How have the structures of economic governance constrained the ability of Australians to deal with the pressing challenges of the 21st century including climate change and economic inequality?
Module/Topic
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Chapter
Chapter 12
Events and Submissions/Topic
What are the prospects for optimism in the 21st century for those who still call Australia home?
Presentation Due: Week 12 Wednesday (8 Oct 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Annotated bibliography
Students are required to submit an annotated bibliography of 1500 words (+ or - 10%). The bibliography must critically engage 3 scholarly sources chosen from the list available on Moodle and offer 500 words of commentary on each. Detailed instructions are available on the Moodle site.
Week 4 Wednesday (6 Aug 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 6 Wednesday (27 Aug 2025)
The annotated bibliography will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
1. Comprehension - has the student demonstrated comprehension of the key thesis articulated in the article as evident in their choice of quotations?
2. Critical engagement - has the student engaged critically with the key claims in the article as evident in their annotations attached to at least 5 quotations per journal article?
3. Clarity of exposition - has the student exercised discretion in their choice of quotations as evident in the concise and succinct annotation attached to the quote?
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
- Collect and critically evaluate relevant scholarly texts and published scholarly criticism using initiative and judgement
- Offer critical syntheses of contending positions in Australian historiography dealing with topics of health, housing, work, transport and education
2 Essay
Students are to submit an essay of 2000 words (+ or - 10%) in response to ONE of the essay questions listed on the Moodle site.
Students are expected to follow the essay-writing and Turabian referencing guides provided in Moodle, in addition to the format and style of the sample essay. 2 weeks of essay workshops in weeks 6 and 7 are designated for class discussion whereby the research material furnished by the annotated bibliography is considered alongside essay writing techniques so as to inform the preparation of the essay.
This essay will be graded on the CREW principle (Content, Research, and Essay Writing) which is elaborated in detail on the Moodle site in the assessment tile for this task.
Week 8 Wednesday (10 Sept 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Wednesday (24 Sept 2025)
Week 10 Wednesday (21 May 2025)
Essays will be marked and returned within two weeks of the date they are submitted to the Moodle site.
Weighting
40%
Assessment Criteria
The essays are marked on a three principle criteria that can be summarised as CREW. This stands for: Content, Research, and Essay Writing.
Content:
• presentation of accurate, relevant and unbiased historical evidence
• evidence that the relevant(s) lecture has been listened to
Research (and referencing):
• evidence drawn primarily from scholarly texts
• acknowledgement of all sources of ideas/evidence (footnote) and any quotations
(footnote and quote marks)
• correct use of the Turabian referencing style
Essay Writing:
• meeting the required number of words, the bulk of which should be own wording
• logical structure/organisation of ideas
• clear, concise and correct written English
• presentation in formal essay style and layout
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
- Discern qualitative shifts in the drivers of historical change across discrete periods of Australian history
- Engage in immanent critique of the extant scholarship on the intersection of politics and economy in Australian history.
3 Presentation
Students must submit an oral presentation of no longer than 5 minutes in response to ONE question chosen from the list available on the Moodle site.
Detailed instructions are available on Moodle.
Week 12 Wednesday (8 Oct 2025) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Wednesday (22 Oct 2025)
1. Clarity - how clearly have the ideas that inform the argument articulated in the presentation been expressed?
2. Coherence - the presentation should entail at least 3 key points that relate to a key thesis, which is to be developed iteratively over the course of the presentation. This assessment criteria evaluates the extent to which the thesis and the 3 key points are logically consistent and coherent.
3. Concision - has the presentation articulated a coherent thesis, constituted by at least 3 key points, using precise language and in an engaging manner with brevity.
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas. Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
- Collect and critically evaluate relevant scholarly texts and published scholarly criticism using initiative and judgement
- Offer critical syntheses of contending positions in Australian historiography dealing with topics of health, housing, work, transport and education
- Discern qualitative shifts in the drivers of historical change across discrete periods of Australian history
- Engage in immanent critique of the extant scholarship on the intersection of politics and economy in Australian history.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
