The advance of the neoliberalism in the 20th century is largely seen in a terms of Thatcher attacking the unions or Reaganomics being implemented. What is often little talked about is how in the Australian context it was the Labor Party that enacted many of these neoliberal reforms. When they are acknowledged they are often explained away as unfortunate but that the labour movement gained critical concessions that we should be oh so thankful for.

In this book, the Hawke/Keating era (1983-96) and associated Accord is the main focus here, but the Whitlam and Fraser years are also covered. Humphrys challenges dominant narratives of the Accord era, pointing to how civil society can be enwrapped by the state so that their interests become aligned. Humphrys explains that the concessions were more about gaining consent from the labour movement for wider reforms that would ultimately go against their social interests.

The implications can at first appear bleak but questions still remain. In the face of the climate crisis and growing economic inequality, what does it mean for the movements to gain and wield state power? Does this necessarily end in enwrapment or would a more militant labour movement have forestalled neoliberalism? This book gives the reader a lot to think about on these fronts and more, but the most important takeaway, I believe, is that the introduction of what we now call neoliberalism is more diverse and varied than initially thought.