The High Court of Australia, which has been pivotal to the Commonwealth Constitution's successful operation and adaptation to change, celebrates its centenary in 2003. That century records many landmark constitutional cases and other controversies. While the legal aspects of these cases are analysed in constitutional texts, their other dimensions, especially the political context in which these controversies arose, have rarely been examined. This book seeks to explain these constitutional landmarks in their political, social or industrial contexts. In this way, we hope to bring these cases and controversies to the attention of an audience beyond the narrow circle of constitutional lawyers. After all, if our Constitution is grounded in popular sovereignty, it is desirable that citizens should understand their Constitution. While the lay person often finds legal cases arid, we hope that setting the cases and controversies in their political and human context will render them accessible to a wider audience.

We wish to record our gratitude to a number of persons who assisted us in bringing the book to fruition: Peter Debus and his staff at Cambridge University Press for their patience and understanding as we sought to overcome the hitches inevitably arising in a project of this nature; Venetia Somerset for editing the book for the publisher; Maryanne Cassar for her word-processing and general assistance; Fiona Hamilton, Public Information Officer of the High Court of Australia; the staff at the State Library of Victoria; Dr Gail Kreltszheim and Jesper Hansen for research assistance; James Emmett for assistance in locating cartoons; and the authors of the various chapters for their co-operation in writing and refining their contributions to the book.