This book represents a first attempt to tell the story of trade unionism in Australia between the 1960s and 2000s in the context of the class struggle between capital and labour. It is framed within a Marxist perspective; that is, a perspective that takes as its starting point the struggle by the working class for its own liberation. My understanding of the shifting contours of this struggle is shaped not only by my own involvement since the mid 1980s, but also by discussions with many hundreds of participants. These have included unionists, employers and political activists. I would particularly like to thank my comrades in Socialist Alternative who have taught me so much and whose thinking has made a major contribution to this book.

This book has benefited greatly from comments and suggestions by Mick Armstrong, Kaye Broadbent, Diane Fieldes, Phil Griffiths, Rick Kuhn, Tom O'Lincoln, Louise O'Shea and Liz Ross. Louise O'Shea also provided invaluable research assistance. The University of Queensland gave me the time free from teaching, and the University of Melbourne supplied me with the space and facilities to get this book started in the first half of 2007, for which I would like to thank them. During my sabbatical at Melbourne University, Christina Cregan was a valued source of encouragement. For permission to use materials or for assistance in their use, I am grateful to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (www.abs.gov.au), Stephen Bell, Frank Stilwell and Margaret Gardner.