Textbook for tertiary students which provides documentary sources as well as commentaries from academics in the field to outline the historical development of the Australian welfare state. Suitable for introductory courses in social welfare, politics, sociology and public policy. The material is presented in five parts including: policies for the employed in the last century, the struggle of Australian women to receive employment and child-related benefits from the state, the development of policies relating to indigenous and immigrant Australians and how the welfare state has dealt with the aged and refugees. The final part considers documents in Australian history that contrast discordant understandings of the purposes of the welfare state. Includes a table of contents, an index and list of references. Also available in hardback.