The role of the military in industrial disputes : Australia and New Zealand, 1879-1921

Abstract

This work details a relatively unexplored area of Australia's and New Zealand's military and labour history: Military Aid to the Civil Power (MACP) during industrial disputes from 1879 - 1920. It was a duty which was extremely contentious and likely to result in confrontation and protest from those workers affected by such an operation. MACP is defined by Coulthard-Clark as the 'involvement of the military, at government direction, in difficult domestic situations beyond the capacity of civil authority to deal with by normal means'. While this definition gives MACP a degree of legitimacy, it is rather different for those workers on the receiving end of armed intervention and often had a major impact on the local community.