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New Technologies Driving Change

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New Technologies Driving Change

Explore how technology reshaped Australia’s economy and society after the Second World War. Use evidence, consider different viewpoints and explain both benefits and costs.

Technology and economic change in post-war Australia

From the late 1940s, Australian governments supported industrial growth, infrastructure and migration. Factories expanded production of vehicles, appliances, clothing and machinery. The locally assembled Holden 48-215, launched in 1948, became a familiar symbol of car ownership and manufacturing. Yet industries often depended on overseas investment, imported equipment and foreign designs. New transport systems altered where people lived and how goods moved. More car ownership and improved roads encouraged suburban growth. The Snowy Mountains Scheme used dams, tunnels and hydroelectric power stations to provide electricity and redirect water for farming. Aviation and better port and shipping systems also helped people and exports travel farther. Television arrived in Australia in 1956, joining radio and telephones as a major way to share information and entertainment. From the 1970s, computers, satellites and electronic records changed tasks in businesses, banks, government and research. For example, banks used computers to process transactions and manage records more quickly. Meanwhile, tractors, harvesters, irrigation, fertilisers and improved crop varieties raised output on many farms. Higher productivity and new industries could create jobs and increase exports. Automation could also reduce demand for some workers, and communities suffered when factories closed. Access to the benefits varied with income, location, education, infrastructure and other circumstances. Farming and infrastructure could bring environmental costs, including soil damage, salinity and pressure on water supplies.

Australia in a connected world

Mechanised farming, mining equipment, refrigeration and improved shipping helped Australia send products such as wheat, meat, wool and minerals to overseas buyers. International businesses, investment and migration brought skills and production methods from abroad. Australian researchers also took part in international science; the Parkes radio telescope, opened in 1961, became a notable research facility. These links created opportunities but also exposure to overseas prices, competition and business decisions. Some manufacturers found it harder to compete with imported goods. Computers and global communications later changed where and how some work was organised. Technology also influenced home life, leisure, advertising and ideas about national identity. Household appliances could reduce time spent on certain tasks, although domestic work remained unequally shared. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, roads, dams and mining could provide access to services while also damaging Country or restricting access to traditional lands. Communication technologies have also helped communities share culture, organise and advocate for rights. To assess a technology, ask who designed and controlled it, who gained, who bore the costs, and what happened to communities, the environment and Australia’s overseas relationships.

1.Describe two changes in Australian manufacturing after the Second World War. Include a relevant example, such as vehicle production or appliance manufacturing.

2.What does the launch of the Holden 48-215 in 1948 suggest about Australian industry and changing consumer life? Explain your answer.

3.Explain two ways post-war transport developments changed movement or trade in Australia. Use two examples, such as roads, cars, aviation or container shipping.

4.What were the economic purposes of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, and how did engineering help achieve them?

5.Analyse two ways the arrival of television could influence Australian society, politics, consumer behaviour or national identity.

6.Choose one area—banking, government, education, business or research—and explain how computers, satellites or electronic data systems changed work in that area from the 1970s onward.

7.Explain how machinery and scientific methods could raise farm productivity. Identify one possible environmental cost.

8.How did technology help Australia export agricultural goods and minerals to overseas markets? Give two linked examples.

9.How far did post-war technology make Australia more economically independent? Weigh at least one source of dependence on other countries against one Australian capability or achievement.

10.Compare how one post-war technology affected two groups in Australia. Name the technology and groups, and explain one benefit or cost for each.

11.A factory installs automated equipment. Output rises, but fewer employees are needed. Assess whether this change is beneficial overall, using at least one economic effect and one social effect.

12.Explain one way a post-war development such as a dam, road or mine affected Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples. Include a possible opportunity and a possible harm.

13.Select one development: television, car manufacturing, the Snowy Mountains Scheme, farm mechanisation, mining machinery or computers. Rank its economic, social and environmental effects from most to least significant, and justify your ranking with evidence.

14.Evaluate the claim that technological change improved Australia but distributed its benefits unevenly. Give a reasoned judgement supported by three specific examples from the information on this page.

15.Propose a brief investigation to judge whether one post-war technology created more benefits than harms. Name the technology and identify at least two kinds of evidence students should examine.