'Lyndon Megarrity was surprised to discover how often northern Australia has featured in government files as a Commonwealth issue since 1901. The north, he contends, has played a role of national significance in Australia’s political history, but this has been largely ignored by historians. Looking at the period 1901 to 2018, Megarrity examines the policies of federal politicians, as well as the concerns of state and territory politicians, public servants, journalists, and others interested in northern development. Megarrity explains that his aim was to ‘flesh out the human drama at the heart of the national story of northern development’. In this, he can be said to have had some success, detailing the roles played by such diverse politicians as Alfred Deakin, Ben Chifley, Gough Whitlam, Pauline Hanson and John Howard, as well as a range of lesser-known characters.' (Introduction)
