For good measure : the making of Australia's measurement system

Jan Todd
Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin, 2004

ISBN: 1741143632

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Book description:

Set within an international context, this book tells the story of how Australia developed its own ways of providing for good measures. It begins with the modes of measurement brought with white settlement to Australia and the chaos that emerged from the conflicting and fragmented approach of the Australian colonies. Recognising that common ways of measuring were a natural accompaniment to the uniform trade that motivated the proponents of federation, those who wrote the constitution for the Australian nation installed the explicit power for the federal government to override parochial interests and make national laws on weights and measures. Federal governments, though, have been strangely ambivalent about using that power. This book peels back the layers of history to show reasons, processes and consequences. As it traces the development of Australia's measurement system under the imperatives of trade, then the pressures of industrialisation, war, technological change and globalisation, the narrative reveals an enterprise that was often at odds with the character of our federated system of national governance and frequently constrained by governments with little understanding of their own measurement role. Our evolving measurement institutions have nevertheless proved remarkably dedicated, resilient and innovative, and widely admired. As Australia confronts the measurement challenges of tomorrow's cutting edge technology and global trade, the creation of a new National Institute of Measurement in 2004 is a landmark step along an ever-changing road.

About the author
Dr. Jan Todd is an industrial and science historian. With degrees in science, social science and economic history, she has worked in industry, government and academia and maintained a continuing interest in the interaction between industrial development and scientific and technological change.

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