A
ustralian governments, especially Labor governments, have traditionally enjoyed a reputation for being 'good' employers. However; efforts to evaluate tbis reputa tion and to explore the factors shaping management strategies have been limited. This article examines these issues through a case study of the Queensland Housing Commis sion's management of its building workforce in the years following the Second World War. In this case, the Queensland Labor government did not use its own workforce to establisb new standards and its conservative approach to labour management strategies contrasted with a more progressive approach to industrial legislation. The article draws on the notion of political contingency to explain this apparent contradiction.
