This paper analyzes how a key conflict in Australia's pulp and paper industry became generalized to other sites through environmental action, government regulation, and industry initiative. From 1987–91, Australians debated construction of a new, world-class, export-oriented pulp mill in Tasmania. Rural residents, fishermen, and environmentalists, allied with the Australian Labor Party, succeeded in scuttling the project. Subsequently, the national government launched a major research program, state governments tightened regulations, and industry reduced elemental chlorine use. Any new mills constructed in Australia today would be among the cleanest in the world. This paper is part of a larger, comparative study of technological innovation in the pulp and paper industries of Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The author interviewed industry officials, government regulators, research scientists, and environmentalists; visited pulp and paper mills; attended technical conferences; and conducted archival work in these countries during a 12-month period.
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