Breaking the sheep's back : the shocking true story of the decline and fall of the Australian wool industry

The 10-billion-dollar collapse of the wool industry is considered one of Australia's biggest business disasters, and for the first time, the shocking true story behind this colossal collapse is revealed. Spanning 170 years from the birth of the industry in 1840 and its boom during the 1950s through its unraveling from 1980 to 1991, this is a searing account of greed, political corruption, and heavy-handed protectionism. As it uncovers the never-before-seen archival sources, government and board papers, and private correspondence and shares exclusive interviews with key whistle blowers, this narrative unveils the gripping true story of government corruption in a seemingly untouchable industry. --Provided by publisher From The Author Of The Influential The Australian Merino Comes The Shocking True Story Of The Decline And Fall Of The Australian Wool Empire A Tale That Features A Brace Of Australian Characters, Political Skulduggery And Betrayal On A Massive Scale. Breaking The Sheep's Back Is The Untold Story Of Australia's Biggest Business Disaster. Machine Generated Contents Note: Pt. I The Rise Of Statutory Intervention---1840 To 1987 -- 1.`an Inexorable Current': The Political Antecedents Of Disaster---1840 To 1951 -- 2. Of Patriots, Government Princes And Wool Emperors -- 3. The Binary Choice---1950s To 1958 -- 4.`if The Play Gets Rough, I Can Mix It': Bill Gunn, Wool Warrior---1958 To 1965 -- 5.`marketing Mesmerism'---1966 To 1969 -- 6.`all Your Danger Is In Discord!'---mcewenism To Late 1960s -- 7.`the Spontaneous Uprising Of The Unwashed Peasantry'---the Great Wool Coup Of 1970 -- 8.`without Ever Admitting To Having Done So': The Wool Commission---up To December 1972 -- 9.`requiring The Wisdom Of Solomon': The Wool Corporation---1973 To 1975 -- 10.`no Retreat' In A Fool's Paradise---1976 To 1981 -- 11. With The Cylinders All Loaded---1982 To 1987 -- Pt. Ii Setting The Floor---1986 To June 1988 -- 12.`a Contagion': The Wool Boom---up To 1988 -- 13. The Start Of The Great Bull Run---late 1987 To January 1988. Contents Note Continued: 14. Hubris---early 1988 -- 15.`on A Collision Course With The Awc Board'---february To May 1988 -- 16. The Folie De Grandeur: The Wool Corporation Board---1988 -- 17.`the Price That Could Floor The Wool Industry'---may To 24 June 1988 -- Pt. Iii Into The Rapids---july 1988 To April 1990 -- 18.`in So Deep It Must Keep Going'---july 1988 To December 1989 -- 19.`a Nightmare In The Making'---late 1989 To February 1990 -- 20.`no Time For Hard Hats'---february To April 1990 -- 21.`flying Blind Without Radar': Iws Shenanigans---from Late 1989 -- Pt. Iv Into The Bunker -- 22.`encouraged Into Bad Cul-de-sacs'---autumn 1990 -- 23.`let Them Eat Mobile Phones'---april To May 1990 -- 24.`more To Do With Egos Than Economics'---17 To 21 May 1990 -- 25. Last Stand At Roma---21 To 27 May 1990 -- 26. The Fatal Cut---28 May To 6 June 1990 -- Pt. V Denouement -- 27.`no Better Than Incompetent Gamblers'---june To September 1990. Contents Note Continued: 28.`nothing Short Of Insanity'---september To November 1990 -- 29. The Insurgency---october 1990 To January 1991 -- 30. The Crash---mid January To 11 February 1991 -- Pt. Vi The Aftermath -- 31.`death By Ten Thousand Cuts'---february 1991 To Today -- 32. Counting The Costs. Charles Massy. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 407-421) And Index.