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This is a monumental history that has particular value for Australian labour historians, adding substantially to existing studies of Australian maritime unionism. There is also lots for unionists and scholars of internationalism and of maritime industries. The book tells a complex story, in which national and international pressures affect how workers attempt to improve and protect their wages and conditions. A major theme is the interplay between nationalism and sometimes racism, on the one hand, and internationalist ideals and organising, on the other. Overall, the book argues that internationalism predominated.

The book begins with the British imperial context. WM Hughes, founding president of the Waterside Workers Federation, travelled to London in 1907 for a conference on the future of navigation laws and practices in the empire. While Britain’s shipping laws were largely governed by the principle of free trade …