Ministerial councils and Australian school education: cooperative federalism and the progressive years (1919-39)

During period 1919-39 through rather passive and uncontroversial means under the banner of cooperative federalism the Commonwealth instituted some major and long-lasting school educational policy. During this period it was generally acknowledged that the Commonwealth should eschew involvement in school education, yet, the politics of the time, with the additional imperatives of the dominant zeitgeist, drove Commonwealth involvement in school education through ministerial councils.