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This paper is concerned with the early development of Australia‘s industrial technology infrastructure. It will attempt, in an exploratory rather than conclusive way, to establish a somewhat different perspective on the institutional development of science and technology in Australia. By drawing on a specific case study — the power struggle between the Munitions sector and CSIR — it is argued that industrial R & D became disconnected from the economic planning function of the State, and that under CSIR’s aegis IR & D became an item of conspicuous consumption rather than a strategic investment for secondary industry.
