The Ethical State: Social Liberalism and the Critique of Contract

Abstract

Australian political tradition is often characterised in terms of utilitarianism and pragmatic attitudes towards the role of the state. In this paper I argue that to understand Australian political tradition one must also understand the importance of idealist liberalism at the time of Australia's nation-building. In particular, I suggest that the central Australian political institution of conciliation and arbitration embodied the philosophical critique of contract and the concept of the ethical state articulated by late nineteenth-century liberals from T.H. Green onwards. I discuss some of those responsible for transmitting these ideas to Australia and their role as practical reformers. In conclusion I argue that under the influence of Green, liberalism evolved in ways more compatible with feminism than is often acknowledged.