The Hawke government's landmark telecommunications reforms in 1991 opened the door to competition, in the culmination of a process begun when Gough Whitlam promised to dismantle the sector's 'archaic' structures.

Governments one after the other had confronted wicked policy challenges as new technologies disrupted the status quo and sectional interests battled for and against change. A competitive new sector ultimately emerged, bearing the scars of hard compromise - the consequences of which we are still grappling with today.

John Doyle traces this intensely fought two-decade contest. With in-depth original research and interviews with key players, he offers a compelling case study in real-world policy-making.