ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the ways that the Australian practice of public relations was informed by local and international experiences and developments from the second half of the nineteenth century to the start of World War II. Australias unique wartime experience would see further development, as the Commonwealth invested in a range of publicity initiatives, and an evolving conception of who should lead such publicity efforts. Australias publicity officers were spreading across different government departments, the commercial sector, and various non-government organizations. The jubilation that followed Australias entry into the war in August 1914 meant that the federal government scarcely required any formal public relations initiatives to secure public support for the war or enlistments. However, community organizations soon emerged with a view to assisting Australia and the Empire The publicity war intensified with the announcement that Australians would be voting on conscription for a second time on December 20, 1917.
