ABSTRACT
Australia's reliance on imperial defence was reinforced by an economic dependence on Britain; in the interwar years Britain was Australia's largest trading partner and largest overseas investor. In reality, the Australian government, like the Australian Labor Party and the leaders of the armed services, were far more cautious in September 1939. The decision to commit the 7th, and later, the 9th Division to the Middle East did not mean, as is often assumed, that the government was indifferent to the needs of Australian defence. The siege of Tobruk has entered Australian mythology, with Australian troops being immortalised as the 'rats of Tobruk', a term originally coined by the enemy and intended to be disparaging. Across all major political parties there was a belief that Australia's interests, though distinctive within the Asia-Pacific region, were inextricably linked to those of Britain.
