The fifties are generally defined as the period from the appointment of the Menzies government in 1949 to 1963. Therefore, this decade is not defined by a set number of years, but is representative of a period of perceived stability and conservative values in Australia. In general, the fifties have suffered badly from various stereotypes. Firstly, by those created by romantic conservatives who like to remember the fifties as a time of security, prosperity, agreed moral values and a happy family. A period of stability before the swinging sixties. Equally misleading has been the image created by rebellious intellectuals and cultural critics that have called post-war Australia a complacent, often intolerant and intellectually arid society.

But behind this simplistic exterior there were many issues of the 1950's that made the real 50's far different from its generalised stereotypes. The Cold War and communism was becoming the "enemy of democracy" in...