This volume investigates the core question of how structural economic shifts and technological advancements have fundamentally altered the spatial distribution of wealth, labor, and population across Australia. The authors, Maurice Daly, Kevin O'Connor, and Robert Stimson, utilize a multi-disciplinary framework to examine the intersection of national economic policy and regional development. By synthesizing data on deregulation, industrial adjustment, and demographic trends, they argue that these macro-level processes are creating a deepening divide between thriving urban centers and struggling peripheral regions.

Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the spatial consequences of economic policy in the Australian context. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the authors' rigorous application of geographical theory to contemporary social issues.