'A Scandal Which Must Be Corrected'. Reconsidering the Success of the Australian Tuberculosis Campaign

Operating from 1948 to 1976, the Australian Tuberculosis Campaign was successful in almost eliminating the incidence of tuberculosis in Victoria, which until the late 1940s had been the leading cause of death for the state's young adults. Yet despite claims that the campaign was inclusive of all citizens, this dramatic fall in morbidity and mortality was not replicated in Victoria's Indigenous population. By examining contemporary discourses relating to citizenship and civic responsibility, this article seeks to understand policymakers' rationale and methodology for the public health campaign, and then analyse them to explore the reasons for the striking disparity in outcomes between Victoria's white and Indigenous populations.