Sir William McKell was a boilermaker who rose to become premier of NSW from 1941 to 1947. While premier, he started the Housing Commission that built the landmark accommodation towers in Waterloo.

Sydney, Australia, is established as the location of the film and the narration introduces the film’s premise and establishes the filmmaker as the story-teller.

This clip is from the NFSA Restores digital restoration of Rocking the Foundations (Pat Fiske, Australia, 1985). You can rent the full film from the 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh officially open the Housing Commission’s tower blocks in Waterloo.

This sequence describes the impact of the 1960s development of the Sydney skyline on the work of labourers building its new skyscrapers. Summary by Susan Lambert.

This powerful sequence shows the violent clashes between the government and developers planning Sydney’s large-scale re-development and those that opposed it – the unionists, residents, conservatio

In 1980 the government agreed to consult with residents before re-developing Waterloo.