The pioneering study of Newtown in 1966, reported in 'An Australian Newtown: Life and Leadership in a Working Class Suburb' (Bryson and Thompson 1972), was conducted in a time of economic growth, collective agreement about the role of the welfare state, and established demographic patterns. The current 'revist' embraces a broad spectrum of aspects of life in the suburb, as did the earlier study, yet with patterns of continuity and change being explored within a context of global economic restructuring, significant changes in the supportive role of the state, and processes of demographic change. This article concentrates mainly on change and continuity in employment and the industrial nexus of the suburb. Developing an understanding of Newtown's changing labour market, provides an understanding of how the living standards of Newtown's working class families have changed between 1966 and 1991.