McQueen's early academic writing was intent on dispelling the approaches to labour history generated by the Australian Old Left, especially Russel Ward's The Australian Legend. McQueen was head-hunted by the political scientist, Henry Mayer, to write a book after he read McQueen's articles "Convicts and Rebels" and "A Race Apart". McQueen wrote A New Britannia, an historical analysis of the emergence and development of the Australian labour movement.
McQueen's early academic work aimed to counter the established approaches to labor history by the Australian Old Left, particularly Russel Ward's The Australian Legend. He was subsequently commissioned by political scientist Henry Mayer to write a book based on his articles "Convicts and Rebels" and "A Race Apart". McQueen then produced A New Britannia, a historical study of the development of the Australian labor movement.