The history of in vitro fertilisation laws in the State of Victoria in the 1980s provides an illustration of the importance of scale in how historical significance is established. This state was the first jurisdiction in the world to legislate for the restriction and regulation of in vitro fertilisation and many of its satellite techniques, such as embryo experimentation, gamete donation and surrogacy. Debates on this issue were a major source of culture wars. But for an issue of such international importance, the factors which shaped some key moments in the history were remarkably local. Two local elections, old school ties, and local religious history all gave form and direction to the establishment of a recognised “world’s” first. This research is based on newspaper and archival research funded by an ARC Discovery Grant.