 The war affected Australia in many ways , although arguably not as greatly as it did the many European nations that were more directly involved . Economically the war had a number of significant impacts , although the Great Depression would later prove far more significant and Australian industry was not as greatly transformed as it would be following World War II . The political landscape was also transformed due to the rifts that resulted from the issue of conscription , while to a smaller extent the role of women in society also evolved as more women entered the workforce . Indeed , between 1914 and 1918 there had been a 13 per cent increase in the employment of women ; however , this was mainly in areas were women were traditionally employed . Equally , although around 2 @,@ 000 women were employed as nurses in the AIF , there was no great involvement of women in the military during the war . 
