TheChifley governmentwas the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime MinisterBen Chifley.It was made up of members of theAustralian Labor Partyin theAustralian Parliamentfrom 1945 to 1949.
Chifley government | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In office | |
| 13 July 1945 – 19 December 1949 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| PrimeMinister | Ben Chifley |
| Deputy | Frank Forde(1945–1946) Herbert Evatt(1946–1949) |
| Party | Labor |
| Status | Majority |
| Origin | Chifley wins1945 Labor leadership election |
| Demise | Lost1949 election |
| Predecessor | Forde government |
| Successor | Menzies government (II) |
Background
editWhen Labor Prime MinisterJohn Curtindied towards the end of theSecond World Warin July 1945,Frank Fordeserved as Prime Minister from 6–13 July, before the party electedBen Chifleyas Curtin's successor.[1]
In office
editFollowing his 1945 election as leader of theAustralian Labor Partyafter the death ofJohn Curtin,Chifley, a formerrailway engine driver,became Australia's 16th Prime Minister on 13 July 1945.[2]TheSecond World Warended with thedefeat of Japanin the Pacific just four weeks later. Chifley served as Prime Minister and Treasurer. To combat inflationary pressures, he proposed a continuation of wartime price and import controls, and rationing of scarce commodities.[3]
Chifley went on to win the1946 election.Labor won 43House of Representativesseats, with 15 won by the newly formedLiberal Party of Australialed byRobert Menzies,and 11 by their coalition partner, theCountry Party(a further 4 seats went to splinter parties). In the Senate, Labor won 16 seats and the Liberal–Country Party coalition won 3 seats.[4]
Labor had sought to secure power over the supply of money and credit – amidst opposition from the private banks. TheHigh Court of Australiainvalidated part of his government's banking legislation, so in mid-1947 Chifley legislated to require at least local authorities and State governments to bank with the federally ownedCommonwealth Bank.TheMelbourne City Councilsuccessfully appealed against the legislation in the High Court. In response Chifley then proposed the totalnationalisationof the banks. The move alarmed conservatives and Menzies said it foretold of a "coming dictatorship in Australia". Chifley told parliament the legislation would guard against both depression and inflation. Country Party leaderEarle Pagedescribed the plan as a "communist ramp". The High Court declared the law unconstitutional and an appeal to thePrivy Councilupheld that ruling. Chifley nevertheless refused to repeal the law, and it remained a controversial issue at the 1949 election.[3]
In the pursuit of centralist economic policy, the Chifley government also confirmed the continuation of the wartime measure under which the Commonwealth was the sole collector of income tax. Major national projects were also instituted, including theSnowy Mountains Schemeand an assisted immigration program. Despite demobilisation of Australian forces following war's end, Australia faced a labour shortage andMinister for ImmigrationArthur Calwelllaunched the post war migration program – intended to bring out mainly British migrants to augment the Australian population.[3]
In foreign policy,attorney-generalandminister for external affairsH. V. Evattwas active in theformation of the United Nations.Australia played a significant mediatory role in the early years of the United Nations, successfully lobbying for an increased role for smaller and middle-ranking nations, and a stronger commitment to employment rights into theU.N. Charter.Evatt was elected president of the third session of theUnited Nations General Assembly(September 1948 to May 1949).[5]Internationally, therise of Communismwas a developing concern for many in Australia. Chifley sought to oppose there-establishment of Dutch control of Indonesiaand refused help to British efforts to quell the developinginsurgency in Malaya.The Catholic-based "Movement" meanwhile campaigned strongly to drive Communists out of leadership positions in trade unions, prefiguring a coming split in the ALP over the growing influence of the Movement.[3]
At the conference of theNew South Wales Labor Partyin June 1949, Chifley sought to define the labour movement as having:[3]
[A] great objective – the light on the hill – which we aim to reach by working for the betterment of mankind... [Labor would] bring something better to the people, better standards of living, greater happiness to the mass of the people'.
With an increasingly uncertain economic outlook, and after his attempt to nationalise the banks, his government's continuation of some wartime controls, and a strike by the Communist-dominatedMiners Federation,Chifley lost office at the1949 federal electiontoRobert Menzies' Liberal-Country PartyCoalition.[6]TheLiberal Partywon 55 seats and its coalition partner theCountry Party19 in the House of Representatives, as opposed to Labor's 47 seats. Labor then commenced a 23-year period inoppositionin the federal parliament.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Francis Forde – Australia's PMs – Australia's Prime Ministers".Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2010.Retrieved22 March2011.
- ^Chifley, Joseph Benedict (Ben) (1885–1951) Biographical Entry – Australian Dictionary of Biography Online
- ^abcde"In office – Ben Chifley – Australia's PMs – Australia's Prime Ministers".Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2009.Retrieved22 March2011.
- ^abElections – Ben Chifley – Australia's PMs – Australia's Prime Ministers
- ^Evatt, Herbert Vere (Bert) (1894–1965) Biographical Entry–Australian Dictionary of Biography Online
- ^"Ben Chifley – Australia's PMs – Australia's Prime Ministers".Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2017.Retrieved22 March2011.