How things have changed. James Scullin became the new prime minister, the fourth member of his party to hold the office. Ben Chifley lived the least of all former prime ministers, as he died one year and six months after his term as prime minister. [51], Ben Chifley's Government oversaw the creation of the Commonwealth Employment Service, the introduction of federal funds to the States for public housing construction and the Acoustic Laboratories Act, passed in 1948, which established the Commonwealth Acoustic Laboratories to undertake scientific investigations into hearing and problems associated with noise as it affects individuals. [23], Chifley was somewhat reluctant in his support of the Premiers' Plan of June 1931, but believed there was no better alternative and felt bound by the principle of cabinet solidarity. Are you on top of all your Aussie PMs, such as the nation's first prime minister, its first female prime minister, and its rapid switcharoo of prime ministers in the 2000s? When war was declared in 1914, Chifley did not enlist. [32][33][34][35], The radical reforming nature of the Chifley Government was such that, between 1946–49, the Australian Parliament passed 299 Acts, a record up until then, and well beyond the previous record of the Labor Government of Andrew Fisher, which passed 113 Acts from 1910–13. [70], Chifley married Elizabeth McKenzie (known as "Lizzie") on 6 June 1914. When Prime Minister John Curtin died in office in 1945, Chifley was elected by the Labor Party to take the job, which he inherited after an eight-day caretaker prime ministership by Deputy Leader Frank Forde. Chifley became embroiled in the long-running conflict within NSW Labor over policies for dealing with the Great Depression, which began in 1929. [a] He never held executive office, preferring to work as an organiser, but did serve as a divisional delegate to state and federal conferences. The results of the 2010 and 2020 Monash surveys suggest there is a reasonable consensus about who have been our best prime ministers. It diverts water from a number of Australia's major river systems to provide irrigation and minimise the impact of droughts. When war was declared in 1914, Chifley did not enlist. He served on a royal commission into the banking system in 1935, and in 1940 became a senior public servant in the Department of Munitions. Chifley was born in Bathurst, New South Wales. The Commonwealth Employment Service was created and an ambitious immigration program commenced. Chifley Dam is named after the late Prime Minister Ben Chifley of Bathurst, NSW. When Labor Prime Minister John Curtin died towards the end of the Second World War in July 1945, Frank Forde served as Prime Minister from 6-13 July, before the party elected Ben Chifley as Curtin's successor. [65] A prolonged and bitter strike in the coal industry began in June 1949 and caused unemployment and hardship. [79] Her health prevented from campaigning for her husband, and she was known to have little interest in politics. Ben Chifley (1885 - 1951) was a railway engine-driver who became Australia's best-loved Prime Minister in 1945. Tickets are $23, $20 concession - book at www.limelighttheatre.com.au or call 0499 954 016 between 9am and 12pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday . Chifley won the 1946 election with a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives and a landslide in the Senate. "S HE'S A BEAUTY!" grinned the prime minister of the day, Ben Chifley, as the first car built entirely in Australia rolled off the assembly line in 1948.The Holden FX, as it was known, was . The dam's capacity is 30 800 million litres. Government spending had spiralled from about £100 million (or $8.9 billion in today's dollars) pre-war to almost £500 million ($36.6 billion) when Chifley released the 1945-46 fiscal blueprint on . In 1929, Scullin became Prime Minister, and by 1931, Chifley was Minister of Defence. Chifley lost his seat in the electoral landslide against Labor in 1931. On 15 April 1942 more price controls were introduced. [3] He moved back to his parents' home at the age of 13, following his grandfather's death in January 1899, and attended a Patrician Brothers school for about two years. He supported the ‘Federal’ faction of the party against the ‘Lang’ faction (a group led by JT Lang, the NSW Premier). Additional Benefit of five shillings per week for the first child became available to a beneficiary making regular contributions of not less than five shillings towards the maintenance of such a child, in addition to the person having the control, care, and custody of the child. At the 1946 election, Chifley was re-elected with a slightly reduced majority – the first time that an incumbent Labor government had won re-election. [9] However, Chifley was one of the local leaders of the 1917 general strike, and as a result was dismissed from the railway. He was totally opposed to conscription and in 1916, took a leading part in Bathurst's anti-conscription movement when the Prime Minister WM Hughes moved to introduce conscription to boost flagging enlistments for the war in Europe. Crisp states, ‘Chifley was one of the most maturely adult of men, in whom petty jealousies, suspicions or spites had no place.’ This was evident in the way he secured party support for the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1947, quelling long-held concerns regarding international financial institutions. The couple had lived at the property from 1914 until both of their deaths in the 1960s. Text of Prime Minister Ben Chifley's 1949 speech to the NSW ALP Conference. This October marks 75 years since John Curtin became prime minister and Ben . I certainly haven't been alone in seeing not Ben Chifley, but his predecessor John Curtin, as having made the most distinctive and important prime ministerial contribution to our foreign policy evolution in the 1940s, with his famous wartime speech in 1941 - 'Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks . Ben Chifley: 9: 0: How many terms can Australian prime minister serve? I have had the privilege of leading the Labour Party for nearly four years. Ben Chifley became Prime Minister of Australia in July 945, only weeks before the end of World War Two. Joseph Benedict Chifley ( / ˈtʃɪfli /; 22 September 1885 - 13 June 1951) was an Australian politician who served as the 16th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1945 to 1949. Ben Chifley, who held the twin jobs of prime minister and treasurer, had to re-build an economy - and a population - battered by actual war. The Australian National University was established, followed by a university scholarships scheme. The text confirms that a number of the references to Chifley are as cursory as the index suggests. [7] The position of driver was considered relatively prestigious, and Chifley had to sit various examinations before being certified. His mother was Mary Anne Corrigan. In June 1947 William Hoffman from the Adelaide Conservatorium was appointed to revive the Canberra City Band. [88] Day based his conclusions on interviews conducted with the Donnelly family and other Bathurst residents who had known Chifley. He became prime minister following Curtin's death in office in 1945, defeating caretaker prime minister Frank Forde in a leadership ballot. This provoked massive opposition from the press, and middle-class opinion turned against Labor. He opened up unused military camps to the homeless, and also distributed surplus military clothing. His father – a blacksmith – was born in Bathurst to Irish immigrants from County Tipperary, while his mother was born in County Fermanagh, in present-day Northern Ireland. Once the war ended a month later, normal political life resumed, and Chifley faced Robert Menzies and his new Liberal Party in the 1946 election, which Chifley won with 54 percent of the two-party-preferred vote. [36] Among other measures, the Chifley government passed legislation to establish universal health care modelled on the British National Health Service, including a free formulary of essential medicines. He joined the state railways after leaving school, eventually qualifying as an engine driver. Following his 1945 election as leader of the Australian Labor Party after the death of John Curtin, Chifley, a former railway engine driver, became Australia's 16th . He was a perceptive and empathetic leader and this, combined with his deep understanding of Labor Party tradition, produced an environment in both Cabinet and caucus where views could be expressed openly without fear of retribution. [43] Also in that year of the referendum, eligibility for a Class D pension was extended to women whose husbands were imprisoned for six months or more and were over 50 years old. In addition, the Act was amended to provide for an allowance of five pounds for each child in excess of one born from a single confinement (rather than there being separate rates for twins and so on). Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day was declared a national holiday on this day and is commemorated every year. An aunt, Mary Bridget Chifley, kept house for them. 3. level 1. virbrevis. Herbert Coombs, his chief economic adviser, referred to Chifley’s homespun advice as ‘Chifforisms’. After the war, Prime Minister Chifley oversaw the airstrip's transformation into a civilian aerodrome with scheduled passenger flights. [29], In 1935 the Lyons government appointed Chifley as a member of the Royal Commission on Banking, a subject on which he had become an expert. He regained his Macquarie seat in 1940 and held it through the next four general elections in 1943, 1946, 1949 and 1951. He was the first of three sons born to Mary Anne (née Corrigan) and Patrick Chifley II. Choosing the Prime Minister The Prime Minister can keep their job as long as they are a member of parliament and have the support of the government. After a unity conference in August 1939, the ILP members rejoined the ALP and ended Jack Lang's dominance. According to a debate on the topic, held in 1997 after the Labor Party had regained government, the decision to rename Chifley University reflected a desire to attach the name of Western Sydney to institutions of lasting significance, and that idea ultimately received the support of Bob Carr, later the Premier of New South Wales.[92]. [75] It is now listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register as "Ben Chifley's House", and has operated as a house museum since 1973. [21][27], Chifley was appointed Treasurer of Australia when Labor leader John Curtin formed a mid-term Labor government in 1941 following the collapse of the first Menzies government. He won the seat at the 1928 election, and retained it in 1929 when James Scullin’s Labor government came to power, becoming Scullin’s Minister for Defence. [16] He was eventually chosen as the Labor candidate for the Division of Macquarie at the 1925 federal election. [18] He accused the government of endangering the White Australia policy by allowing Southern European migrant workers into the country, claiming it had "allowed so many dagoes and aliens in Australia that today they are all over the country taking work which rightly belongs to all Australians". The catchment area is 960 square kilometres. Dame Enid Lyons converted from Methodism when she married the Catholic Joseph Lyons, but Ben (Catholic) and Elizabeth (Presbyterian) Chifley were married in a Presbyterian church in Sydney to avoid embarrassment to their families in their home town of Bathurst. As Ben Chifley said in his famous 1949 Light on the Hill speech, 'I try to think of the Labor movement, not as putting an extra sixpence into somebody's pocket, or making somebody Prime Minister or Premier, but as a movement bringing something better to the people, better standards of living, greater happiness to the mass of the people. [21][30][65] Early on in the strike, Chifley and H. V. Evatt froze Miner's Federation funds and "introduced legislation aimed at starving the workers back to work". [74], After their marriage, Chifley's father-in-law gave the couple a house on Busby Street, Bathurst, which they would occupy for the rest of their respective lives. Although Chifley managed to lead Labor to a five-seat swing in the House, Labor lost six seats in the Senate, giving the Coalition control of both chambers. [82] Day believed that their relationship began shortly after Chifley was elected in parliament in 1928,[83] and continued more or less uninterrupted until his death in 1951; she was present in his room at the Hotel Kurrajong when he suffered his final heart attack. Chifley became Treasurer in John Curtin’s Labor government, with major responsibility for gearing the economy to wartime production. Chifley was born in Bathurst, New South Wales. [55] The achievements of both Chifley's government and those of the previous Curtin Government in expanding Australia's social welfare services (as characterised by a tenfold increase in commonwealth expenditure on social provision between 1941 and 1949) were brought together under the Social Services Consolidation Act of 1947, which consolidated the various social services benefits, liberalised some existing social security provisions, and increased the rates of various benefits. Though out of government, having retained a Senate majority, Chifley continued as Labor leader and became Leader of the Opposition. The bust is located in Chifley Park which is named after the former Prime Minister. Background. Whisky Bar Opens at Hotel Kurrajong Canberra in Honour of Post-War Prime Minister Ben Chifley 07 Feb 2017. Waterson, Chifley, Joseph Benedict (Ben) (1885-1951) Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/chifley-joseph-benedict-ben-9738 published first in hardcopy 1988, The Canberra Times, Canberra City Band To Be Reorganised, 23 June, 1947, The Mail, Brass Band Plea For P.M. To ‘Have A Little Pity’, 7 February, 1948, The Sydney Morning Herald, Chifley Wants Canberra Band, 3 February, 1947, The Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Chifley Returns – Saw For Himself, 31 December, 1945. That long and tortuous process was achieved in Australia through (among other things) the sterling efforts of a number of Prime Ministers. Joseph Benedict (Ben) Chifley was Prime Minister of Australia from 13 July 1945 until 19 December 1949. [72] The McKenzies were Presbyterian, and Elizabeth did not want to convert to Chifley's Catholic faith. Chifley was no rabble-rouser as he preferred appeal to reason. [19], At the 1929 election, Chifley was re-elected on a 10.7-point swing as Labor won a landslide victory. His government was defeated at the 1949 election, which brought Robert Menzies' Liberal Party to power for the first time. It is located on the Campbells river 17 km upstream from Bathurst. He was appointed Treasurer in the new Curtin Government in 1941, as one of the few Labor MPs with previous ministerial experience. Chifley's Light on the Hill remained undimmed by his affaire de coeur. Concern was heightened with the approach of Christmas, resulting in up to 1500 soldiers marching in protest against the delay at Morotai. Construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme begins on 17 October 1949. [31][52][53][54] Although it failed in its attempts to establish a national health service, the Chifley Government was successful in making arrangements with the states to upgrade the quality and availability of hospital treatment. He endeavoured to gain Labor preselection for state seats in NSW in 1922 and 1924 without success. [81], According to his biographer David Day, Chifley engaged in a long-running extramarital affair with his private secretary Phyllis Donnelly. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John . [2], At the age of five, Chifley was sent to live with his widowed grandfather, Patrick Chifley I, who had a small farm at Limekilns. Ben Chifley replaced caretaker Prime Minister Frank Forde on 13 July 1945 after being elected Leader of the Australian Labor Party. "JC relies on", for example, reads in full at page 396: 1 Foremost amongst his close colleagues were the ex-Prime Minister, James Scullin, and Ben Chifley. 13 Jul 1945: 16th Prime Minister. Prime Minister Ben Chifley delivered this speech to an ALP Conference in 1949. A union organiser and strong Labor idealist, he is revered for his administrative ability, his dependability and for his personality. With the ailing wartime Labor leader's passing in July 1945, Chifley was named successor by his Labor peers on 12 July 1945, his tenure as prime minister saw the implementation of many policies that led Australia cautiously through the minefield of post-war reconstruction from war to peace. Chifley continued in parliament as Leader of the Opposition after his defeat by Menzies. [4] He was a voracious reader from a young age, and would later supplement his limited formal education by attending classes at night schools or mechanics' institutes. Australian cities and towns erupted into spontaneous celebration, and by evening, the jubilant crowds were the largest to have ever gathered in the nation's . Ben Chifley, c.1949. Chifley was informed at 8.50am. 1942 Ben Chifley was also Minister in the newly created department Ministry for Postwar Reconstruction and thus the second most important member of the Cabinet, though he was not deputy prime minister. Financing the war by increased taxation, loans from the Australian public, and central bank credit, he ensured that the nation did not become burdened with overseas debt, as it had been after World War I. Despite being relatively young as a country (in terms of being a federated nation), Australia has an extensive track record of colourful prime ministers. On 23 July a uniform income tax, giving the Commonwealth a monopoly in this vital field, was attained when the States were defeated in the High Court of Australia. . The Commonwealth Employment Service was created and an ambitious immigration program commenced. This marks the beginning of Australia's extensive post-war immigration program. Prime Minister Ben Chifley, 15 August 1945. [21][67][68], However, Chifley let the bill pass after a redraft (it was ultimately thrown out by the High Court). I don't want to try to talk about him now because, although we were political opponents, he was a friend of mine and yours, and a fine Australian. [42], Such as, in the same year as the referendum, when concessional rate radio licences were introduced for age and invalid pensioners. Chifley retained office at the 1946 elections, but lost to Robert Menzies’ Liberal-Country Party coalition in December 1949. Social Democrat. Mr Chifley served this country magnificently for years. 6 Aug 1945: Hiroshima Museum of Australian Democracy Blog, Museum of Australian Democracy, Oral Histories, Museum of Australian Democracy, The Wheeler Centre Collection, The Wheeler Centre, ANU Press, Australian National University, Network of Prime Ministerial Research and Collecting Agencies, Prime Minister Ben Chifley and the first Australian made car, the Holden, 1948. [49] Furthermore, from July 1947, funeral benefits could be paid in respect of claimants for Age Pension or Invalid Pension who would have qualified had they lived. He and most of the other strikers were eventually reinstated, but lost seniority and related privileges; Chifley was demoted from engine-driver to fireman. 16 June 2018 . When Labor Prime Minister John Curtin died towards the end of the Second World War in July 1945, Frank Forde served as Prime Minister from 6-13 July, before the party elected Ben Chifley as Curtin's successor. [38], One of the few successful referendums to modify the Australian Constitution, the 1946 Social Services referendum, took place during Chifley's term. [98] In 1971 Commonwealth Railways named diesel locomotive NJ1 that was assembled at the Clyde Engineering factory in Kelso, Ben Chifley.[99]. These included the expansion of the welfare state, a large-scale immigration program, and the establishment of the Australian National University, ASIO, and the Snowy Mountains Scheme. According to Frank Slavin, Chifley's campaign manager at the 1940 election, his wife was aware of the relationship and tolerated it. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is formed on 16 March 1949, during the increased tension of the Cold War, to protect Australia against acts of espionage, sabotage and foreign interference.Â. This favourable parliamentary situation allowed him virtually free reign to continue, as prime minister, the reformist economic and social legislative program that he had begun as treasurer in the Curtin government. Labor 13 July 1945-19 December 1949. I was a little lad Prime Minister Robert Men. from Courier-Mail. He also became Minister for Post-War Reconstruction on 22 December 1942. He joined NSW Government Railways as a shopboy at 17, then worked as a cleaner and fireman before becoming a locomotive driver. 1932 to 1946 he became Prime Minister Forde was greeted with the gut-wrenching news: the Prime Minister Frank. From the program and from further research, discuss in class and write notes on why the Chifley Labor Government ( 945- 949) and the Prime Minister, Ben Chifley himself, were considered by the Australian electorate to be popular and successful. 3 months ago. It marked the first time that an incumbent full-term federal Labor government was re-elected. The following year Chifley was additionally made Minister for Postwar Reconstruction, making him one of the most powerful members of the government. He preferred the Kurrajong's comfortable, down-to-earth confines to The Lodge, enjoying the 700m walk each morning to Parliament House. The couple began courting in 1912, but had known each other since childhood. It was the intention that the band, often referred to as ‘Mr Chifley’s Baby’, would become one of the few full military bands in Australia. The vast numbers of returned servicemen were provided with access to preferential employment where available and, if not, to vocational training and tailored unemployment benefits. He died on the way to hospital after a heart attack in his hotel room in Canberra, 13 June 1951, while a ball celebrating the Jubilee of Commonwealth parliament was in progress in Parliament House. So too were the affairs of prime ministers and premiers. Chifley was a capable administrator and planner who aimed to secure economic stability, full employment and social justice for his fellow Australians. Among the Chifley Labor Government's legislation was the post-war immigration scheme, the establishment of Australian citizenship, the beginning of construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme,[63] the nationalisation of Qantas in 1947 and establishment of Trans Australia Airlines in 1946, improvements in social services,[63] the creation of the Commonwealth Employment Service,[31] the introduction of federal funds to the States for public housing construction,[52] the establishment of a Universities Commission for the expansion of university education,[64] the introduction of a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and free hospital ward treatment,[31] the reorganisation and enlargement of the CSIRO, and the establishment of a civilian rehabilitation service. Chifley visited nurses at hospital wards and watched a movie with the troops as a volcano flared in the background. The first mass-produced family car the F J Holden rolls off the assembly line on 29 November 1948.
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