"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 . Australia signs an agreement with the United Nations Refugee Agency on 21 July 1947 which paves the way for displaced persons from war-ravaged Europe to be accepted into Australia. Chifley was known to be a humble man, who never forgot the fact that he had been a train driver before he was a politician. Ben Chifley. You will all agree that in the circumstances the festivities should end. At 8.55am every radio station in Australia hooked up to 2CY in Canberra. [17] Lacking name recognition, Chifley lost the election to the incumbent Nationalist MP, Arthur Manning. 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. [97], One of the locomotives driven by Chifley, 5112, is preserved on a plinth at the eastern end of Bathurst railway station. Chifley won the 1946 election with a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives and a landslide in the Senate. [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". Science and education was expanded under the Chiifley Government, with the reorganisation and enlargement of the CSIRO and the passing of the Australian National University Act which provided post-graduate facilities in Australia and augmented the supply of staff for universities. He was also an outstanding rugby union player. State Library of Queensland, 80007. [28] He was a delegate to the party's annual conference in Sydney in April 1939. Chifley Dam is named after the late Prime Minister Ben Chifley of Bathurst, NSW. 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 . 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. Some of Chifley's more interventionist economic policies were poorly received by Australian business, particularly an attempt to nationalise banks. The "light on the hill" phrase has resonated down the years as epitomising the Labor philosophy. [15] In 1922 and 1924, Chifley unsuccessfully contested Labor preselection for the state seat of Bathurst. [21][30], Feeling secure in an unprecedented second elected term of office, post-WW2 Labor under Chifley looked toward incremental policies friendly to the Labor platform objective of democratic socialism. The Mental Institutions Benefits Act (1948) paid the states a benefit equal to the charges upon the relatives of mental hospital patients, in return for free treatment. This marks the beginning of Australia's extensive post-war immigration program. Chifley won the 1946 election with a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives and a landslide in the Senate. 13 Jul 1945: 16th Prime Minister. On the morning of 15 August 1945, Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley made a nation-wide address. Chifley's Light on the Hill remained undimmed by his affaire de coeur. In response Chifley decided to make a surprise visit to the troops and arrived in New Guinea on Christmas Day. His government was defeated at the 1949 election, which brought Robert Menzies' Liberal Party to power for the first time. [a] He never held executive office, preferring to work as an organiser, but did serve as a divisional delegate to state and federal conferences. This provoked massive opposition from the press, and middle-class opinion turned against Labor. [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. (1885-1951), Prime Minister of Australia, born of working class parents. After Curtin's death, Forde acted as PM for eight days, until Chifley defeated him in a leadership ballot and became Prime Minister. The expectations of military personnel were for a swift return to Australia but, with over 250000 servicemen spread throughout islands to the north of Australia, demobilisation was never going to be simple. On a single day in Bougainville he addressed over 10000 men and visited 11 different units. 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? His endorsement of the plan, which required cuts to wages and pensions, was received poorly in his own constituency. For his contributions to post-war prosperity, Chifley is often regarded as one of Australia's greatest prime ministers. Determined to defeat Lang, he contested Lang’s seat of Auburn at the 1935 state elections, but lost. [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. The couple lived mostly separate lives, initially because of her husband's work on the railways and later because of his political career. Chifley was born in Bathurst, New South Wales. Chifley defeated him in the leadership ballot, replacing him as Prime Minister and Curtin as Labor leader. Some of the new legislation was successfully challenged in the High Court, and as a result the constitution was amended to give the federal government extended powers over social services. Nicole Kidman leads celebrities moving to this NSW region. Crisp, Ben Chifley: A Political Biography, Angus & Robertson Publishers, Sydney, 1961, David Day, Chifley, Harper Collins Australia, Sydney, 2001, Colin A. Hughes, Mr Prime Minister: Australian Prime Ministers 1901 â 1972, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1976, Stuart Macintyre, Australiaâs boldest experiment: war and reconstruction in the 1940s, NewSouth Publishing, Sydney, 2015, Ross McMullin, Joseph Benedict Chifley, 13Â July 1945 â 19 December 1949 in Michelle Grattan (ed. [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. [46], And from July 1947, a prepayment of Maternity Allowance of five pounds could be made up to four weeks before the expected date of the birth of the child. 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. [80] She survived her husband by 11 years, dying in 1962. Highly capable and hard working, Forde was sworn in as prime minister on July 6 th, 1945 following the death of John Curtin. Ben chifley. The Commonwealth and State Housing Agreement Act passed on 11 October 1945 provides for the subsidisation of house construction through the delivery of Commonwealth funding to match State grants. It was the intention that the band, often referred to as âMr Chifleyâs Babyâ, would become one of the few full military bands in Australia. 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. It was an appropriate tribute that the music played at Chifleyâs funeral was by the Bathurst District Band.Â, Chifley announced the Second World War was over on 15 August 1945, following the Japanese surrender. . [19], At the 1929 election, Chifley was re-elected on a 10.7-point swing as Labor won a landslide victory. He supported the ‘Federal’ faction of the party against the ‘Lang’ faction (a group led by JT Lang, the NSW Premier). Chifley lived and worked on his grandfather’s farm at Limekilns, near Bathurst, until he was 13, sometimes attending the local bush school. It diverts water from a number of Australia's major river systems to provide irrigation and minimise the impact of droughts. Joseph Benedict Chifley (/ ˈ tʃ ɪ f l i /; 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.He was leader of the Labor Party from 1945 until his death..Chifley was born in Bathurst, New South Wales.He joined the state railways after leaving school, eventually qualifying as an engine driver. [77] She rarely travelled outside Bathurst and never lived in Canberra, even while her husband was prime minister. He listened to numerous individual stories and promised to resolve the issue of men being able to purchase surplus stores.Â, L.F. The Commonwealth Employment Service was created and an ambitious immigration program commenced. Lawson Crescent Acton Peninsula, CanberraDaily 9am–5pm, closed Christmas Day Freecall: 1800 026 132, Museum Cafe9am–4pm, weekdays9am–4.30pm, weekends. Joseph Benedict Chifley was born at 29 Havannah Street, Bathurst, New South Wales, on 22 September 1885. He and most of the other strikers were eventually reinstated, but lost seniority and related privileges; Chifley was demoted from engine-driver to fireman. The following year Chifley was additionally made Minister for Postwar Reconstruction, making him one of the most powerful members of the government. He had an unvarnished charm that allowed him to connect with ordinary people and world leaders alike. [45] This paved the way for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), an important component of Australia's modern public health system. Ben Chifley was an Australian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1945-1949. [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. Remembering Ben Chifley, by Sue Martin with Jane Chifley and Elizabeth Chifley (Inspiring Publishers, 306pp, $26.95). This was alongside annual grants to universities to provide the necessary staff and accommodation for the influx of assisted students and ex-servicemen. On another occasion, in February 1948, Chifley became aware of a stranded RAAF band. [39][40][21] The 1946 referendum made possible many of the Chifley Labor government's other legislative initiatives in social welfare and social provision and permitted federal legislation over pharmaceutical benefits and medical and dental services. 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. The first mass-produced family car the F J Holden rolls off the assembly line on 29 November 1948. Macquarie was a large and diverse electorate, covering an area from Bathurst east across the Blue Mountains to Penrith, on the outskirts of Sydney; it included industrial, agricultural, and mining districts in virtually equal measure. Japan had accepted the Allies' surrender conditions. 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. Tell us about the people and circumstances that shaped his personality and his political career. After Curtin's death on 5 July, Chifley was elected leader of the Labor Party on 12 July and sworn in as prime minister the following day. After his electoral defeat, Chifley remained involved in politics as a party official, siding with the federal Labor leadership against the Lang Labor faction. John McEwen, the long-serving Country Party leader who was prime minister for 23 days after Harold Holt went missing, would be commemorated in the national space at the centre of Canberra. Chifley is appointed Treasurer by new appointed Prime Minister John Curtin. [34] The subsequent federal legislation in relation to pharmaceutical benefits was deemed constitutional by the High Court. [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. 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 . [21], The establishment of the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme to provide ex-servicemen with the opportunity to complete or undertake a university education, with an interim five-year scholars established to encourage other able students to attend universities. He joined the state railways after . The Second World War was over. After several previous unsuccessful candidacies, Chifley was elected to parliament in 1928. He then spent two years at the Patrician Brothers School, Bathurst, before starting full-time work as a cashier’s assistant in a general store. So too were the affairs of prime ministers and premiers. [22] There was little appetite for policy development, and Chifley instead concentrated on finding savings in his department that could be redirected to unemployment relief. Saturday, December 21, 1974 r.wi a SATURDAY REVIEW Saturday, December 21, 1974 A banyan tree, a Mansion House THE speech at the Mansion House, London, by the Prime Minister (Mr. Whitlam) was . 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. 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. 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. It was one of the most marginal seats in the country, and had last been won by Labor in 1919. Australia has no maximum period of service for a Prime Minister, unlike countries such as the United States, where the . Chifley was active in his union, leading him to stand for the seat of Macquarie in 1925. [86] Day also speculated that Chifley may have had a similar relationship with Phyllis's older sister Nell. Places and institutions that have been named after Chifley include: In 1975 he was honoured on a postage stamp bearing his portrait issued by Australia Post. [10] Despite repeated lobbying, their pre-1917 benefits were not restored until 1925. [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. Bank nationalisation and 1949 coal strike. 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. 6 Aug 1945: Hiroshima He preferred the Kurrajong's comfortable, down-to-earth confines to The Lodge, enjoying the 700m walk each morning to Parliament House. [21][30], However, Chifley's government did succeed in passing the Banking and Commonwealth Bank Acts of 1945 which gave the government control over monetary policy and established the Commonwealth Bank as Australia's national bank. Of highest importance was war funding, followed by the strong desire to control inflation. In 1931, he was appointed Minister for Defence in the government of James Scullin. The glitter of the Jubilee celebrations has been dimmed by the tragedy of his death. Chifley’s government announced its objective of raising the Australian population to 20 million, and signed an agreement with the UK for free and assisted passages for immigrants, while the War Service Land Settlement Act introduced the soldier settlement scheme. He later worked at a tannery for a period, and then in September 1903 joined the New South Wales Government Railways as a "shop boy" at the Bathurst locomotive shed. After the war, Prime Minister Chifley oversaw the airstrip's transformation into a civilian aerodrome with scheduled passenger flights. [65], In 1949 in the House of Representatives, Chifley stated that the Labor Party was a "bulwark against communism", and that the most effective way of weakening the strength of the Communist Party was "improving the conditions of the people". [38], One of the few successful referendums to modify the Australian Constitution, the 1946 Social Services referendum, took place during Chifley's term. Sir William McKell takes office on 11 March 1947 after being appointed as only the second Australian born Governor General after Sir Isaac Isaacs. Chifley told journalists he wanted the visit to remain a secret âso the men would not feel obliged to carry out spit and polish workâ for any official reception. Background. 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]. 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. These concessions were later extended to widow pensioners and also to television licences. Prime Minister Ben Chifley, 15 August 1945. In 1929, Scullin became Prime Minister, and by 1931, Chifley was Minister of Defence. Many in the local labour movement defected to the Lang Labor faction, which opposed the plan, and his own union expelled him in August 1931. [84] She stayed at the same hotel, and they were known to spend their free time with each other while in Canberra. 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. 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. Chifley became Prime Minister following Curtin's death, succeeding the caretaker Prime Minister, Francis Forde, on 13 July 1945. [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. Chifley became Prime Minister following Curtin’s death, succeeding the caretaker Prime Minister, Francis Forde, on 13 July 1945. [81], According to his biographer David Day, Chifley engaged in a long-running extramarital affair with his private secretary Phyllis Donnelly. This was when the Great Depression was happening. In June 1947 William Hoffman from the Adelaide Conservatorium was appointed to revive the Canberra City Band. Chifley, along with John Curtin, remains a Labor Party hero for his embodiment of traditional party values.Â. In total Robert Menzies spent 18 years, 5 months and 12 days in office. Chifley was no rabble-rouser as he preferred appeal to reason. Chifley would speak after British prime minister Clement Attlee. 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. [42], Such as, in the same year as the referendum, when concessional rate radio licences were introduced for age and invalid pensioners. Prior to his entry into Federal parliament, Chifley had been an employee of the New South Wales railways from 1903 to 1928. The Canberra landmark - once home to former PM Ben Chifley - celebrates its 90th birthday. Chifley was subsequently elected to the ALP state executive. The upper-echelon prime ministers - Curtin, Hawke, Deakin, Chifley, Menzies, Keating, Whitlam, Fisher and Howard - were all in the top grouping for policy legacy. In February 1942 he announced the pegging of wages and profits, the introduction of controls on production, trade and consumption to reduce private spending, and the transfer of surplus personal income to savings and war loans. Joseph Benedict Chifley (/ˈtʃɪfli/;[1] 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. Joseph Benedict Chifley – always known as Ben – was born in Bathurst, NSW on 22 September 1885. The time as Prime Minister (July 1945 to December 1949) After John Curtin died on July 5, 1945 . 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. The text confirms that a number of the references to Chifley are as cursory as the index suggests. Chifley was born in Bathurst, New South Wales. He was based in Bathurst and worked on the Main Western line, except for a few months in 1914 when he drove on the Main Southern line and worked out of Harden. Ben Chifley became Prime Minister of Australia in July 945, only weeks before the end of World War Two. 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 . David Matheson. ), Australian Prime Ministers, New Holland Publishers, Sydney, 2000 Â, Sue Martin, Remembering Ben Chifley: Memories and Stories from his Family and friends, Aspiring Publishers, Calwell, 2015Â, D.B. Joseph Benedict (Ben) Chifley (1885-1951), prime minister and locomotive engine driver, was born on 22 September 1885 at Bathurst, New South Wales, eldest of three sons of Patrick Chifley (1862-1921), a native-born blacksmith, and his wife Mary Anne, née Corrigan (1856?-1929), from Ireland. 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 . [b], More than 30 years after his death, Chifley's name still aroused partisan passions. Despite being relatively young as a country (in terms of being a federated nation), Australia has an extensive track record of colourful prime ministers. His early working life would no doubt be approved by our readers. Scullin appointed him Minister for Defence, a portfolio that had been disregarded somewhat in the face of more pressing concerns. Ben Chifley, July 1945 - December 1949. 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. Social Democrat. Herbert Coombs, his chief economic adviser, referred to Chifleyâs homespun advice as âChifforismsâ. Though out of government, having retained a Senate majority, Chifley continued as Labor leader and became Leader of the Opposition. In 1987 the New South Wales Labor government decided to name the planned new university in Sydney's western suburbs Chifley University. Chifley was informed at 8.50am. [21][67][68], However, Chifley let the bill pass after a redraft (it was ultimately thrown out by the High Court). Ben Chifley became Australia's 16th prime minister after being elected leader of the Australian Labor Party, following the death of John Curtin earlier in July 1945. Ben Chifley rose from engine driver to Australian prime minister. [50] Under the Social Services Consolidation Act of 1947, an additional benefit became payable in cases where a man with one or more dependent children under the age of 16 had a housekeeper who was substantially dependent on him but not employed by him, where he was not receiving benefit for his wife; a partial additional benefit became payable for a partially dependent spouse; and wives legally separated or likely to be permanently living apart from their husbands became eligible for benefit. She suffered a "serious health problem", probably a miscarriage, in about 1915,[76] and later developed chronic back pain that restricted her mobility. Chifleyâs standing in the party may have been part of the reason that some of his most controversial political decisions, relating to bank nationalisation and the use of the army to break the Newcastle coal mine strike, were not questioned or modified.Â, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, Australian Prime Ministers, Museum of Australian Democracy, National Archives of Australia Prime ministers' records, National Archives of Australia, Chifley revealed to the press that he 'has one weakness â and that is for brass bands.â In February 1947 he allocated the sum of 500 pounds to establish a Canberra brass band. [72] The McKenzies were Presbyterian, and Elizabeth did not want to convert to Chifley's Catholic faith. Joseph Benedict (Ben) Chifley was born in Bathurst in regional New South Wales. [21][27], In 1938, Chifley and most other Labor supporters in Bathurst joined the Industrial Labor Party (ILP), a breakaway organisation formed by Bob Heffron and dedicated to thwarting the Lang Labor faction that controlled the ALP in New South Wales. [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 (1885 - 1951) was a railway engine-driver who became Australia's best-loved Prime Minister in 1945. ", Elections - Ben Chifley - Australia's Prime Ministers: National Archives of Australia, After office - Ben Chifley - Australia's Prime Ministers: National Archives of Australia, "Sudden Death in Canberra of Mr J.B. Chifley", "The Art of Australian Political Biography", "Gerard Henderson's Media Watch Dog: Issue No. With the election of the Scullin Labor government he became Minister for Defence. ABN 70 592 297 967 | The National Museum of Australia is an Australian Government Agency. His biographer L.F. The results of the 2010 and 2020 Monash surveys suggest there is a reasonable consensus about who have been our best prime ministers. The creation of the Dairy Industry Fund was established in July 1948 with the purpose of stabilising returns from exports, and again the same year unmatched grants to the States were introduced to assist them in expanding their agricultural extension activities. 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. by K. J. Kavanagh. Tickets are $23, $20 concession - book at www.limelighttheatre.com.au or call 0499 954 016 between 9am and 12pm, Monday, Wednesday and Friday . [58][21], During the 1948 Queensland railway strike, Chifley barred striking workers from being eligible for unemployment benefits. At 24 he was the youngest first-class locomotive driver in the NSW railways. He was a politician from an Irish-Australian working class background who lived by principles of compassion and concern for his fellow Australians. This made Ben Chifley his finance minister. Ben Elton 's Gasp! Chifley received correspondence from distressed relatives, and soldiers, pleading for a prompt return home. At 27 Chiefly became an advocate for his union, the Locomotive Enginemen’s Association.
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