Who was John Curtin?
John Curtin was born in 1885 in Creswick, Victoria, to Irish immigrant parents. He was an early socialist and a union organizer. During the First World War he campaigned against conscription, and afterwards he edited a Perth labor paper, the Westralian Worker. Voters in Fremantle sent him to the federal parliament in 1928, and Labor chose him as leader in 1935. He took the top job in October 1941, shortly before Japan joined the war. Leading the nation through the conflict wore him down. He died while still in office, in July 1945, weeks before peace came.
Political views
- Declared in late 1941 that Australia was looking to America and felt no regret about loosening its old links with Britain.Source: john.curtin.edu.au
- Moved from revolutionary socialism to a belief that social democratic parties working through parliament were the practical way to change society.Source: john.curtin.edu.au
- Created one national income tax in 1942, taking the power to tax incomes away from the states.Source: john.curtin.edu.au
- Brought in widows' pensions, followed by benefits for the unemployed and the sick.Source: john.curtin.edu.au
- Pledged to develop the country's resources fully, to deliver full employment and to provide for social security.Source: moadoph.gov.au
- Opposed sending conscripts overseas in 1916, and spent a short time in jail for refusing a mandatory medical examination.Source: en.wikipedia.org
- Supported the White Australia policy, as most people of his generation did.Source: john.curtin.edu.au
Legacy
Curtin ranks high on most lists of Australia's best prime ministers. Admirers say he guided the nation through its gravest military danger and moved its main defence link to the United States. The single income tax and the new benefits his government introduced became the foundation of the postwar welfare state. Left-wing critics disliked his 1943 decision to send conscripted militia to fight in the South-West Pacific, which undid his earlier position. Conservatives at the time accused Labor of using the war to push socialism. Today many condemn his support for White Australia. Curtin University in Perth keeps his papers.
In their own words
“Without any inhibitions of any kind I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America, free from any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom.”