Embargoed u n til..

A ddress  by

T he  H o n  J  S Dawkins  MP

Mi n i s t e r  for Trade

Member for Fremantle

Opening  of Cu r t i n - Ch i f l e y

Centenary  Ex h i b i t i o n

Fremantle  Ci t y  Lib rar y

Fre m an tl e . 4 October  1985

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Mr Ch a i r m a n , Mrs McLeod, l a d i e s  and g ent lem en . . . . . . T hi s

EXHIBITION CELEBRATES THE CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF TWO

great  Au s t r a l ia n s  and two heroes  of the Au s t r a l i a n  labour

movement  -  J ohn J oseph  Cu r t i n  and J oseph  Be n e d ic t  Ch i f l e y .

Born barely  a century  after  European  settlement  of

Au s t r a l i a , t h e i r  v i s i o n  and achievement  are s t i l l  apparent

as modern  Au s t r a l i a  approaches  i t s  b i c e n t e n n a r y . T heir

own l i v e s  were as in t e r t w i n e d  with  each o t h e r ' s as they

were with  Au s t r a l i a n  h i s t o r y .

Cu r t i n  and Ch i f l e y  were both sons of I r i s h  m i g r a n t s . T hey

were both a c t i v e  trade  u n i o n i s t s . Both were elected  to

Pa r l ia m e n t  for the f i r s t  t im e  i n 1928 - C u r t i n  for t h i s

seat  of Fremantle  and Ch i f l e y  for the seat  of Ma c q u a r i e ,

2000 m i l e s  to the e a s t . T hey both lost t h e i r  seats  at the

subsequent  e l e c t i o n  (which  i s at least  one THING I  CAN

CLAIM IN COMMON WITH THE TWO OF THEM).

THE PARALLELS IN THEIR LIVES WERE MATCHED BY A COINCIDENCE

OF IDEALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS. CURTIN DESCRIBED THE LABOUR

MOVEMENT AS "THE GREATEST CAUSE IN THE WORLD" AND

CHIFLEY'S "LIGHT ON THE H I L L "  WAS A KINDRED COMMITMENT TO

THE DISADVANTAGED OF THE WORLD.

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Pa i r e d  together  i n Government  they  rescued  Au s t r a l i a  from

THE DARKNESS OF WAR AND POINTED THE NATION IN THE

DIRECTION OF A UNIQUE ERA OF GROWTH AND PROSPERITY.

CHIFLEY SERVED AS TREASURER AND LATER AS MINISTER FOR

Post-War Reconstruction  i n Cu r t i n ' s Government . I t was

Cu r t i n ' s good fortune  that  at the most c r i t i c a l  hour , when

HIS RESPONSIBILITIES WERE HEAVIEST. HE HAD CHIFLEY AT HIS

s i d e . Neith er  could  have had a better  ally  or a better

LEADER AS THEY FOUND IN ONE ANOTHER. AT THE END CHIFLEY

ASSUMED THE MANTLE AND THE YOKE FROM AN EXHAUSTED CURTIN.

I n those  herioc  years  between  1942 and 1949 C u r t i n ,

CHIFLEY AND THEIR COLLEAGUES FUNDAMENTALLY RESHAPED

Au s t r a l i a n  so ci et y  and i t s  economic  i n f r a s t u c t u r e .

The Cur tin  and Ch i f l e y  Governments  accepted  and gave

DEFINITION TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S OVERRIDING

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y  for the management  of the Au s t r a l i a n

ECONOMY:

. THEY SET THE GOAL OF FULL EMPLOYMENT

. ESTABLISHED THE UNIFORM TAX SYSTEM

. VASTLY EXPANDED THE MANUFACTURING AND HEAVY INDUSTRY

BASE

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. TRANSFORMED THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM

. ESTABLISHED THE POST-WAR IMMIGRATION SCHEME

. REFORMED THE BANKING SYSTEM

. ACCEPTED, FOR THE FIRST TIME. A SHARE OF COMMONWEALTH

RESPONSIBILITY FOR EDUCATION. HEALTH, HOUSING. POWER

AND TRANSPORT '

. IN SHORT, ESTABLISHED THE FRAMEWORK OF MODERN AUSTRALIA

I t IS A MEASURE OF THE VISION AND STRENGTH OF THOSE

ACHIEVEMENTS THAT THEY WERE NEITHER REVERSED NOR ALTERED

IN ANY FUNDAMENTAL WAY DURING NEARLY A QUARTER OF A

CENTURY OF CONSERVATIVE RULE THAT FOLLOWED. THE

prosperity  Au s t r a l i a  enjoyed  during  most of those  years

WAS THE PRODUCT OF CURTIN'S AND CHIFLEY'S TOIL.

A FORTNIGHT AGO THE PRIME MINISTER SPOKE OF BEN CHIFLEY'S

PARTICULAR ACHIEVEMENTS WHEN HE LAUNCHED THE CHIFLEY

Foundation  i n Ba t h u r s t . T h i s  e x h i b i t i o n  was on d i s p l a y

THERE AT THE TIME. THIS AFTERNOON HERE IN FREMANTLE,

APPROPRIATELY. I  WANT TO SPEND A FEW MOMENTS TALKING ABOUT

J ohn Cur ti n  - the man and h i s acc omp lis hme nt s .

AS I  UNVEILED THE JOHN CURTIN MEMORIAL PLAQUE AT CURTIN' S

BIRTHPLACE, CRESWICK. V l C ,  IN JANUARY LAST YEAR, I

OBSERVED THAT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN AUSTRALIAN WHO GAVE

SO MUCH TO HIS COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE. HE GAVE OF HIMSELF

-  IN TERMS OF HIS HEALTH AND ULTIMATELY HIS LIFE -  BUT HE

also  gave  A u s t r a l i a  l e a d e r s h i p  and  v i s i o n  i n  i t s  b l e a k e s t

h o u r . T hat  most  recent  b i o g r a p h i c a l  work , J ohn  C u r t i n

s a v i o u r  of  A u s t r a l i a  i s  no  o v e r s t a t e m e n t . C u r t i n  became

P r i me  M i n i s t e r  e x a c t l y  two  months  before  J apan  at tacked

P earl  H arbour  and  he  d i e d  j u s t  a  few  weeks  before  the

J apane se  s u r r e n d e r .

A lthough  d e p r i v e d  of  s e e i n g  the  u l t i m a t e  f r u i t s  of  h i s

l a b o u r s , C u r t i n  was  perhaps  fortunate  to  a v o i d  w i t n e s s i n g

THE FIRST USE OF THAT HORRIFIC DEVICE IN WHOSE SHADOW WE

HAVE SINCE LIVED -  THE ATOMIC BOMB. CURTIN HIMSELF WAS A

RELUCTANT WARRIOR, HAVING BEEN SECRETARY OF THE

ANTI-CONSCRIPTION CAMPAIGN I N 1916 AND EVEN CHARGED WITH

SEDITION DURING THE 1917 CONSCRIPTION REFERENDUM. THIS

Ã¢ÂÂ¢ WAS THE SAME MAN WHO, AS ONE OF THE EXHIBI TS HERE TODAY

I NDI CATES. INTRODUCED THE M l L I T I A  BI L L  OF 19M3. THAT

B i l l , by  the  w a y , p r o v i d e d  for  the  c o n s c r i p t i o n  of  women

AS WELL as  m e n .

A lthough  a  l e a d i n g  f i g u r e  i n  the  A u s t r a l i a n  s o c i a l i s t

p a n t h e o n , C u r t i n ' s  a p p e a l  and  a c h i e v e m e n t  surmounted

p a r t i s a n  and  i n d e e d  i n t e r n a t i o n a l  b o u n d a r i e s . C ountry

P arty  leader  S i r  A rthur  F a d d e n , whom  C u r t i n  ousted  from

the  P ri me  M i n i s t e r s h i p , s a i d  of  C u r t i n : -

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" There was no greater  figure  i n my l i f e t i m e  than  Cu r t i n .

I  admired  him both as a man and as a st a te s m a n . Cur t i n

IS ENTITLED TO BE RATED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST

Au s t r a l ia n s  ever "

Si r Wi n s t o n  Ch u r c h il l  s a i d  of h i m Â·.

" I  JOIN THE RIGHT HAND OF FRIENDSHIP TO THIS MOST

COMMANDING. COMPETENT AND WHOLEHEARTED LEADER OF THE

Au s t r a l i a n  people  i n the v i c i s s i t u d e s , terrors  and

MORTAL PERILS THROUGH WHICH THEY HAVE PASSED."

And, as recorded  i n t h i s  e x h i b i t i o n . General  Douglas

MacArthur  s a i d  OF HIS FRIEND CURTIN:

"Mr Cu r t i n  was one of the greatest  of war- t im e

STATESMEN, AND THE PRESERVATION OF AUSTRALIA FROM

INVASION WILL BE HIS IMMEMORIAL MONUMENT." .

Such t r i b u t e s  are f a i r  testament  to the man as well as h i s

ACHIEVEMENT. HE CARRIED THROUGH HIS LIFE AN IDEALISM AND

A PASSION TO GIVE IT EFFECT. HE UNIFIED BOTH HIS PARTY

AND HIS COUNTRY AT A TIME WHEN DIVISION WOULD HAVE BEEN

FATAl. I t IS A MEASURE OF HIS STATESMANSHIP THAT ALMOST

THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF PERTH TURNED OUT TO PAY THEIR

LAST RESPECTS TO CURTIN IN JULY 1945. PERHAPS SOME OF YOU

HERE TODAY CAN RECALL THAT SYMBOLIC TRIBUTE.

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Cu r t i n  was a man who cared  for h i s  fellow  c i t i z e n s  -  a man

WHO BELIEVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FAIR AND EQUITABLE

SOCIAL SYSTEM, A MAN NOT BOUND BY TRADITIONAL

INTERNATIONAL LOYALTIES, WHO PUT AUSTRALIA FIRST AND WHOSE

CONCERN WAS FOR THE PEACE AND SECURITY OF ITS CITIZENS.

Wi t h  Ch i f l e y  he l a i d  the groundwork  for a quarter - century

OF POST-WAR PROSPERITY. OF THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS SCHEME.

FOR INSTANCE, A CHIFLEY GOVERNMENT I N I T I A T I V E .  SIR ROBERT

Me n z i e s  s a i d  " i t  i s a l i v i n g  memorial  to the courage ,

ENTERPRISE AND DRIVE OF MR CHIFLEY".

I t i s a matter  of record  and regret  that  Cu r t i n ' s and

Ch i f l e y ' s conservative  successors  reaped  the b e n e f i t s  of

THEIR PREDECESSORS' VISION BUT WITHOUT MAKING A SIMILAR

INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE. THE INHERITANCE WAS

SQUANDERED. THE LIBERAL-NATIONAL COUNTRY PARTY

Governments  f a i l e d , for i n s t a n c e , to make the further

CHANGES NECESSARY TO ENABLE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY TO MEET

MORE ADEQUATELY THE CHALLENGES OF A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE

world . Overly  protected  and consequently  i n e f f i c i e n t

sectors  of Au s t r a l i a n  indus tr y  are the product  of the

p o l i t i c s  of e x p e d i e n c y , the very a n t i t h e s i s  of the

forward - t h i n k i n g  Cu r t i n - Ch i f l e y  v i s i o n .

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Dur ing  those  ye ar s , conservative  governments  assumed , and

ENCOURAGED THE PUBLIC TO ASSUME THAT. WITH OUR ABUNDANCE

OF RESOURCES, GROWTH WOULD COME NATURALLY, WITHOUT REAL

EFFORT, AND THAT THE WORLD WOULD READILY BUY OUR SURPLUS

PRODUCTION. A nd THE RESULT WAS THAT OPPORTUNITIES WERE

SQUANDERED TO PLACE OUR NATIONAL GROWTH AND THE

MAINTENANCE OF OUR LIVING STANDARDS ON AN EVEN FIRMER

FOOTING THAN LABOR HAD ESTABLISHED IN THE POST-WAR

RECONSTRUCTION YEARS.

Today there  i s Ag a in  a Labor Government  i n Canberra  -  and

i n 4 of the 6 St a t e s . T here i s also a renewed  mood of

confidence  and o p t i m i s m  i n Au s t r a l i a , such as we have not

KNOWN FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. THE CURTIN~CHIFLÃÂÃÂ¥

EXPERIENCE TELLS US. HOWEVER, THAT OUR ROLE IS NOT TO BASK

IN OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT TO PLAN AND CEMENT THE

FOUNDATIONS OF A MORE PROSPEROUS. MORE EQUITABLE, MORE

SECURE, AND MORE COMPASSIONATE AUSTRALIA FOR THE NEXT

GENERATION. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON W E CAN LEARN

FROM THEIR EXPERIENCE.

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The Na t i o n a l  Li b r a r y , i n conjunction  with  the Department

of Ar t s , Her it age  and En v i r o n m e n t , i s to be congratulated

FOR ITS IMAGINATION AND RESOURCEFULNESS IN PUTTING THIS

EXHIBITION TOGETHER TO MARK THE CENTENARY OF CURTIN’ S AND

Ch i f l e y ' s b i r t h . And how appropr iate  that  the e x h i b i t i o n

BE DISPLAYED IN THE CITY LIBRARY OF THE ELECTORATE THAT

gave Au s t r a l i a  perhaps  i t s  greatest  Prime  Mi n i s t e r . As

THE CURRENT MEMBER FOR FREMANTLE I  AM THEREFORE PROUD -  AS

WELL AS HUMBLED -  AND CERTAINLY DELIGHTED TO DECLARE THIS

EXHIBITION OPEN.

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