Ben Chifley

Joseph Benedict Chifley (September 22nd 1885 – June 13rd 1951) was an Australian politician who was the sixteenth Prime Minister of Australia. He was one of the politicians who marked more the history of Australia. Among its principal achievements, it is necessary to quote the diagram of immigration of post-war period, the creation of an Australian citizenship in 1949, the diagram of the Snowy Mountains, the creation of national airline company TAA (Trans Australia Airlines), a security system social for the people without work, the interior creation of the security service " Australian Security Intelligence Organization " (ASIO). One of the only referendums crowned of success to modify the Australian constitution took place under its government.

Youth (1885-1917)

It was born with Bathurst in News-Wales from the South. His/her father was a blacksmith of Irish origin and like his three other brothers, it was raised by his grandfather who had lost all his economies in the banking crash landing of 1892. Blow, Chifley kept all its life an aversion for the private banking system. It made its studies with Bathurst and was engaged in the railroads at the 15 years age.

Ben Chifley became conducting of train, a station qualified and with responsibility. He was one of the founders of the trade union of the railwaymen: the AFULE (" the Australian Federated Union off Locomotive Enginemen") and an active member of the Australian Workers party. In 1914 he married Elizabeth Mackenzie. In 1917 it was one of the leaders of the prolonged strike what involved its dismissal. It was reinstated by Labor Jack Lang Prime Minister of News-Wales of the South in 1920. It represented its trade union in front of the courts and taught the trade union rights.

Beginning of political career (1928-44)

In 1928, with its second attempt, Chifley was elected appointed federal of the district of Macquarie. It fur as a whole an enthusiast to support of the economic policy of James Scullin and in 1931 was named Ministre for Defense. With the federal elections of 1931, the workers party lost the majority and Chifley its seat. During the Grande Depression he survived of the money of his parents-in-law and his participation in the newspaper of Bathurst the " National Advocate ".

In 1935, the government of Joseph Lyons named it member of the " Royal Commission one Banking" (" Royal commission on the system bancaire"), a subject on leqiuel he had become expert. He proposed the nationalization of the private banking.

Chifley recovered finally its seat of deputy to the elections of 1940 and became the following year Minister for Finance of the government of John Curtin. Although Frank Forde is the second of Curtin, Chifley became the minister nearest to Curtin and it dealt with the majority of the go concern whereas Curtin dealt with the effort of war. It was at the origin of the massive increase in the tax and national expenditure which accompanied this effort by war and imposed an economic system of regulation which made it very unpopular in the country.

Prime Minister (1945-49)

When Curtin died in July 1945, Forde became Prime Minister but Chifley beat it with the internal elections of the party and replaced later it six days. Once the finished war, the normal political life took again its way and Chifley faced Robert Menzies and its new Australian Liberal party with the federal elections of 1946. Chifley gained them comfortably. In the years which followed the war, Chifley maintained controls economic of the period of war in particular very unpopular gasoline rationing. It made it partly to help the Great Britain which struggled in the difficulties of the post-war period.

Feeling well ensured in its functions, Chifley decided that it was time to advance the country towards the democratic socialism preached by the workers party. In 1947 he announced the intention of the government to make nationalize the banks what caused a massive opposition of the press and middle-classes against the workers party. The Australian High court decided as a last resort that the bill was not in conformity with the Australian Constitution.

During the winter 1949, a strike lasts and prolonged minors of coal caused layoff and difficult tests for the country. Chifley considered that the strike was an operation of the Australian Communist party to replace leader to the workers party among traditional voters of the party and it sent the army to break the strike. In spite of this decision, Menzies exploited in the population the image of the Cold war to explain why the workers party was accessory to the Communist party.

All these events, mixed with the given impression that Chifley and its party had gradually taken too much authority in the country, made it possible the liberal party to gain the federal elections of December 1949. Chifley was 64 years old and was in bad health (as Curtin it had smoked a long time) but it refused to give up the political life. The workers party had the majority with the senate and Chifley hoped well to prevent the Menzies government from making pass its laws. But in 1951 Menzies proposed to make vote a law which prohibited the Communist party and Chifley decided to be opposed to it in the name of the fundamental civil liberties.

Menzies used this decision to call with new general elections while making dissolve the two rooms in April 1951 and it succeeds in taking the control of both. A few weeks later, Chifley died of an heart attack in its apartment of the Kurrajong hotel to Canberra (it had lived there during all its mandate of Prime Minister, having refused to occupy the official residence, " The Lodge"). Menzies learned death from Chifley whereas it was going to witness an official ceremony with the " Albert Hall" of Canberra to celebrate the fifty years of the creation of the Australian federation. He asked that the ceremony be arr^étée as a sign of respect for its predecessor and adversary.

Simple: Ben Chifley

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