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1940s Chifley and HV Evatt

1940

HV “Doc” Evatt was Chifley’s External Affairs Minister and Attorney General. After the war Evatt played a significant role in the establishment of the United Nations and Declaration of Human Rights. He also became the UN’s first President of the General Assembly in 1948.

Other topics in The Chifley Years

Ben Chifley: The man, his history and his values

Ben Chifley was one of Australia's most productive treasurers and prime ministers, helping to lead Australia successfully through the Second World War and the challenges of the early post-war years. Yet his path to the prime ministership was far from easy. Chifley was born the…

Post-war reconstruction: Nation Building

Prior to becoming Treasurer in October 1941, Chifley had already turned his mind to post-war reconstruction and the expanded role that government would have to play if a better world was to emerge from the conflict. Like many people around the world, he feared that…

Implementing a Labor agenda

The Labor Party had won two resounding electoral victories in 1943 and 1946. The first victory rewarded Curtin’s government for its stewardship of the country during the dangerous months of 1942, while the second victory was an affirmation by Australians of Chifley’s call for a…

Conflict and the Cold War

Although Australia avoided invasion during the Second World War, Japan's frightening lunge southward, culminating in the fall of Singapore, confirmed the deep-seated fears of many Australians about the territorial ambitions of their northern neighbours. Those fears helped to reconcile Australians to the Labor government's announcement…