The National Importance of Ben Chifley: His Impact of on Australia's Development
Understanding Ben Chifley's Influence on Developing Australia. How we Can Apply These Lessons to Create a Self-Sufficient Economy?
There has been a lot written about Ben Chifley, such as Biographies, in Labour History and through Academia. However, we want to focus more on his vision of developing Australia’s Economy into a modern Independent Sovereign Nation, free from the clutches of International Finance. Which today is completely ignored and/or forgotten by the Australian Labor Party. The period of which Ben Chifley was Treasurer in the John Curtin Labor Government & later as Prime Minister until 1949, was a pivotal point in Australian history.
Ben Chifley paid uttermost importance to Public Banking as the key cornerstone of the post-war economy & the building of Australia’s industries, such as, manufacturing and infrastructure, as the basis of a strong domestic economy. This was, of course, met with hostile opposition by Anglo-American Finance, with the sole aim to dominate and control Australia, through which it financed the Liberal National Coalition & the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
The DLP was formed by reactionary sources to create a split in the Labour Movement, by accusing the Labor Government of Communism, which eventually led to the defeat of the Chifley Government in the 1949 elections. It is acknowledged the Chifley Government’s decision to send Troops to operate the Coal Mines during the Great Coal Strike of 1949 was also a major contributing factor.
The Miners Union, led by members of the Communist Party of Australia, were at loggerheads with the Commonwealth Government in their fight for improved pay, conditions and a shorter work week. Keep in mind, this was the period of the early Cold War, which started soon after the end of the Second World War. Geopolitics were played out on a world scale in a bipolar manner, between the United States and the Soviet Union. A bipolar contest that greatly impacted Australia socially and politically.
It was in this context that Chifley facilitated Australia's policy of Full Employment. He made this clear in an interview with the Australian Worker about Post War Reconstruction in March 1944, detailing “His yardstick by which he measures all reconstruction plans:”
An economic policy that will provide a high & stable level of Government
Work must be available to all, must be adequately rewarded & directed towards rising living standards
Improvement of everyone’s environment by decent housing, town & country planning, modern transport
A permanent freedom from economic worries for everyone
Freedom of opportunity to bring up happy healthy & well-educated families
“That, he says, is what he understands by a policy of full employment, and by what he measures reconstruction plans.” (The Australian Worker, Sydney, 15th March 1944)
Chifley’s Government could clearly see that Nationalising the Banks, would allow Australia to truly develop its economy and sovereignty to meet these five demands. If this did go ahead, the potential benefits for the Australian population would have been beyond some of our wildest dreams. Not only would our standard of living be the highest in the world, but would have guaranteed future generations economic security and stability.
We should look to this period of Chifley’s roles as Treasurer then Prime Minister, to learn from both the mistakes and achievements. To provide us an understanding for how Australia can develop its economy and sovereignty, as a truly independent Nation free from the dictates of Wall Street, Washington, and London.
