The influence of Queensland in the Menzies government 1949-1966

Not long before his passing in January 2007 Sir James Killen and I had a long discussion on the influence of Queensland in the Menzies Government between 1949 and 1966.

It was just one of the many discussions Jim and I had. I will write in the future about the founder of the Liberal Party, Sir Robert Menzies, our greatest Prime Minister and his unique association with Jim.

Sadly Jim, as he would have put it "was gathered up" before we had the time to record and hopefully publish his wonderful recollections of the Menzies era some of which he did outline in his own memoir "Killen – Inside Australian Politics".

I well recall when then Bishop Tom Frame asked me if Jim would agree to be interviewed for his biography of Harold Holt. I drove over to Jim's home, which I did very frequently, and he readily agreed. When I dropped Bishop Frame off a few days later Jim went to his 40 or more filing cabinets and pulled out half a dozen or more large folders containing all his record on his association with Harold Holt.

As the Bishop said when he started combing through there was probably a book in them as well!

In the future I will write on our discussions on Menzies, and Harold Holt, among others.

But I want to focus now on an issue that concerned Jim greatly. And that was the contribution to the success of the Menzies Government by Queensland Minister and Members - and the Liberal and Country Party organisations - was not adequately appreciated.

When I list the names and roles of the Liberal and Country Party Ministers who served in the Menzies Government Jim's concern was surely justified! And when you add the contribution by the party organisations the significant contribution is further enhanced.

When the Menzies Government was elected in 1949 two of the top four positions in the cabinet were held by Queenslanders.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer was Sir Arthur Fadden. The Leader of the Government in the Senate was Sir Neil O'Sullivan. Both were proud Queenslanders!

It was Jim Killen's view that Sir Arthur Fadden's steady hand between 1949 and his retirement in 1958 was arguably the main reason why the Menzies Government was united, and remarkably successful. He remembered Fadden fondly and commented more than once that even though Menzies and Fadden had a massive falling out in the early 1940's, neither carried grudges, and both believed harmony within the Liberal Party and Country Party parliamentary and organisational wings was absolutely essential.

Not long after Jim was elected as Member for Moreton in 1955, Fadden called him in for a drink and reminded him "that all the best batsmen are not in the one team". In essence he urged Jim to understand his opponents as well as his colleagues – something Jim took on board and adopted throughout the rest of his long life.

Sir Neil O'Sullivan had a remarkable career. After the 1946 national elections there were just THREE members of the Opposition in the Senate – Sir Neil, Dame Annabelle Rankin, and Sir Walter Cooper.

So when the Menzies-Fadden Government was elected in 1949, Sir Neil was appointed Leader of the Government in the Senate, and Minister for Trade and Customs. He was a Liberal, and along with the Country Party Leader Fadden he successfully boosted Australia's trade links to the great advantage of industry, business and the overall economy.

He was also a Roman Catholic in an era when most Roman Catholics voted for and belonged to the Labor Party. His mentor was the all- powerful Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Sir James Duhig.

The influence of Fadden and O'Sullivan in the Menzies Government continued until Fadden retired in 1958. O'Sullivan left the ministry earlier, and retired from the Senate a few years later.

But Fadden and O'Sullivan not only were instrumental in the stability of the Menzies Government in its formative years, they paved the way for some remarkable contributions to the government by Queenslanders. All but one of them was knighted (with Annabelle Rankin being made a Dame).

As Jim reminded me, not as much as a whiff of scandal attached to any of them! And they were drawn from both the Liberal and Country Parties representing urban, regional and rural electorates.

When Jim was first elected in 1955 he succeeded Sir Josiah Francis, who had been Minister for the Army, and left politics to be Australia's Consul General in New York. In the post war environment, the Army portfolio was a key position.

Without going into detail, he is a list of the other Queenslanders who achieved cabinet and senior ministerial rank between 1949 and 1966:

Sir Walter Cooper – Health Minister.

Sir Alan Hulme – Minister for Supply and then Postmaster General

Sir Charles Adermann – Primary Industry Minister and Deputy Country Party Leader

Sir Charles Davidson – Postmaster General

Dr Donald Cameron – Health Minister (defeated in the seat of Oxley in 1961)

Sir Reginald Swartz – Minister for Repatriation.

Sir Charles Barnes – Minister for Territories.

Dame Annabelle Rankin – Minister for Housing and first woman to hold an actual portfolio

To this impressive list can be added, in terms of influence, George Pearce, Member for Capricornia, who was Government Whip until his defeat at the 1961 election. And another influential figure was Senator Bob Sherrington (who was the cricketer Ian Healy's grandfather) who was Liberal Party State President in the latter years of the Menzies Government.

I do not even include in this significant list a group of influential backbenchers. Jim Killen himself was one of the best orators in the Parliament, but he did not achieve ministerial rank until John Gorton became Prime Minister. And Senator Ian Wood who represented Queensland from 1949 was one of the leading "rebels" in the Senate voting against the government on numerous occasions!

But when discussing those who served as senior ministers, Jim observed that even though he rebelled in a number of occasions, and Ian Wood did on many occasions, the stand out features of the ministers was their absolute loyalty to Menzies, and Country Party Leaders Fadden and Sir John McEwen.

He recalled that never once did he hear talk of moves against any of the leaders of the coalition by the Queensland ministers and members.

During the long period of the Menzies Government Queensland generally supported the coalition – with the notable exception of the 1961 election when Hulme, Cameron, Pearce and a number of backbenchers lost their seats. Jim Killen himself just held Moreton, enabling the coalition to govern with a one seat majority!

It is a pity that the enormous contribution by Queenslanders to a wonderful period in Australian politics, and the high water mark for the Liberal and Country Parties in the post-war period is not more widely appreciated.

Underpinning the success of the Queensland team was the effective organisational wings of both parties. Sir Charles Porter was Liberal Party State Director from 1949 until 1966 and was a close confidant of Menzies. For much of the same period the State Secretary of the Country Party was Colonel Neville Hatton.

The success of the federal coalition in Queensland was all the more remarkable given the dominance of the State Labor Government until the great Labor split in 1957. Until then the Hanlon and Gair Governments dominated the state political scene.

Unsurprisingly, none of the ministers, and members, who served in Canberra with distinction between 1949 and 1966 remain with is. That makes it all the more important for their contributions to be given greater acknowledgement.

And in particular the distinguished leadership and service of Sir Arthur Fadden deserves far greater recognition. It is something the LNP might consider.

The Labor Party has always been better than the conservative side of Australian politics at honouring its "heroes".

The contribution by Country and Liberal Party representatives to the remarkable success of the coalition between 1949 and 1966 will most unlikely ever be equalled. And it is not just in terms of longevity – just as important is the contribution Queensland's coalition representatives make to stable government and real prosperity in our great nation!