106-595: The Lyons government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons . It was made up of members of the United Australia Party in the Australian Parliament from January 1932 until the death of Joseph Lyons in 1939. Lyons negotiated a coalition with the Country Party after the 1934 Australian federal election. The Lyons government stewarded Australia's recovery from
212-457: A pupil-teacher under the monitorial system . This allowed him to continue his own education while being paid to teach younger students, and eventually qualify as a full-time teacher himself. Apart from a three-month stint as a relief teacher at Irishtown , he remained at Stanley until early 1901, when he was given charge of two small "half-time" schools on the east coast, Apslawn and Apsley Meadows. During that period, he lived at "Apsley House",
318-516: A 'no confidence' and the government fell. With Australia still suffering the effects of the Great Depression, Joseph Lyons' newly formed United Australia Party won a landslide victory at 19 December 1931 Australian Federal Election, winning 34 seats in the Australian House of Representatives against 16 Country Party, 14 Australian Labor Party and 4 for Lang Labor, with a further 6 won by
424-460: A cause celebre and led to Paterson's resignation in 1937. In December 1938, the government announced that 15,000 European refugees would be admitted to Australia over the following three years. However, only a small number of Jewish refugees were accepted due to anti-semitism within the immigration office. Notable acts passed by the Lyons government include: The Statute of Westminster 1931 , passed by
530-461: A coalition with the Country Party . Lyons was his own treasurer until 1935 and oversaw Australia's recovery from the Great Depression. He faced a number of foreign-policy challenges, but accelerated Australia's transition towards an independent foreign policy. In the lead-up to World War II his government pursued a policy of appeasement and rearmament. Lyons died of a heart attack in April 1939, becoming
636-686: A colony before Federation). Lyons is also the only prime minister to have come from Tasmania. At the time of his death, he was the second-longest serving prime minister in Australia's history, behind only Hughes. Lyons was appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in June 1932, a traditional honour for Australian prime ministers. He was formally sworn of the council when he visited London in March 1935. In
742-690: A constitutional crisis over the powers of the Legislative Council . At the 1925 election he led Labor to its first majority government in Tasmania, but the party lost office three years later. In 1929, Lyons resigned from state parliament to enter federal politics, winning the seat of Wilmot in Labor's landslide victory at the 1929 election . He was immediately appointed to cabinet by the new prime minister James Scullin , becoming Postmaster-General of Australia and Minister for Works and Railways . In 1930, he
848-628: A family that was broadly sympathetic to the Australian labour movement , but without any formal political involvement. Though widely read, he did not actively participate in politics until after leaving Stanley. Lyons helped found a branch of the Workers' Political League during his time in Smithton, but was forced to resign his membership due to restrictions on the involvement of public servants in political activities. Those rules were later relaxed, and by 1908 he
954-451: A great-granddaughter of another former prime minister Billy Hughes, claimed to be the great-grandson of Lyons. However, Starkey's claim of familial relations with Lyons has been disputed by the Lyons family and Lyons biographer Anne Henderson. Lyons was one of the most genuinely popular men to hold the office of prime minister, and his death caused widespread grief. His genial, laid-back appearance often led to his portrayal in cartoons as
1060-460: A heart attack while being driven from Melbourne to Sydney. It occurred shortly after he had stopped in at Goulburn to collect his son Kevin from St Patrick's College for the Easter holidays. Lyons was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst , in a critical condition. By the following day, he was unable to speak and was drifting in and out of consciousness. He soon fell into a coma, and died on
1166-539: A heart attack, dying soon after in hospital in Sydney, on Good Friday. The UAP's Deputy leader, Robert Menzies, had resigned in March, citing the coalition's failure to implement a plan for national insurance as the cause for his resignation. In the absence of a UAP deputy, the Governor-General, Lord Gowrie , appointed Country Party leader Earle Page as his temporary replacement, pending the selection of Lyons' successor by
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#17328561024471272-536: A letter to Menzies endorsing him as his successor. For various reasons, Menzies did not enjoy universal support within the UAP, and several other were seen as potential successors to Lyons. Within the parliamentary UAP, Richard Casey , Charles Hawker , Billy Hughes , and Archdale Parkhill all had supporters. There was also support for figures outside parliament, including former prime minister Stanley Bruce and Bertram Stevens , premier of New South Wales. By 1938, Lyons
1378-700: A majority in its own right. Nonetheless, Lyons' position was strong enough that on 6 January 1932, he was sworn in at the head of a UAP minority government with confidence and supply support from the Country Party. To date, this is the last time that the Country/National Party has not had any seats in a non-Labor cabinet. The UAP went on to win 28 seats to Labor's 18, Lang Labor's 9, and the Country Party's 14, with 5 seats won by South Australia's Liberal and Country League at 15 September 1934 Australian Federal Election. The United Australia Party won 16 seats in
1484-564: A majority in its own right. The five MPs elected for the Emergency Committee of South Australia , which stood for the UAP and Country Party in South Australia, joined the UAP party room, giving the UAP a bare majority of two seats. While Lyons was still willing to take the Country Party into his government (which would have commanded over 70 percent of the seats), negotiations stalled, and Lyons decided to govern alone. The new government
1590-545: A member of the ALP, Lyons supported a no confidence motion against the Scullin Labor government. He resigned from the ALP soon afterward, along with Trade Minister James Fenton and four other right-wing ALP MPs. The United Australia Party was then formed from a merger of the six Labor dissidents, the opposition Nationalist Party of Australia , and several citizens' groups. Lyons became the new party's leader, and hence Leader of
1696-554: A member of the proto-fascist New Guard . Ulm was born on 18 October 1898 in Middle Park, Victoria . He was the third son of Ada Emma (née Greenland) and Emile Gustave Ulm. His father was a French-born artist and his mother was an Australian. Ulm spent his early years in Melbourne, moving to Sydney as a child where his family settled in Mosman . He was educated at state schools. Ulm joined
1802-531: A memorable speech in the portfolio in 1935 in which he argued that "Australia must... populate or perish". However Hughes was forced to resign in 1935 after his book Australia and the War Today exposed a lack of preparation in Australia for what Hughes correctly supposed to be a coming war. Soon after, the Lyons government tripled the defence budget. In the book, Hughes described sanctions as "either an empty gesture, or war", contradicting Cabinet's decision to support
1908-573: A new company in September 1934, Great Pacific Airways Ltd, intending to operate a San Francisco-Sydney air service. Ulm disappeared in December 1934, together with copilot George Littlejohn and navigator Leon Skilling, on a test flight from Oakland, California to Hawaii in VH-UXY Stella Australis , an Airspeed Envoy . It is believed an unexpected tailwind and bad weather caused them to fly past
2014-540: A policy of "appeasement and rearmament". Increases in Australia's defence budget in the years before World War II made him "the greatest peace-time rearmer in Australian history", and saw the military rebuilt after severe funding cuts during the Great Depression. Lyons had pacifist leanings and was keen to avoid a repeat of the First World War. These were rooted in his religious convictions, but also influenced by visits to
2120-580: A political career, becoming the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and serving in cabinet in the post-war Menzies Government . Their sons Kevin and Brendan entered Tasmanian politics, becoming state government ministers several decades after their father's death. Their grandchildren include Libby Lyons , director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency , and Kevin Lyons Jr. , who
2226-535: A schoolteacher. He was active in the Labor Party from a young age and won election to the Tasmanian House of Assembly in 1909. He was Treasurer of Tasmania (1914–1916) under John Earle , before replacing Earle as party leader in 1916. After two elections that ended in hung parliaments, Lyons was appointed premier in 1923 at the head of a minority government . He pursued moderate reforms and successfully negotiated
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#17328561024472332-499: A sleepy koala . A devout Catholic, he was the second Catholic to become prime minister, after his immediate predecessor Scullin, and the only non-Labor Catholic prime minister until Tony Abbott . Lyons is the only person in Australian history to have been prime minister, premier of a state, treasurer and leader of the opposition in both the Federal Parliament and a state parliament (although George Reid had been premier of
2438-655: The 1936 Birthday Honours , he was appointed as a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH), one of only four such appointments made by Edward VIII before his abdication. After Lyons's death, the Canberra suburb of Lyons was named in his honour, located in the Woden Valley adjacent to Curtin and Chifley . In 1975 he was honoured on a postage stamp bearing his portrait issued by Australia Post . His old seat of Wilmot
2544-515: The AIF in September 1914, enlisting under the name "Charles Jackson" and lying about his age. He fought and was wounded at Gallipoli in 1915, and on the Western Front in 1918. Charles Ulm was married twice. In 1919 he married Isabel Amy Winter. After divorcing his first wife, in 1927 he married Mary Josephine Callaghan. Ulm is best known for his partnership with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith , and
2650-512: The Australian Party , a small party led by Billy Hughes, to form a new party, the United Australia Party (UAP). Although the UAP was essentially an enlarged Nationalist Party, Lyons was chosen as leader of the party. He thus became Leader of the Opposition , with former Nationalist leader John Latham as his deputy. The UAP realised that Lyons, an affable family man with the common touch,
2756-428: The Australian pound , cuts to public servants' wages, reductions in tariffs, reductions in budget deficits, and greater spending on work-relief programmes. Lyons's first budget in 1932 restricted maternity allowances, cut pensions, and cut public servants' wages. His second budget reversed wage cuts and offered tax cuts, which were followed by further tax cuts in the 1934 budget. By some measures Australia recovered from
2862-492: The Country Party and de facto deputy prime minister —called a cabinet meeting, where it was agreed that he should serve as prime minister on an interim basis while the UAP elected a new leader. He was sworn in by Governor-General Lord Gowrie a few hours after Lyons's death. The 1939 United Australia Party leadership election was held on 18 April and won by Robert Menzies, who replaced Page as prime minister on 26 April. According to Laurie Fitzhardinge , Lyons's death "removed
2968-555: The Egon Kisch affair of 1934 and the Dalfram dispute of 1938 . In 1937, two simultaneous referendums were held, relating to aviation and the marketing of agricultural products; both failed. Lyons had no previous experience in international relations or diplomacy, but as prime minister took a keen interest in foreign relations and exerted significant influence over the government's foreign policy. His government pursued what has been called
3074-782: The Great Depression and established the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . The background to the Lyons government saw Australia grappling with the immense challenges of the Great Depression. Joseph Lyons began his political career as an Australian Labor Party politician and served as Premier of Tasmania . Lyons was elected to the Australian Federal Parliament in 1929 and served in Prime Minister James Scullin 's Labor cabinet. Lyons became acting Treasurer in 1930 and helped negotiate
3180-615: The League of Nations policy of sanctions after Italy had invaded Abyssinia . Defence issues became increasingly dominant in public affairs with the rise of fascism in Europe and militant Japan in Asia. Scarred by the experiences of World War I, Australia reluctantly prepared for a new war, in which the primacy of the British Royal Navy would prove insufficient to defend Australia from attack from
3286-502: The White Australia policy . In 1934, the government sought to exclude Communist and anti-Nazi activist Egon Kisch from Australia, but lost a series of legal challenges and was widely seen as having embarrassed itself. In 1936, British woman Mabel Freer was refused entry to Australia due to her relationship with a married Australian man, with immigration minister Thomas Paterson publicly defaming her character. The Freer case became
Lyons government - Misplaced Pages Continue
3392-430: The north-west coast . He had a reputation as a shrewd businessman, frequently buying and selling tracts of land and also dabbling in the hotel trade for a period. His sons followed him into farming, and the Lyons family was prominent in the small local community. When Lyons was four years old, his father moved the family from Stanley to Ulverstone , where he opened a combined bakery and butcher's shop. In 1887, he lost
3498-431: The two-party-preferred vote against a reunited Labor Party led by John Curtin . While campaigning, Lyons made extensive use of the new technologies of radio, film, and air travel. He held frequent press conferences and personally briefed journalists, editors, and newspaper proprietors to gain favourable publicity. Lyons adhered to the principles of "sound finance", opposing inflation and government debt and stressing
3604-548: The 1930s saw a shift from agriculture to manufacturing as the chief employer of the Australian economy – a shift which was consolidated by increased investment by the commonwealth government into defence and armaments manufacture. Lyons saw restoration of Australia's exports as the key to economic recovery. A devalued Australian currency assisted in restoring a favourable balance of trade. A dramatic episode in Australian history followed Lyons first electoral victory. NSW Premier Jack Lang refused to pay interest on overseas State debts,
3710-565: The Administrator, Herbert Nicholls , who approved it. In 1926, the government amended the state constitution to codify the Legislative Council's powers over money bills, bringing them into line with the other states. On 15 July 1926, Lyons suffered severe leg injuries when his car—driven by a chauffeur—collided with a goods train near Perth . He came close to death, and stood down from public duties for four months to recover; Allan Guy
3816-745: The British Parliament on 11 December 1931, formalised legislative equality for the parliaments of the self-governing dominions of the British Empire with that of the United Kingdom and during the Lyons period, Australia remained a loyal autonomous member of the British Empire (not even seeing a need to ratify the Statute). The position of "minister without portfolio in London" was created for former prime minister Stanley Bruce in September 1932. Like around one fifth of his Australian countrymen, Joseph Lyons himself
3922-534: The Cabinet as Treasurer, which Lyons took as a rejection of his own policies. Lyons immediately resigned from the Cabinet, and then in mid–March from the Labor Party. Accompanied by another senior minister in the Scullin government, James Fenton , and four other right-wing Labor MPs, he crossed the floor to sit on the opposition benches. Soon afterward, Lyons and his supporters joined with the opposition Nationalist Party and
4028-713: The Coalition was returned to office with 28 seats for the UAP, one for an 'Independent UAP' candidate and 16 for the Country Party. The Labor Party under John Curtin made gains, winning 29 seats. Labor also won 16 seats in the Senate, against just 3 for the United Australia Party. According to author Brian Carroll, Lyons had been underestimated when he assumed office in 1932 and as leader he demonstrated: "a combination of honesty, native shrewdness, tact, administrative ability, common sense, good luck and good humour that kept him in
4134-671: The Depression with a debt crisis and a credit crisis. According to author Anne Henderson of the Sydney Institute , Lyons held a steadfast belief in "the need to balance budgets, lower costs to business and restore confidence" and the Lyons period gave Australia "stability and eventual growth" between the drama of the Depression and the outbreak of the Second World War. A lowering of wages was enforced and industry tariff protections maintained, which together with cheaper raw materials during
4240-435: The Great Depression more rapidly than other similar countries, but the effect of the government's policies have been subject to debate, with some arguing they either slowed or had little effect on Australia's recovery. In April 1933, Western Australia voted overwhelmingly to secede from the rest of the country. Lyons spent two weeks campaigning for the "No" vote with George Pearce and Tom Brennan . The state's isolation at
4346-580: The Hawaiian islands in the dark. The wind was about 35 knots from the south-southeast and the aircraft may also have been pushed north of the islands. At about 10 am local time on 3 December, after sending a series of Morse coded radio messages to Hawaii over five hours advising that they were lost and running out of fuel, the Envoy ditched into the sea. Despite an extensive and immediate search by aircraft and 23 naval ships, no trace of Stella Australis or her crew
Lyons government - Misplaced Pages Continue
4452-673: The Labor caucus, who wanted to expand the deficit to stimulate the economy, and were horrified at the prospect of cuts in salaries and government spending. Alienated by their attacks, Lyons began to consider suggestions from a group of his new business supporters, including influential members of the Melbourne Establishment, that he leave the government to take over the leadership of the conservative opposition. When Scullin returned in January 1931, he reappointed Theodore (as it had become clear Theodore would not be charged with corruption) to
4558-563: The Lyons government stepped in and paid the debts. The national Parliament then passed the Financial Agreement Enforcement Act to recover the money it had paid. In an effort to frustrate this move, Lang ordered State departments to pay all receipts directly to the Treasury instead of into Government bank accounts. The New South Wales Governor , Sir Philip Game , intervened on the basis that Lang had acted illegally in breach of
4664-559: The Opposition , with John Latham , the last leader of the Nationalists, as his deputy. The presence of the working-class Lyons as leader allowed the UAP to portray itself as the party of national unity, even though it was mostly an upper- and middle-class conservative party. In November 1931, Lang Labor dissidents chose to challenge the Scullin Labor government and align with the United Australia Party Opposition to pass
4770-711: The Pope in Rome. Lyons returned to Britain in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI , conducting a diplomatic mission to Italy en route on behalf of the British Government, visiting Benito Mussolini during the period of appeasement of Europe's Fascists in the lead up to World War II . Lyons sent veteran World War I Prime Minister Billy Hughes to represent Australia at the 1932 League of Nations Assembly in Geneva and in 1934 Hughes became Minister for Health and Repatriation. Hughes made
4876-446: The Senate, and the Country Party 2. Lyons took to the air at the 1934 election campaign – becoming the first Prime Minister to fly – piloted around Australia in the "Faith of Australia" by Charles Ulm . Following this election, having suffered an eight-seat swing, Lyons was forced to take the Country Party, led by Earle Page , into his government in a full-fledged Coalition. Page became Minister for Commerce. At 23 October 1937 Election,
4982-414: The South Australia 'Emergency Committee' and with 1 Independent. The United Australia Party won 15 seats in the Senate and Labor just 3. The new medium of radio was employed by the candidates, leading to the election being dubbed the 'radio election'. Although the UAP had fought the election as part of the traditional non-Labor Coalition with the Country Party , the UAP had come up only four seats short of
5088-734: The Treasury portfolio in addition to the Prime Ministership. Lyons was acting Treasurer from August 1930 to January 1931, whilst Scullin was in Britain for the Imperial Conference . Lyons announced his plan for recovery in October 1930, insisting on the need to maintain a balanced budget and cut public spending and salaries, although also advising lower interest rates and the provision of greater credit for industry. His conservative economic approach won him support among business, but angered many in
5194-400: The UAP. The UAP selected Robert Menzies to succeed Lyons and Menzies was sworn in as prime minister for the first time on 26 April 1939. Page refused to serve under Menzies and the UAP entered a period of minority government. On 3 September 1939, Australia entered World War II. Joseph Lyons Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who
5300-592: The Ulverstone State School in 1885, before switching to the local Catholic school in 1887. His early years of schooling were interrupted by his family's financial difficulties, and his attendance was sometimes irregular, though this was not uncommon in small rural schools at the time. In 1891, he moved back to Stanley to live with his aunts, Etty and Mary Carroll, and was enrolled at the Stanley State School. In 1895, aged fifteen, Lyons began working as
5406-470: The United Australia Party; he was elected Leader of the Opposition . Lyons led the UAP to a landslide victory at the 1931 election . Nicknamed "Honest Joe", he was known as a masterful political campaigner and became popular with the general public. His personal popularity was a major factor in the government's re-election in 1934 and 1937 ; he was the first prime minister to win three federal elections. The UAP initially governed alone but after 1934 formed
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#17328561024475512-497: The airline's Avro X aircraft for himself, and named it Faith in Australia . In this aircraft in 1933, Ulm set the speed record from England to Australia at 6 days, 17 hours and 56 minutes, and made several trans- Tasman flights. In 1934, flying in Faith in Australia , Ulm carried the first official airmail from New Zealand to Australia, and the first official airmail delivery from Australia to Papua New Guinea . Ulm established
5618-551: The battlefields of Europe in which he viewed the graves of Australian soldiers. The appeasement aspect of his foreign policy was primarily directed at Italy and Japan, as it was likely that war between those countries and other major powers would affect the important trade routes in the Mediterranean and the Pacific upon which Australia relied. He was particularly concerned with Anglo-Italian and Anglo-Japanese relations , where his goal
5724-561: The conservative government in Canberra, but attracting some criticism from unionists within his own party. Labor narrowly lost the 1928 state election to the Nationalist Party . As premier, Lyons faced a constitutional crisis relating to the powers of the Tasmanian Legislative Council (the parliament's upper house). The Legislative Council had a limited franchise and was occupied mostly by conservative landowners, and
5830-554: The distribution of federal government grants to the states; it remains in existence. Other legislative accomplishments of the Lyons government include the creation of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in 1932 and the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 . The government's landmark national insurance scheme proved politically controversial and was never enacted. Political controversies included
5936-410: The family estate of Sir William Lyne , Premier of New South Wales . In March 1902, Lyons transferred to the Midlands, taking charge of the schools at Conara and Llewellyn . He was transferred again in July 1905 to Tullah , then a few months later to Smithton , and then in April 1906 to Pioneer . In 1907, Lyons moved to Hobart to attend the newly opened Hobart Teachers' College for a year. He
6042-399: The family's savings betting on the Melbourne Cup , driving them into poverty. He had to sell the shop and resort to working as an unskilled labourer; his oldest children took part-time jobs to support the family. Lyons began working at the age of nine, as a printer's messenger boy. By the age of twelve, he was "cutting scrub" (clearing land) for local farmers. Lyons had begun his education at
6148-399: The financial downturn of 1929–1930, with recovery beginning around 1932. Prime Minister Joseph Lyons was the leader responsible for stewarding Australia out of this difficult period. Lyons favoured the tough economic measures of the Premiers' Plan , pursued an orthodox fiscal policy and refused to accept NSW Premier Jack Lang's proposals to default on overseas debt repayments. Australia entered
6254-489: The first Australian prime minister to die in office. He is the only prime minister from Tasmania and one of two state premiers who have become prime minister, along with George Reid . Several years after his death, his widow Enid Lyons became the first woman elected to the House of Representatives. Lyons was born in Stanley, Tasmania , on 15 September 1879. He was the fifth of eight children born to Ellen (née Carroll) and Michael Henry Lyons, both of Irish descent. His mother
6360-401: The floor, five left-wing NSW Labor MPs, supporters of New South Wales Premier Jack Lang , also split from the official Labor Party over the government's economic policies (for Lyons official Labor had been too radical, for the Langites they were not radical enough), forming a "Lang Labor" group on the cross-benches and costing the government its majority in the House of Representatives. Late in
6466-415: The give tariff preference to British Empire goods, following the 1932 Imperial economic conference. The Lyons government lowered interest rates to stimulate expenditure. In October 1933, James Fenton, co-founder of the United Australia Party, resigned from Cabinet over the lack of industry protection in the government's tariff schedules. A further point of difference between the Country Party and UAP had been
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#17328561024476572-430: The government repealed sections of the Act. This back-down led to the resignation of UAP Deputy leader Robert Menzies in March 1939, who supported the plan and was by now openly antipathetic to Country Party members – notably Earle Page. The Lyons government became involved in multiple controversies over its use of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 for political purposes, rather than its stated purpose of enforcing
6678-415: The government was moving its accounts from the Commercial Bank of Tasmania to the Commonwealth Bank , which had only been established a few years earlier. In return he was able to secure a substantial loan and an overdraft of £100,000. The government faced a number of challenges during its two years in office, including a statewide drought, a series of bushfires in early 1915, and labour shortages due to
6784-530: The government's strategies for dealing with the Great Depression . With Scullin temporarily absent in London, Lyons and acting Prime Minister James Fenton clashed with the Labor Cabinet and Caucus over economic policy, and grappled with the differing proposals of the Premier's Plan, Lang Labor , the Commonwealth Bank and British adviser Otto Niemeyer . While Health Minister Frank Anstey supported NSW Premier Jack Lang's bid to default on debt repayments, Lyons advocated orthodox fiscal management. When Labor reinstated
6890-415: The importance of balanced budgets and orderly loan repayments. Although he had been state treasurer for seven years, he portrayed himself as a relative outsider to economic policy who would take the advice of experts. Lyons appointed himself Treasurer of Australia , the first non-Labor prime minister to do so and the first incoming prime minister to do so since Andrew Fisher in 1914. He had earlier offered
6996-413: The inexperienced navigator/wireless operator (who had been a ship's officer) had to sit in the rear compartment behind the large petrol tank and some distance from the pilot. Ulm communicated by speaking tube but could not see the charts or calculations (this arrangement had been chosen by Ulm instead of having the navigator in the cramped space in front of the tank with the pilot and co-pilot). In 1978 he
7102-434: The issue of establishing a national system of unemployment insurance , which the CP saw as aiding urban dwellers over country people and a stretch on the national finances during a time of increased defence spending. Treasurer Richard Casey introduced the National Insurance Bill in 1938 and it passed through the Parliament despite some opposition from Country Party members, however in the face of further criticisms over costs,
7208-455: The job longer than any previous prime minister except Hughes ". Lyons was assisted in his campaigning by his politically active wife, Enid Lyons . She had a busy official role from 1932 to 1939 and, following her husband's death, stood for Parliament herself, becoming Australia's first female Member of the House of Representatives, and later first woman in Cabinet, joining the Menzies Cabinet in 1951. Australia recovered relatively quickly from
7314-428: The more radical Ted Theodore as Treasurer in 1931, Lyons and Fenton resigned from Cabinet. The stance of Joseph Lyons and Trade Minister James Fenton against the more radical proposals of the Labor movement to deal the Depression had attracted the support of prominent Australian conservatives, known as "the Group", whose number included future prime minister Robert Menzies . In parliament on 13 March 1931, though still
7420-435: The morning of 7 April, which was Good Friday . Lyons's body lay in state at St Mary's Cathedral until 10 April ( Easter Monday ). A requiem service was held the following day, and then a procession bearing his coffin proceeded from the cathedral to Circular Quay . Lyons's body was transported to his home town of Devonport aboard HMAS Vendetta . His funeral was held at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes on 13 April, and he
7526-428: The new government, Lyons was made Treasurer , Minister for Education, and Minister for Railways; it was common for ministers to hold more than one portfolio. He was somewhat inexperienced with economic matters, and often turned to his friend and colleague Lyndhurst Giblin for advice; they eventually renewed their relationship at federal level during the 1930s. Less than a month after taking office, Lyons announced that
7632-609: The north. Billy Hughes was brought back into cabinet by Lyons in 1936 and appointed Minister for External Affairs in 1937. From 1938, Lyons used Hughes to head a recruitment drive for the Australian Defence Force. On 7 April 1939, with the storm clouds of the Second World War gathering in Europe and the Pacific, Joseph Lyons became the first Prime Minister of Australia to die in office. Driving from Canberra to Sydney, en route to his home in Tasmania for Easter, he suffered
7738-439: The ongoing war. As Labor was in minority , many of its legislative initiatives were thwarted by the opposition. The party lost the 1916 state election by two seats, despite increasing its share of the vote. When the ALP split over conscription during the First World War in 1916, Earle, a pro-conscriptionist, followed Prime Minister Billy Hughes out of the Labor party. Like most Australians of Irish Catholic background, Lyons
7844-417: The only force that had held in check the smouldering animosities and barely suppressed rivalries which divided [the UAP's] members". On 28 April 1915, Lyons married Enid Burnell , the daughter of a family friend; she was almost 18 years his junior. He had begun courting her in 1912, when she was 15. The couple had twelve children together: Several years after Lyons's death, his widow Enid also embarked on
7950-530: The only prime minister to serve throughout a monarch's entire reign. It was initially assumed Lyons would be succeeded by his deputy John Latham , but Latham left parliament at the 1934 election and the following year was appointed Chief Justice of Australia . His replacement in the Division of Kooyong was Robert Menzies , a prominent figure in Victorian politics and an ally of Lyons. In April 1936, Lyons hand-wrote
8056-460: The process of transition for which Lyons as Prime Minister ought to be best remembered". Lyons was prime minister during the Edward VIII abdication crisis of 1936. He and the other Dominion leaders were only officially informed of the king's intention to abdicate a few weeks before it occurred, although he had found out about the situation earlier through unofficial channels. Lyons strongly opposed
8162-405: The proposed marriage to Wallis Simpson , a view shared by his cabinet; it is unclear if he was initially aware how deep the king's feelings were. He later telegraphed the king asking him not to abdicate, and after the event gave a speech in parliament announcing his regret at the king's decision. Lyons is the only Australian prime minister to have held office during the reigns of three monarchs, and
8268-502: The state Audit Act and sacked the Lang Government , who then suffered a landslide loss at the consequent 1932 state election. Tariffs had been a point of difference between the Country Party and United Australia Party. The CP opposed high tariffs because they increased costs for farmers, while the UAP had support among manufacturers who supported tariffs. Lyons was therefore happy to be perceived as "protectionist". Australia agreed to
8374-568: The time was such that he had to appoint John Latham as acting prime minister for the duration of the trip. Despite the result of vote, the federal government viewed secession as unconstitutional and refused to allow Western Australia to leave the federation. The state's appeal to the British government to intervene was also unsuccessful. In July 1933, Lyons established the Commonwealth Grants Commission to provide impartial advice about
8480-467: The treasurership to Ben Chifley as an inducement to leave the Labor Party, but Chifley declined. He appointed experienced assistant treasurers, initially Stanley Bruce and later Walter Massy-Greene and Richard Casey , who eventually succeeded as Treasurer in 1935. The Lyons government's plan for recovery was a reprise of the Premiers' Plan which had split the Labor Party. It called for devaluation of
8586-558: The year, the Langite MPs supported a UAP motion of no confidence and brought the government down, forcing an early election. At the 1931 election Lyons and the UAP offered stable, orthodox financial policies in response to what they branded as Scullin's poor stewardship of the economy. While Labor remained split between the official party and the Langites, the UAP projected an image of putting national unity above class conflict. The result
8692-504: Was Kingsford Smith's copilot on many of his famous flights, including the 1928 first crossing of the Pacific in the Southern Cross . Ulm was the "business brains" in the partnership, and acquired the funding necessary for the journey. Ulm was also Kingsford Smith's partner in establishing Australian National Airways . After the failure of Australian National Airways, Ulm bought one of
8798-419: Was Lyons's "Pacific Pact" proposal, which envisioned a non-aggression pact between the major powers in the Pacific. Although he championed the pact at the 1937 Imperial Conference , discussions failed to progress. In Bird's opinion, "the Lyons years should thus be seen as a part of the evolution of Australian external policy from dependency towards autonomy […] it is perhaps the continuation and acceleration of
8904-411: Was a far more electorally appealing figure than the aloof Latham. Additionally, his Labor background and his Catholicism would allow him to win traditional Labor constituencies (working-class voters and Irish Catholics ) over to what was essentially an upper- and middle-class conservative party. In March, at about the same time as Lyons led his group of defectors from the right of the Labor Party across
9010-409: Was a huge victory for the UAP, which took 34 seats against 18 seats for the two wings of the Labor Party combined. At the outset, the UAP did not renew the traditional non-Labor Coalition with the Country Party , then led by Sir Earle Page . While the two parties ran separate House campaigns, they presented a joint ticket for the Senate. The massive swing to the UAP left it only four seats short of
9116-458: Was a pioneer Australian aviator . He partnered with Charles Kingsford Smith in achieving a number of aviation firsts, serving as Kingsford Smith's co-pilot on the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. He and two others disappeared near Hawaii in 1934 while undertaking a test flight for an air service between Australia and the United States. Ulm was
9222-521: Was acting premier in his absence. Michael O'Keefe , the Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly , was also a passenger in the car, and lingered for several months before dying of his injuries. At the 1929 Australian federal election Lyons ran for the federal seat of Wilmot , covering the same territory as his state seat. He was swept into office in Labor's landslide victory under James Scullin . He
9328-463: Was acting treasurer while Scullin was overseas, and came into conflict with the Labor caucus over the government's response to the Great Depression ; he preferred orthodox financial policies. In early 1931, Lyons and his followers left Labor to sit as independents. His exact motivations for leaving the party have been subject to debate. A few months later his group merged with other opposition parties to form
9434-494: Was an anti-conscriptionist and stayed in the Labor Party, becoming its new leader in Tasmania. Lyons led the Labor opposition in the Tasmanian Parliament until 1923 when he became Premier of Tasmania , leading a minority ALP government. He held office until 1928, also serving as Treasurer during the whole period of his premiership. Lyons's government was cautious and pragmatic, establishing good relations with business and
9540-470: Was appointed Postmaster-General and Minister for Works and Railways . When the Great Depression struck in 1930, the Scullin government split over its response. Lyons became the leading advocate within the government of orthodox finance and deflationary economic policies, and an opponent of the inflationary, proto- Keynesian policies of Treasurer Ted Theodore . Theodore was forced to resign over accusations of corruption in June 1930, and Scullin took over
9646-475: Was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2018. Before his marriage, Lyons had briefly been engaged to Pearl "Pib" Bailey, whom he met while teaching at Conara in about 1902. He broke off their relationship for reasons unknown, but they remained firm friends; Bailey never married and kept the love letters they exchanged for the rest of her life. In 2018, a Jim Starkey who is married to Wendy Starkey,
9752-430: Was attacked with a horsewhip during one of his campaign speeches. The son of one of his political opponents was convicted of assault, and the incident received widespread media attention. Labor came to power in Tasmania in 1914, after the existing Liberal government of Albert Solomon was defeated on a confidence motion . The new premier was John Earle , who had previously held office for one week in October 1909. In
9858-556: Was born in County Kildare and arrived in Australia in 1857, aged eleven, while his father was born in Tasmania to immigrants from County Galway . Lyons was the first prime minister to have an Australian-born parent. His paternal grandfather, Michael Lyons Sr., had arrived in Tasmania in 1843 with his wife and an infant daughter. Initially an indentured labourer , he became a tenant farmer after completing his term of service, and eventually saved enough to purchase land at Stanley, on
9964-460: Was buried in the church grounds. He was re-interred in the new Mersey Vale Memorial Park in 1969, where he was joined by his wife in 1981. Lyons was the first Australian prime minister to die in office. There was no constitutional precedent as to who should be appointed as his successor, and the situation was further complicated by the UAP's lack of a deputy leader. When the seriousness of Lyons's condition became apparent, Earle Page —the leader of
10070-476: Was consequently opposed to much of the government's platform. Historically, it had claimed for itself the power to amend money bills , despite having no express constitutional authority to do so. In November 1924, the council returned the government's budget to the Legislative Assembly with a series of proposed reductions in spending. Lyons chose to ignore the amendments, instead sending the bill directly to
10176-563: Was devoutly Catholic and proudly of Irish heritage. He had led Labor's anti-conscription campaign in Tasmania during World War I. As prime minister, he travelled to London with wife Enid Lyons in 1935 for the Silver Jubilee celebrations of King George V and Queen Mary – a journey necessitating six months absence from Australia. Lyons faced anti-Catholic demonstrations in Edinburgh, visited his ancestral homeland of Ireland and had an audience with
10282-432: Was ever found. Ulm had chosen not to carry a life raft on board, preferring to save weight and predicting that the aircraft would float for two days if it were forced to land on the water. The plane had been customized by Airspeed to meet Ulm's own specifications; Airspeed's manager, Nevil Shute Norway , suggested in his autobiography that the internal cabin design may have contributed to the navigational problems, because
10388-494: Was honoured on a postage stamp issued by Australia Post depicting Ulm and the Southern Cross . In November 2008 Qantas announced that it would be naming one of its Airbus A380s after Charles Ulm in recognition of his contribution to the aviation industry. This A380 (registration: VH-OQG) entered service on 3 November 2010. Sydney Airport former office building was known as the Charles Ulm Building, until it
10494-474: Was making concrete plans to retire, renovating his house in Devonport and moving his youngest children away from Canberra to attend local schools. According to his wife, they discussed his future two weeks before his death and agreed that he would retire as soon as possible. However, UAP officials repeatedly pressured him to stay on until the most suitable successor could be found. On 5 April 1939, Lyons suffered
10600-591: Was renamed the Division of Lyons in 1984, in joint honour of him and his wife Enid. The state seat of Wilmot was also renamed Lyons for the same reason. Lyons's birthplace in Stanley ("Joe Lyons Cottage") and family home in Devonport ("Home Hill") are operated as heritage sites, the latter by the National Trust of Australia . Charles Ulm Charles Thomas Philippe Ulm AFC (18 October 1898 – 3 December 1934)
10706-562: Was spending most of his free time campaigning for the Labor Party ; he had a reputation as a first-rate orator. Lyons was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 1909 state election , standing in the six-member Division of Wilmot . This required him to resign from the Education Department and give up his teaching career, which reduced his annual salary from £125 to £100. He was comfortably re-elected in 1912 , although he
10812-450: Was sworn in January 1932. Lyons became the third former federal or state Labor leader (after Hughes and Joseph Cook ) to become a non-Labor Prime Minister. After the UAP suffered an eight-seat swing in the 1934 election , Lyons was forced to invite the Country Party into his government in a full coalition, with Earle Page as Deputy Prime Minister. The government won a third term at the 1937 election , with 44 of 74 seats and 50.6 percent of
10918-575: Was the Australian Eastern Mission of 1934 led by Deputy Prime Minister John Latham , which visited seven Asian countries. The second was the 1935 appointment of Australian government representatives in China, the Dutch East Indies, Japan, and United States – albeit below the rank of ambassador – where previously Australia's interests had been represented solely by British officials. The third
11024-528: Was the tenth prime minister of Australia , in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He began his career in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), but became the founding leader of the United Australia Party (UAP) after the Australian Labor Party split of 1931 . He had earlier been 26th premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928. Lyons was born in Stanley , Tasmania , and before entering politics worked as
11130-582: Was then posted to Launceston , teaching at the Glen Dhu and Wellington Square State Schools, as well as briefly acting as headmaster at Perth . He came into conflict with the Department of Education on a number of occasions, often complaining about poor working conditions. His superiors also disapproved of his political activities, which together with his complaints probably contributed to his frequent transfers and failure to win desirable postings. Lyons came from
11236-408: Was to "influence British policy in a manner conducive to Australian interests". According to David Bird, whose book The Tame Tasmanian examined the Lyons government's foreign policy, there was a growing realisation in the 1930s that Australian interests would not be aligned with British interests in all cases. In order to differentiate the two, Lyons authorised three "Pacific initiatives". The first
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