Robert Gordon Menzies was born on the 20th of December 1894 and was Australias 12th Prime Minister. He was Australias longest serving Prime Minister in history. Robert Menzies was Prime Minister from 1939-1941 and then again from 1949-1966 making him Prime Minister for over 18 years in total.
Robert Menzies obtained secondary and university education by winning a series of scholarships. He established himself as one of Australias leading constitutional lawyers before entering the Victorian parliament in 1928. He won a seat in the federal parliament in 1934 and served as attorney general and minister for industry in the United Australia Party government.
Robert Menzies was Prime Minister when world war two began in 1939. When Britain declared war on Germany menzies released the statement, “melancholy duty to inform you officially that, in consequence of a persistence by Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war on her, and that, as a result, Australia is also at war.” At the time this statement was released no one questioned what he was saying and followed through and agreed with it but over time he lost the confidence of members of cabinet and the voters and he was forced to resign.
On 19 December 1949, Robert Menzies became Australia’s Prime Minister for the second time. After the humiliations he had suffered in 1941, his re-election was one of the most shocking comebacks in Australian political history. After being rejected by his previous party, Menzies helped create the opposition liberal party and became its leader.
The Vietnam War began six months after Menzies became Prime Minister and the fear of communism was large in Australia. Menzies wanted the Australia communist Party banned even though they were doing no harm to our country. He introduced a bill that passed easily through the house of representatives but it struggled and was declined by the mostly labor party senate. The federal leader of the labor party eventually intervened and directed the party to withdraw their opposition to the bill.
The bill was taken to the high court but was declared unconstitutional and therefore invalid. In 1951 on the 22nd of September a referendum was held to sought approval for the federal government to ban the communist party. The referendum was opposed by the communist and labor party’s on the grounds that it would restrict freedom of