Term Papers on AUSTRALIA IN THE 1970’S

Term Paper Title	AUSTRALIA IN THE 1970’S
# of Words	1083
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.33

AUSTRALIA IN THE 1970’S

Politics:

Malcolm Fraser served as prime minister until March 1983, longer than anyone except Bob Menzies; then the Labor party returned to office, and Bob Hawke's term extended further than any previous Labor leader. His term lasted until December 1991, when Paul Keating replaced him as Prime Minister. Australian life remained gracious and comfortable in many ways: in 1964 Donald Horne published a book about Australia entitled The Lucky Country, and, while Horne used the phrase sarcastically, many of his fellow citizens in the generation ahead accepted it. Both Fraser and Hawke were capable and committed, and such qualities were respected widely among their ministers. In the states, however, the record was often unpredictable and sometimes worse. The major political parties became less associated with particular pressure groups: middle-class professionals became virtually as dominant in the ALP as they were among the Liberals. The Country Party changed its name to the National Party (NP) in 1983.

This approach reflected, rather than caused, persistent problems; but did not solve them. Inflation was endemic from the 1940s but rose sharply in the early 1970s. Defying much rhetoric and expostulation, the rate of inflation remained higher than that of countries with otherwise comparable economies. High interest rates continued to attract overseas investment, but even this was a disputable boon. The high rates curtailed spending, notably on that traditional bastion of “the Lucky Country,” individual home ownership. They also increased the national debt and tended to keep the value of the Australian dollar high, harming the balance of trade.

The government's policies prompted reduction of tariffs; doubtless these had previously sheltered inefficiency, but in the new climate many manufacturers succumbed. As a result, a pillar of the earlier boom was overturned, and unemployment became a problem in a way unknown since 1940. Australia's share in world trade diminished. Notwithstanding that, its economic viability depended more than ever on commodity exports, continuing or even intensifying a colonial-style economic status. Living standards declined relative to many other societies and tended toward absolute stabilisation. A few individuals got rich but behaved in such a way as to win the derogatory nickname “corporate cowboys,” and they ultimately often lost their shareholders' money. In the later 1980s the governments or the police or both of several states were implicated in scandals involving corruption and deceit. These troubles had counterparts in earlier Australian history and in many another time and place. Nevertheless, it was disquieting. The political drama of November–December 1975 had less short-term effect than might have been expected. In the longer term, however, that period seemed a watershed.

International affairs

Both world wars encouraged, even forced, Australian governments to assert themselves internationally. The ALP had always tended toward a comparatively forthright international policy. Appropriately, therefore, the Curtin and Chifley governments, especially in the person of Evatt, took a sizeable part in founding the United Nations. Evatt helped secure recognition of the rights of smaller nations in the United Nations and served as president of the United Nations General Assembly in 1948–49. The Labor governments also had some sympathy for Asian nationalist movements, most importantly in Indonesia.

With the accession of Menzies and the deepening of the ...

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