The National Service Act 1951 is a repealed Act of the

Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...

. It provided for the compulsory call-up of males turning 18 on or after 1 November 1950, for service training of 176 days. Trainees were required to remain on the

Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

of the Commonwealth Military Forces (CMF) for five years from initial call up. Men could nominate the service in which they wished to be trained. Those nominating the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

or the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

were considered only if they volunteered for service outside Australia. The first call-up notice was issued on 12 April 1951.

Background

In the midst of communist insurgencies around

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and the start of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, the

Menzies Government Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

introduced this act to parliament. Additionally, the 1951 Australian Communist Party ban referendum was held as fear of Communism reached fever pitch in Australia.

Act

Amendments

The act was amended multiple times. The notable listing includes: * National Service Act (No. 2) 1951 * National Service Act 1953 * National Service Acts 1957 * National Service Act 1964 * National Service Act 1965 * National Service Act 1968 * National Service Act 1971

Analysis

Legacy

Between 1951 and 1959, over 500,000 men registered, 52 intakes were organised and some 227,000 men were trained. In 1957, National Service with the Navy and the Air Force was discontinued. Registration remained compulsory but the intake to the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

was cut to almost a third (12,000 trainees) by instituting a ballot for selection. On 24 November 1959, Cabinet decided that National Service call-ups should be terminated and that arrangements for the January 1960 intake would be cancelled.

References

Acts of the Parliament of Australia Conscription in Australia 1951 in Australian law Conscription law {{Australia-law-stub