The Advisory War Council (AWC) was an

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

body during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The AWC was established on 28 October 1940 to draw all the major political parties in the

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

into the process of making decisions on Australia's war effort and was disbanded on 30 August 1945.

History

After the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

- Country Party coalition's narrow victory in the 1940 federal election

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Robert Menzies proposed establishing a

government of national unity A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...

with the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

(ALP) opposition. The opposition leader

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few ...

rejected this proposal but agreed to join an advisory body without executive powers. The council first met on 29 October and comprised four government Cabinet ministers, three members of the opposition and

Frederick Shedden Sir Frederick Geoffrey Shedden (8 August 1893 – 8 July 1971) was an Australian public servant who served as Secretary of the Department of Defence from 1937 to 1956. Background and early life Frederick Shedden was born 8 August 1893 in Kyne ...

, the Secretary of the War Cabinet.Dennis et al (2008), p. 7 The AWC was retained after the ALP gained government in October 1941. The new government also adopted the principle that Cabinet would normally adopt any AWC recommendation supported by the majority of ministers. Labor's landslide victory in the 1943 federal election meant that the government did not need to reach compromises with the opposition, but the AWC was maintained as a courtesy. The AWC was disbanded on 30 August 1945 at the recommendation of the opposition members. Six prime ministers

Notes

References

* * * {{cite book , last=Hasluck , first=Paul , title=The Government and the People 1942-1945 , url=http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/chapter.asp?volume=31 , series=Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 4 – Civil , year=1970 , publisher=Australian War Memorial , location=Canberra , isbn= 978-0-642-99367-0 Government of Australia Political history of Australia Military history of Australia during World War II