John McSwiney

Chifley and Australian Postwar Reconstruction John McSwiney

Chifley and Postwar Reconstruction: the Australian Labor Party and the platform is the fifth in a series of books that analyses federal Labor governments and their attempts to pursue and enact the platform they were pledged to uphold. The book examines the leadership, vision, tenacity, courage and commitment of those Labor men and women who in the face of incredible odds and insurmountable obstacles stood in solidarity for something greater than themselves. In the period 1945 - 1949 Chifley's success at implementing the platform, like Fisher before him, demonstrated that a Labor Government controlling both Houses during a time of relative peace and stability could achieve significant reform based on the platform. Also, like Fisher, Chifley experienced the effects of restrictive interpretations of the Constitution by the High Court as well as seeing important referenda initiatives based on key platform planks defeated.