Biography & time Line
Provides a comprehensive illustrated biography of John Curtin and a timeline of significant dates in his life.

John Curtin: Vision, leadership and community service
A brief overview of how John Curtin, war-time prime minister and international statesman, exhibited the qualities of vision, leadership and community service during his life.

Download or listen to a short podcast about John Curtin created by the JCPML (4 MByte mp3 file).

John Curtin: Fairest and best
This online exhibition reflects a current display in the JCPML and tells the story of Curtin's life from his early days to his time as prime minister.

Diary of a Labour Man: 1917-1928 Editor of the 'Westralian Worker' documents John Curtin's life during the years he was editor of the WA Labor weekly, the Westralian Worker.Compiled primarily from information in the Westralian Worker, supplemented by other sources such as family papers, photographs and published biographies, the diary paints a picture of the life of this remarkable man.

The federal electorate of Fremantle: a history since 1901 provides brief biographies of each member for Fremantle and details the many boundary changes the electorate has undergone during its more than one hundred year history. Fremantle is one of the original five divisions in Western Australia created for the first election for the Australian House of Representatives. Maps illustrate the changing boundaries and photographs provide a flavour of the port city over more than a century. Comprehensive voting figures for all Fremantle elections and by elections are featured.

Investigating John Curtin: The research papers of Tom Fitzgerald
Tom Fitzgerald, respected economist and journalist, planned to write a biography of John Curtin but became so enmeshed in his investigations that the work was still in progress when he died in 1993. The research papers, now held by the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library, provide new and intriguing insights into Curtin the 'inner man' as well as Curtin the prime minister. This web publication explores the research papers and the life and work of Tom Fitzgerald.

John Curtin: A fair go for all
Throughout his life, John Curtin never lost sight of his dream for a fair and just society in which all people had access to a job, to education, to a home and the basic necessities of life. Find out more about John Curtin's record on human rights.

John Curtin: A good sport
Australians are known for their obsession with sport and John Curtin shared this national passion, both as a participant and as a spectator. Images, letters, newspaper cuttings, video and audio clips combine to tell the story of the prime minister well regarded as 'fairest and best'.

On track: John Curtin's railway journeys
John Curtin had a lifelong link with train travel. Experience train travel as it was from 1917 when the trans Australia line first spanned the continent until the mid 1940s. Images, film clips and the memories of the people who travelled with John Curtin bring this story alive.

Paul Hasluck - War historian - special edition of video
The former politician and Governor General is interviewed by his son Nicholas Hasluck in this JCPML Education Program version, which features Paul Hasluck's relationship with John Curtin and examines Curtin's career in journalism and later in politics. (Technical information)

Visiting John Curtin at home: 24 Jarrad St , Cottesloe
Houses and their furnishings can suggest a great deal about the people who inhabit them. Visit John Curtin at home in his Jarrad St house, built in 1923 and purchased by the Federal and West Australian Governments in 1999. Photographs, video and sound help to bring to life the story of the Prime Minister's modest home in Cottesloe. There's an exploration activity with interactive quizzes for those who want to learn more.

War & peace: rationing & rebuilding: 1940s life in Cottesloe, WA
Explore what it was like to live in John Curtin's home community as Australia moved from war-time privations to peace and growing prosperity. Covering everything from getting around, keeping in touch, school, work and having fun, this resource contains a wealth of information, plenty of anecdotes and images and online activities for the adventurous.

The Art of the possible: Creating an independent Australian foreign policy
This online version of the JCPML's popular major exhibition features text, virtual reality tours and selected images from the original exhibition. The Art of the possible explores Australia's growing independence in the realm of foreign policy from 1935 to 1950. The travelling exhibition based on this major exhibition is also featured.

Aspirations of a working class man: Achievements under John Curtin’s leadership  
Believing that 'the peace must be won for the masses', Curtin used his wartime prime ministership to further his lifelong dream of a fair go for all Australians, implementing Labor programs in the areas of economic reform, social services and immigration, education, public broadcasting, and foreign policy, while maintaining confidence in the power of Parliament. Political cartoons illustrate vividly the achievements which are the focus of the resource. Online educational activities involve interpretation of some of these cartoons.

The General and the Prime Minister: Douglas MacArthur and John Curtin
US General Douglas MacArthur and Australian prime minister John Curtin first met at Parliament House Canberra on 26 March 1942, at a time when the threat of invasion by Japanese forces moving ever southward seemed very real. What began as a 'marriage of convenience' between 'the drab, socialist politician and the colourful, conservative general' appointed as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the South-West Pacific Area, developed into a 'close and mutually supportive relationship'. This resource considers the Curtin-MacArthur relationship in this critical period of World War Two and how historians have subsequently assessed its strengths, failings and overall importance to Australia's war effort and national sovereignty.

John Curtin's legacy: Leading Australia from war to peace
This exhibition follows Australia's progress from 1942, the most critical year of the war, when Prime Minister Curtin 'looked to America' for help, until 1951 when the ANZUS Treaty was signed. It explores the Curtin Government's initiatives in areas including the economy, immigration and foreign policy and how these developed in the postwar years to form the foundations of modern Australia. Virtual reality tours and online educational activities are a feature of the exhibition.

John Curtin: A man of peace, a time of war   
John Curtin was the poor country boy who rose to become prime minister, the revolutionary young socialist turned political pragmatist, the pacifist called upon to lead Australia during wartime. 'Walk through' the exciting panoramas to experience the exhibition in its original form. Feeling adventurous? Try out the interactive quizzes and activities.

John Curtin: A prime minister and his people
This selection of about 500 letters documents the relationship between Prime Minister John Curtin and the general public during the years 1941-1945 and is the result of a joint project between the National Archives of Australia and the JCPML. Two activities with quiizzes, focus questions and follow up research deal with the issues of media censorship in wartime and the banning of the Commununist Party in World War II.

Menzies and Curtin in World War Two: A comparative essay by David Black
Robert Menzies and John Curtin were very different in personality, style and philosophy and faced different scenarios in their terms as Prime Ministers of Australia in World War Two. This essay compares the two leaders in four key areas: running the war effort; defining Australia's place on the world stage; dealing with party politics, elections and the press; and visions for Australia. In addition, eminent historians and commentators provide contemporary perspectives on the two men as wartime leaders. A variety of photographs, cartoons, documents and film and audio clips accompany the resource.

The Prime Minister and the press: A study in intimacy
In this paper, present-day political commentator, Michelle Grattan, provides an incisive commentary on Curtin's relationship with the press in wartime. She contrasts the differences in Curtin's method of extended and friendly meetings with journalists with the current practice of the 30 second 'sound bite'; and a similarity - that Curtin still wished to put his own 'spin' on events.

Shaping the nation: John Curtin and Australia
In following the development of John Curtin's political thinking and career, this exhibition traces the development of Australia to full adulthood - to the moment when Australia had to stand apart from Britain and defend its own soil. The exhibition is an exploration, through the eyes of one of Australia's most prominent early citizens, of what it means to be a nation.

John Curtin: From revolutionary firebrand to journalist in spirit  
This online exhibition explores John Curtin's development as a journalist and his special relationship with the media as prime minister. Photographs, audio clips and selections from Curtin's own writings bring the story to life. There's also an online quiz and Mix & Match activity for those who want to test their knowledge.

Listen to John Curtin's 1945 Anzac Day message
John Curtin's Anzac Day message is as timely now as it was in the midst of World War II. (Technical Information.) You can hear more of Curtin's speeches and other sound recordings including oral histories via the JCPML Electronic Research Archive.

A National Archives of Australia (NAA) and JCPML joint publication, this guide contains biographical information and descriptions of records on John and Elsie Curtin held by the NAA, the JCPML and other institutions in Australia and overseas. John Curtin: Guide to archives of Australia's Prime Ministers (2.5 Mbyte pdf) is freely available online or copies can be purchased in hard copy via the NAA online shop.

Electronic Research Archive (ERA)
ERA provides electronic access to images, text, audio and video of items in the JCPML physical collection and to John Curtin-related material held in other institutions around the world. There's an online ERA Tutorial to provide an interactive introduction to ERA.

The ERA Treasure Hunt is fun to try and reveals just a few of the 'treasures' to be found in the digital archive.