Foreign Policy Post-war

World War Two led Australia to take the first
decisive steps towards a more independent
world view, moving away from total reliance on
Britain for its foreign policy and defence. After
the Pacific war Australians were only too aware
of the extent to which their future security
would depend on the direction of developments
in southeast Asia and of the importance of
continuing involvement by Britain and the
United States.

After the war Australian Minister for Foreign
Affairs Dr Herbert Evatt and Australia came to
play a significant role in the achievement of
Indonesian independence by opposing Dutch
military actions against the nationalists from
1947 onwards. At one stage Australia even
suggested the Netherlands be expelled from the
United Nations. Australia's support for the
independence movement was so significant that
Australia was nominated along with India to
sponsor the Indonesian delegation to the UN in
1949. When the Indonesian delegation took its
place in the General Assembly its spokesman
thanked Australia and India for carrying the
nationalists' case.

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At the death of Prime Minister John Curtin on 5 July 1945, Ben Chifley became Prime Minister of Australia and led the country into the first postwar years, with Herbert Evatt continuing as Minister for External Affairs. Robert Menzies became Prime Minister again in 1949 when the Labor Party was defeated in the Federal elections.