I thank those who helped facilitate this work through advice, interviews, answers to queries, correspondence, and permissions. These include the Hon. John Howard, David Joliffe, Tony Stephens, Dianne Davis, Robert Macklin, Richard Farmer, Bruce MacCarthy, Leanne MacCarthy, the Hon. Sir John Carrick, the Hon. Tom Hughes QC, the Hon. Doug Anthony, David Bowman, Margarita Bowman, Ian Hancock, Richard Smart, Michael Morton-Evans, Prof. Cameron Hazlehurst, Phillip Adams, Sir Eric McClintock, Sir Peter Lawler, Tony Eggleton, the family of Frederick Osborne, the family of Alan Reid, John Stone, Prof. Jacques E.C. Hyman, Alan Wright, Lorna Wright, Peter Samuel, C.R. ‘Kim’ Jones, the Hon. Neil Brown QC, Dr David Solomon, Mungo MacCallum, Nicholas Hasluck, Rob Ashley, Bob Bowker, the Sydney Grammar School Archives, the Whiddon Group, Alan Ramsey, Richard Woolcott, Sir Lenox Hewitt, Eric Bogle, Ian Grigg, Jonathan Gaul, Stephen Holt, Reg MacDonald, and Fr Paul Smithers.
I gratefully acknowledge the support of the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research at the University of Canberra, and the Australian Prime Ministers Centre, at the Museum of Australian Democracy. The award of fellowships from both of these institutions was invaluable to the early stages of my research on McMahon. The museum also generously provided funds for the compilation of the index, for which I thank them. In turn, I thank Mei Yen Chua for compiling the index.
This biography was in no small way prompted and encouraged by the award of the 2015 Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers. I am therefore very grateful for the support and advice offered by Julia Carlomagno, then at Scribe, in response to the proposal for this book. I am also profoundly grateful to Henry Rosenbloom, Scribe’s publisher and this book’s editor. Henry has generously supported this book, even though it is unlikely to make him any money, and in doing so has given me the benefit of his experience and sharp eye: I thank him.
Professor Tom Sheridan read a draft of chapter eight and offered perceptive comments: I thank him. Professor Matthew Ricketson offered wisdom, encouragement, and guidance throughout this work, proving once again his abundant generosity. Ian Hancock read the manuscript in draft form and provided much encouragement and suggestions. John Nethercote, adjunct professor, Canberra campus, Australian Catholic University, made a significant contribution: he read the manuscript and offered encouragement, valuable comments, suggestions, and corrections.
My siblings and extended family, whose good humour has always sustained me, have been wonderful throughout. My wife, Kate, in putting up with this endeavour over years and several continents, has been my rock: without her, nothing is possible. My parents, for their love and support, have never wavered: thank you.
Appendix
McMahon government cabinet and ministry,
11 March 1971–5 December 1972
Cabinet
Prime Minister
William McMahon
Minister for Trade and Industry
Doug Anthony
Treasurer
Les Bury*
Billy Snedden**
Minister for Primary Industry
Ian Sinclair
Minister for Health
Jim Forbes*
Sen. Ivor Greenwood (22 March 1972–2 August 1971)
Sen. Kenneth Anderson***
Minister for National Development
Reginald Swartz
Minister for Foreign Affairs
William McMahon*
Les Bury (22 March 1971–2 August 1971)
Nigel Bowen***
Minister for Defence
John Gorton†
David Fairbairn††
Postmaster-General; Vice president of the Executive Council; Minister administering the Department of Vice president of the Executive Council (until 30 May 1971)
Alan Hulme
Minister for Shipping and Transport
Peter Nixon
Minister for Labour and National Service
Billy Snedden*
Phillip Lynch**
Minister for Education and Science
Nigel Bowen*
David Fairbairn (22 March 1971–20 August 1971)
Malcolm Fraser†††
Outer Ministry
Minister for Air
Sen. Thomas Drake-Brockman
Minister for Immigration
Phillip Lynch*
Jim Forbes**
Minister for Social Services
William Wentworth
Minister for Works
Sen. Reginald Wright
Minister for Civil Aviation
Sen. Robert Cotton
Minister for Customs and Excise
Don Chipp
Rendle Holten
Minister for External Territories
C.E. Barnes‡
Andrew Peacock‡‡
Minister for the Interior
Ralph Hunt
Attorney-General
Tom Hughes*
Nigel Bowen (22 March 1971–2 August 1971)
Sen. Ivor Greenwood***
Minister for the Navy
Jim Killen*
Malcolm Mackay**
Minister for Housing
Sen. Annabelle Rankin*
Kevin Cairns**
Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts, Minister-in-charge of Tourist Activities (from 31 March 1972)
Peter Howson
Minister for Supply
Sen. Kenneth Anderson‡‡‡
Victor Garland***
Minister for the Army
Andrew Peacock§
Robert Katter‡‡
Assistant Ministers and Ministers Assisting
Minister in charge of Aboriginal Affairs under the Prime Minister
William Wentworth§§
Minister assisting the Prime Minister
Andrew Peacock§§§
Assistant Minister assisting the Prime Minister
Don Dobie†††
Minister in charge of Tourist Activities under the Minister for Trade and Industry
Sen. Reginald Wright§§
Minister assisting the Minister for Trade and Industry
Rendle Holten†††
Assisting Minister assisting the Minister for Prim
ary Industry
Robert King¶
Assistant Minister assisting the Postmaster-General
Ian Robinson†††
Minister assisting the Treasurer
Phillip Lynch*
Andrew Peacock (27 May 1971–2 February 1972)
Victor Garland¶¶
Minister assisting the Minister for National Development
Don Chipp¶¶¶
Assistant Minister assisting the Minister for Labour and National Service
Tony Street†††
Assistant Minister assisting the Minister for Health
Sen. John Marriott¥
Assistant Minister assisting the Minister for Civil Aviation
John McLeay†††
* until 22 March 1971
** from 22 March 1971
*** from 2 August 1971
†until 13 August 1971
††from 13 August 1971
†††from 20 August 1971
‡until 25 January 1972
‡‡from 2 February 1972
‡‡‡until 2 August 1971
§until 2 February 1972
§§until 31 May 1972
§§§until 27 May 1972
¶from 5 October 1971
¶¶from 21 March 1972
¶¶¶from 27 May 1971
¥from 14 September 1971
Abbreviations
AAEC Australian Atomic Energy Commission
ABC Australian Broadcasting Commission
ACP Australian Consolidated Press
ACT Australian Capital Territory
ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions
AFR Australian Financial Review
AIDC Australian Industry Development Corporation
AIF Australian Imperial Force
ALP Australian Labor Party
AMA Australian Medical Association
ANU Australian National University
ANZUS Australia–New Zealand–United States (Security Treaty)
ARDB Australian Resources Development Bank
ARU Australian Rugby Union
ASIA Australian Stevedoring Industry Authority
ASIO Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
ATN Amalgamated Television Networks
AG Attorney-General
BIG Basic Industries Group
CAA Council for Aboriginal Affairs
CHOGM Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
CP Country Party of Australia
CPD Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates
CSR Colonial Sugar Refinery
DLP Democratic Labor Party
DT Daily Telegraph
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
GCMG Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
GG Governor-General
HMAS Her Majesty’s Australian Ship
HoR House of Representatives
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
ILO International Labour Organization
IMF International Monetary Fund
IPEC Interstate Parcel Express Company
JETRO Japanese External Trade Organisation
JIO Joint Intelligence Organisation
LP Liberal Party of Australia
MiG Mikoyan-and-Gurevich designed Soviet fighter aircraft
MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly
MLC Member of the Legislative Council
MLC Mutual Life and Citizens’ Assurance Co.
MoAD Museum of Australian Democracy
MP Member of Parliament
MVD Russia Ministry of State Security
NAA National Archives of Australia
NFSA National Film and Sound Archive
NLA National Library of Australia
NSW New South Wales
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OPEC Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
P&O Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
PIR Pacific Islands Regiment
PM Prime Minister
PMO Prime Minister’s Office
PNG Papua New Guinea
PRC Peoples’ Republic of China
QC Queen’s Counsel
RAAF Royal Australian Air Force
RAN Royal Australian Navy
ROC Republic of China (Taiwan)
RSL Returned Services League
SEATO Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
Sen. Senate
SMH Sydney Morning Herald
UAP United Australia Party
UK United Kingdom
UN United Nations
USA United States of America
USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
VIP Very Important Person
WWF Waterside Workers Federation of Australia
Notes
Chapter 1: End to End
With the exception of the 1961 election, Lowe had been a safe Liberal seat for much of McMahon’s career. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, demographic changes and redistributions had made it far more marginal.
Peter Rees, ‘McMahon quits in protest’, Sun, 5 January 1982, p. 2.
Reynolds, 2005, pp. 16–17.
Reid, 1917; Menzies, 1967, p. 2; Hughes, 1947, p. v.
Mark Hayne, ‘The autobiography that never was’, SMH, 11 April 1988, p. 15.
Hughes, for example, had written: ‘About what was said — and who said it — I shall say nothing, for in the nature of things all was (and as far as I am concerned will remain) highly confidential.’ See Hughes, 1947, pp. 153–54.
Hugh Crawford, ‘My one regret’, Herald, 5 January 1982, p. 4.
ibid.
Edited by an uncredited Dale Dowse, Helen Shepherd, and Germanus Pause, the book was published in mid-1972 as a send-up of McMahon and a parody of Mao Tse-Tung’s Little Red Book. See ‘McMahon authors own up’, DT, 5 October 1972, p. 7.
Author’s interview with Michael Morton–Evans, 27 September 2016.
ibid.
Author’s interview with Richard Smart, 24 August 2016. Morton-Evans wrote to McMahon on 20 August 1983 to tell him that William Collins was interested in the project.
Chapter 2 : Building Character
Biographical information on James ‘Butty’ McMahon is drawn from: ‘A Self-Made Man: the story of Mr “Jimmy” McMahon’, ACL, 1 August 1906, pp. 21–23; ‘Death of Mr James McMahon’, SMH, 18 November 1914, p. 8; ‘Carrier King: the life story of Mr James McMahon’, SW, 10 May 1914, p. 1; CP, 19 November 1914, p. 23; ‘The late Mr James McMahon’, The Newsletter, 28 November 1914, p. 4; ‘Died last week “Butty” McMahon’, Bulletin, 26 November 1914, p. 16; and Anthony Norman, 2005, ‘McMahon, James (Jimmy)(1838–1914)’, ADB, supp. vol., Melbourne University Press. See also ADB file on James McMahon, Noel Butlin Archives, ANU, AU ANUA 312–6239. Unless otherwise noted, ‘Butty’ McMahon quotes are drawn from ‘A Self-Made Man: the story of Mr “Jimmy” McMahon’, ACL, 1 August 1906, pp. 21–23.
‘Scene at McMahon’s yard’, SMH, 16 September 1890, p. 5.
Alan Stewart, ‘Oh darlings, said the PM, you’ll get me into trouble when your mother comes home’, Herald, 3 April 1971, pp. 27–28.
See birth certificates, New South Wales State Archives: James McMahon (3284/1865), Agnes McMahon (3474/1868), John McMahon (4933/1873), William Daniel McMahon (5295/1875), James Thomas McMahon (5356/1
877), Daniel Ernest McMahon (6647/1879), and Patrick Joseph McMahon (6646/1879); ‘“Smiths’s” personalities—no. 102: wants a wharf laborers’ tariff’, Smiths Weekly, 17 May 1920, p. 4.
‘The late Mr James McMahon’, Newsletter, 28 November 1914, p. 4.
‘Death of WD McMahon’, Referee, 20 October 1926, p. 20.
Peter Coleman, ‘Bill McMahon: from “Christus Veritas” to the Department of Labour’, Bulletin, 10 August 1963, p. 17; Oakes and Solomon, 1973, p. 66; and WD McMahon and ME Walder marriage certificate, New South Wales State Archives, 5381/1903.
Peter Spearitt, 1990, ‘Walder, Sir Samuel Robert (1879–1946)’, ADB, vol. 12, Melbourne University Press; see also notes from T.D. Mutch, An Account of the Family of William Walder, contained in ‘Walder, Sir Samuel Robert’, ADB file, ANUA 312/697, Noel Butlin Archives, Canberra.
For information on James McMahon, see ‘Death of Mr James McMahon’, SMH, 18 November 1914, p. 8, and ‘Wants a wharf laborers’ tariffs’, SW, 17 May 1920, p. 4; for information on William Daniel’s career as a referee, see Referee, 11 September 1907, p. 10; Referee, 4 August 1909, p. 10; SSM, 28 July 1909, p. 2; Arrow, 21 August 1909, pp. 2–3; Arrow, 20 September 1920, pp. 8–9, and ‘Death of WD McMahon’, Referee, 20 October 1926, p. 20.