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John Curtin

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Australian Prime Minister John Curtin and his British counterpart Winston Churchill at the Conference of Dominion Premiers in London in 1944.

John Curtin, Winston Churchill and the cable that changed the course of Australian history

During World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered Australian troops to defend Britain’s colonial interests. Australian leader John Curtin had other ideas.

  • Peter FitzSimons

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Former Prime Minister John Curtin’s Brunswick home has come up for sale, for $2.1 million to $2.3 million.

Prime location: Former PM John Curtin’s old home for sale

It’s not the Lodge, but the renovated Victorian residence is on the market for just the second time in almost a century, and has a price guide of $2.1 million to $2.3 million.

  • Melissa Heagney-Bayliss
Prime minister John Curtin addresses a crowd.

From the Archives, 1942: ‘Revolutionary’ wartime tax reform

80 years ago, the Curtin government used wartime powers to enact ‘far-reaching, even revolutionary’ uniform taxation reforms, despite vehement opposition from the states.

  • Staff Writers
US Army Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur, arrives in Melbourne on 22 March 1942

From the Archives, 1942: MacArthur takes command in the Pacific

80 years ago, PM John Curtin announced that command of all combat sections of the Australian defence force had passed to US General Douglas MacArthur. Curtin called it “a momentous day for the peoples of the United Nations”.

  • Staff Writers
John Curtin speaks.

From the Archives, 1941: Curtin becomes PM of a nation at war

Eighty-years ago, John Curtin was sworn in as the new prime minister of Australia. Curtin led Australia through the majority of World War II, before dying in office, just a month out of the war ending in the Pacific.

  • Staff Writers
Archives at risk include nitrate negatives, prints and scans of Italian prisoners of war in Australia and Pitcairn Islands registers of inhabitants. Photos: Supplied by National Archives of Australia.

From WhatsApp to William Bligh: The story behind the Archives battle

A newsroom discussion about the PM’s social media posts ended up with millions of dollars going to save vital records from the Bounty and of John Curtin.

  • Angus Livingston
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Senator Amanda Stoker says it’s a good thing the Archives is going to the public for donations to save disintegrating records, like this photo of an Italian prisoner of war in Australia.

Government has ‘nothing to be embarrassed about’ over disintegrating archives: Stoker

The minister in charge of the National Archives says it has to deal with the disintegration of its records even as the institution warns parts of Australia’s history cannot be saved.

  • Katina Curtis and Shane Wright
Negatives and prints at the National Archives of Australia are deteriorating while the War Memorial plans a $500m upgrade.

Military history disintegrates in Archives while War Memorial reaps cash

Historians are mystified why the government seems to treat Australia’s military history with reverence at the War Memorial but indifference in the National Archives.

  • Katina Curtis and Shane Wright
Then prime minister John Curtin at a rally in 1942.

Defend Australia first: why John Curtin might salute Peter Dutton

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has indicated an important shift in Australia’s defence posture.

  • Peter FitzSimons
Prime Minister John Curtin pictured during a visit to London in 1944.

‘Destroying our historical records’: Historians fear Australian stories could be lost forever

The war-time speeches of John Curtin are among records that could disappear forever without a major funding boost for the National Archives.

  • Shane Wright and Katina Curtis

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/john-curtin-3nl