Essay Database

The Petrov Affair During the Cold War between Communist and democratic nations in the late 1940's, Communism was feared by many Australians. Menzies exploited that fear during his time as prime minister. But his attempts to outlaw the Communist Party were declared invalid by the High Court and rejected by the electorate in a referendum in 1951. The issue of Communism, however, split the Labor Party, guaranteeing the Liberal-Country Party coalition a long term in office. …

…industrial groups, and those suspected of supporting them were expelled from the Labor Party. They eventually formed the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), which received strong support from Daniel Mannix, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Melbourne. The DLP only attracted a small number of votes. But by distributing its preferences to the Liberal Party and holding the balance of power in the Senate, the DLP helped to ensure that Labor remained in opposition for almost 20 years.