AUSTRALIA'S NEW PRIM MINISTER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 164, 13 July 1945, Page 5

AUSTRALIA'S NEW PRIM MINISTER

MR. CHIFLEY CHOSEN

All Ministers To Gontinue

lit Cabinet N.Z. Press Association —Copyright Rec. 11.30. CANBERRA, this day. Mr. J. B. Chifley will become Prime Minister of Australia to-day. Mr. F. M. Porde will return his commission as Prime Minister to the Governor-General, the Duke of Gloucester, this afternoon and the Duke will then send for Mr. Chifley.

Mr. Forde's Ministry has had the shortest life in Federal history—six days. Mr. Forde will be sworn in to-day as deputy-Prime Minister.

Mr. Chifley and .Mr. Forde won their appointments by overwhelming majorities. Unexpectedly the Federal Labour party caucus decided by 37 votes to 30 .that all present Ministers should continue in the Cabinet, though Mr. Chifley, if he chooses, may reallocate their portfolios. The Service Ministries are expected to remain unchanged. . Indeed, few major changes are likely. Mr. Chifley will continue as Federal Treasurer for the time being. - The only change in the Ministry which originally served under : Mr. Curtin is that Mr. Victor Johnson, of West Australia, has been appointed to the vacancy in the Cabinet caused by the.death of Mr. Curtin. Mr. Johnson was an ardent supporter of Mr. Curtin.

The elevation of Mr. Johnson to Cabinet rank was partly dictated, it is believed, by the opinion that it would emphasise the anti-Com-munist feeling in the Labour party. As president •of • the Australian Workers' Union, Mr. Johnson has: been vigorously opposed to Communist infiltration into the industrial. movement. ,He represents, the biggest electorate- in Australia* the Kalgoof lie' . electorate, ; whieh, is bigger than the whole of; Victoria,, and no member has ever travelled all over it during one term of office. The caucus earlier defeated a motion that would have retained the "status quo" for five weeks. This would have meant that Mr. Forde would have retained the Prime Ministership for that period and that the present Cabinet would have carried oh. Its defeat after a long, debate indicated that the/party favoured a "spill," involving- all the Cabinet and party posts;, being declared vacant and refilled. There was a strong feeling that the Cabinet should be left undisturbed as.Mr. Curtin had shown- no inclination to reshuffle it. However, the opponents of the "status quo" were too strong—the field of Ministerial aspirants being one of- the biggest ever recorded in the party— and the motion was defeated. \ ;.