Today is the 80th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 by wartime prime minister, John Curtin. In 1942, Prime Minister Curtin enacted the Statute of Westminster to remove British Imperial authority to legislate for Australia.
This was a key step in our independence.
During the 1926 Imperial Conference, the governments of the Dominions and of the United Kingdom endorsed the Balfour Declaration of 1926, which declared that the Dominions were autonomous members of the British Empire, equal to each other and to the United Kingdom.
The Statute of Westminster 1931 gave legal effect to the Balfour Declaration and other decisions made at the Imperial Conferences. Most importantly, it declared that the Parliament of the United Kingdom no longer had any legislative authority over the Dominions.
Australian politicians initially resisted ratification of the Statute, particularly John Latham, the Attorney-General and Minister for External Affairs under Prime Minister Joseph Lyons. He thought it would weaken military and political ties with the United Kingdom. However, other politicians supported the Statute, and the new independence it gave to Australia.
John Curtin, who became prime minister eight weeks before the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attack on Pearl Harbour, on 7 December 1941 was finally prompted to adopt the Statute in 1942 after the Fall of Singapore and the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. Prior conservative governments had asserted that British military forces would be able to protect Australia, but Curtin, along with External Affairs Minister Dr H.V. Evatt, thought that focusing on an alliance with the United States would be more valuable.
Prime Minister John Curtin's decision to formally adopt the Statute of Westminster on 9 October 1942 was a demonstration to the international community that Australia was an independent nation.
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