Centenary of the Fisher Government—PM’s speech

November 21, 2008

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To mark the centenary of Andrew Fisher’s first Labor government, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd gave a speech at Old Parliament House on 13 November, 2008 highlighting Fisher’s achievements as a nation builder.

Andrew Fisher (1862-1928) became the 5th prime minister of Australia on 13 November 1908 when the Liberal Protectionist government headed by Alfred Deakin collapsed due to loss of parliamentary Labor support. Fisher was the first head of a majority Australian government and one who did much to strengthen a young nation’s security, economy and social foundations.

Fisher’s first period as prime minister ended when the new Fusion Party of Deakin and Joseph Cook defeated the government in parliament. His second term resulted from an overwhelming Labor victory at elections in 1910, however, Labor lost power by one seat at the 1913 elections. Fisher’s final term as prime minister came in 1914, as a result of a double-dissolution election. Fisher resigned from office in October 1915, his health affected by the pressures of political life.

As Prime Minister Rudd said during his speech, Andrew Fisher was a true nation-builder. Along with Alfred Deakin, Fisher effectively established the statutory structure of our new nation. Among his many achievements:

Commonwealth Government issued its first currency which replaced bank and State currency as the only legal tender and the Commonwealth Bank was established.
strengthened the Conciliation and Arbitration Act.
began construction began on the trans-Australian railway, linking Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie.
established the Australian Capital Territory and brought the Northern Territory under Commonwealth control.
established the Royal Australian Navy and opened the Royal Military College at Duntroon in 1911.
improved access to invalid and aged pensions and brought in maternity allowances.
introduced workers’ compensation for federal public servants.
promised to support Britain to the last man and the last shilling in the First World War

As Prime Minister Rudd remarked in his speech, “All up, Fisher had less than five years in office. The obstacles he faced were huge—yet his achievements were prodigious.”

The National Library of Australia and the National Archives provided important manuscripts from their collections for display in the Australian Prime Ministers Centre on the day.