You can explore the activities and resources on this website to learn about Prime Minister Billy Hughes, the conscription debate and Australia’s involvement in the peace negotiations.
Prime Minister William Morris (Billy) Hughes led the nation through most of the First World War. A complex and controversial figure, he was known as a man of extremes, inspiring admiration and provoking hatred in equal measure.
His attempts to introduce conscription caused huge rifts, in political parties and the nation. Hughes supported the British Empire but also stood up for Australian interests against other Allied leaders at the negotiations for the treaty of peace at Versailles in France.
Hughes often disregarded social and political conventions, yet won support with his eloquence and wit. From humble Welsh origins, he was shrewd and wily, and became known, for his championing of the Australian troops, as ‘The Little Digger’.