Ben Chifley

Ben Chifley became Prime Minister of Australia on July 13, 1945, succeeding John Curtin after his death. He led the Labor government through the post-war reconstruction period.

Chifley's government attempted to nationalize the private banking system in 1947, passing the Banking Act. The High Court declared the act unconstitutional in 1948, and the move was highly controversial, contributing to the Labor government's defeat in 1949.

Chifley's government initiated the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme in 1949, a massive engineering project to divert water for irrigation and generate hydroelectric power. It became a symbol of post-war nation-building and employed thousands of migrants.

Chifley's Labor government was defeated in the federal election on December 10, 1949, by the Liberal-Country Party coalition led by Robert Menzies. The loss ended eight years of Labor rule and began a long period of conservative government.