The Menzies Legacy

Menzies’s two terms of government delivered widespread prosperity and a flourishing economy for Australians. Key aspects of the Menzies legacy include:

  • Improvement of living standards and a dramatic rise in the level of consumer goods per head (cars, radios etc).

  • Rise in home ownership from a little over 50% to around 75% of the population in a decade;

  • Great progress in industry, manufacturing output, primary industry production and mineral development;

  • Australia achieved a position in the world's top ten trading nations;

  • Instigation of some of the major treaties including South East Asian Treaty Organisation, ANZUS, the Commerce Agreement with Japan, along with close co-operation with the Commonwealth and other allies;

  • Consistent spending on defence programmes;

  • The arrival of 1 million immigrants in ten years;

  • Introduction of a succession of social security measures such as creating the Pensioner Medical and Free Medicines Service;

  • Expansion of support for education programs;

  • Established Commonwealth Scholarships and the introduction of Commonwealth scholarships for secondary schools as means of introducing State Aid to all schools.

  • Introduction of needed improvements such as the national divorce laws;

  • Child endowment introduced for the first child;

  • Free medical treatment for pensioners and dependants;

  • Free milk to school children;

  • Abolished land and entertainment tax;

  • Introduced Medical Benefits Scheme, and introduce free life-saving drugs for needy;

  • Promoter of Columbo Plan assisting South East Asian nations;

  • Reciprocity in social security with United Kingdom;

  • Encouraged growth of Canberra as a national capital;

  • Introduced Homes for Aged Scheme;

  • Introduced capital grants to mental hospitals and aid for teaching hospitals;

  • Tax deductions introduced for school fees and allied expenditure;

  • Introduced National Health Scheme based on self-help, providing cover for all citizens;

  • Completed rail standardisation Sydney to Melbourne and funded other standardisation works;

  • Completed dams including Blowering;

  • Tax concessions introduced for married pensioners;

  • Development of beef roads scheme to develop the inland;

  • Special grants introduced for anti-tuberculosis campaigns;

  • Introduced Department of Housing, Home Savings Grants Scheme and Housing Loans Insurance Corporation to help more Australians own their own home;

  • Establishment of sheltered workshops;

  • Introduced Aged Pensioners Home Assistance Scheme;

  • Introduced invalid pensions;

  • Established Australian Universities Commission.