Arthur Calwell had an interesting heritage. His paternal great- grandfather, Daniel Calwell emigrated from Ireland to the United States about 1800, was elected to the Pennsylvania Congress in 1820 and married Jane Huff of German descent. In 1853, two of his sons, Davis, nearly 21 years old, a school teacher, and Dan, nearly 23 years old, came to the Ballarat goldfields. Davis married a Welsh girl, Elizabeth Lewis, who also arrived in 1853 with some her family. After naturalisation, Davis became Shire President of Bungaree. Arthur Calwell's maternal grandfather, Michael McLoughlin, an Irishman, deserted his ship at Port Melbourne in 1847, later going to the diggings. Mary Murphy, came with her family to Sydney in 1854, after the Famine in Ireland, and subsequently went to Kyneton where she married Michael McLoughlin. A daughter, Margaret, married Arthur Albert Calwell, a policeman and later a Superintenden who was responsible for a third of Victoria. Their eldest child, Arthur Augustus was born on 28 August, 1896 in West Melbourne.
At the beginning of 1913, Arthur Jnr. matriculated from St. Joseph's College, North Melbourne and joined the Victorian Department of Agriculture, moving to the State Treasury in 1923. At the age of 29, he became the first President of the newly amalgamated Victorian Branch of the Australian Public Service Association. In 1929, he was Secretary of the State Instrumentalities Unions Committee that contributed to the defeat of the Bruce-Page Government, saving our arbitration system.
Arthur Calwell spoke on street corners against conscription in 1916 and was a delegate to ALP conferences from 1917. He was elected to the ALP Victorian Executive in 1926, to the Federal Conference in 1930, and Federal Executive In 1931. In 1931, he became also the then youngest Victorian State President. He orchestrated the defeat of the Victorian Argyle Government in 1935 and condemned Fascism in that year. In 1936, King O'Malley, a Minister in the Fisher ALP Government from 1910, wrote to Calwell saying he regarded him as one of his sincerest friends, at the age of 19 Calwell was entitled to be a champion of Labour's Cause, he congratulated him on his career in the Public Service, emphasised the ALP aim of 'the betterment of the masses' and hoped he would become Treasurer in the Commonwealth Government.
From 1925, Arthur Calwell was Campaign Manager for Dr. Maloney, Federal Member for Melbourne, whom he heard speak first when he was eight years old. Calwell accepted most electoral responsibilities and refused to oppose him. In 1939, Calwell became an Alderman, then Councillor of the City of Melbourne and a Commissioner of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. He was President of the North Melbourne Football Club from 1928 to 1934 when the players had to be given a meal before a run and when the Committee mortgaged their possessions to keep the Club going. In 1931, he was appointed a Trustee of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Chairman in 1952.
Calwell became the third Member for Melbourne in 1940 and, in the following year, while stating he represented the most cosmopolitan electorate, he protested about the treatment of aborigines and Chinese residents. He became Chairman of the Aliens' Classification and Review Committee in 1942 that released most people interned at the beginning of World War II. As Minister for Information from 1943, in the Curtin Government, he supported decisions of his War-time Censor thus earning the enmity of newspaper owners. The Department sent correspondents to War zones, controlled Radio Australia and employed linguists to listen to enemy broadcasts while broadcasting to several countries. By 1948, Radio Australia was broadcasting 23 hours a day and receiving letters from 50 countries while Calwell also implemented an independent News Service. Under his direction, the Department promoted Australian Arts and produced and promoted Literature and Films. It popularised immigration locally and overseas. In 1949 there were 29 foreign language papers in 12 languages. He introduced the Broadcasting Control Board and encouraged religious programmes. Caucus accepted his policy to broadcast Parliament in 1946 and he was mainly responsible in 1948 for the first increase in Parliament when he also named two electorates after women for the first time. He suggested proportional representation in the Senate.
In July, 1945, Calwell became the first Federal Minister for Immigration establishing a vibrant Department. Within two weeks, the Jewish Community begged for help to rescue survivors of the Holocaust and it has been claimed Australia has now the biggest number of survivors and their descendents outside Israel. In his speech on 2 August, 1945, Calwell emphasised the importance of immigration for defence, development and survival, that the scheme must have the support of the Australian people and that new arrivals must be welcomed. There was a tremendous shortage of shipping but he welcomed the 100,000th assisted British migrant and 50,000th Displaced Person in 1949 besides other assisted arrivals and between January, 1947 and June, 1950, 50 per cent of assisted arrivals were Displaced Persons. The Government invited churches to provide chaplains on ships and at Reception Centres. DPs were given accommodation, unlike those who went to other countries, taught English and the currency and committed themselves to work in allocated jobs for two years, later reduced. They had award wages, were protected from industrial disputes and became self-sufficient. Otherwise, the Scheme would have been jeopardised. It was impossible to conclude agreements with Italy in political turmoil and Greece experiencing a civil war. Privately sponsored migrants came from several countries. Calwell changed the category of Middle East from Asia to Europe enabling Lebanese people to come. He unsuccessfully tried to persuade Cabinet to naturalise Chinese residents but was able to modify regulations in 1947 and naturalisation was achieved in 1956. He introduced Australian citizenship, promulgated on Australia Day 1949, and coined the term 'New Australian' to discourage insulting epithets.
Calwell always had breakfast with Chifley in Canberra and our family often joined them. After Chifley died, Calwell became Deputy Leader. He tried to avert the 'Split' in the 1950s provoked by attempts to control the ALP from outside the political system and rejected the pretensions of this group. Former colleagues wrongly accused ALP members of being Communists that led to major divisions within the Catholic Church and the ALP. After an apparently Catholic political party emerged, most of the Australian Catholic bishops appointed a delegation to Rome. Calwell told the Vatican the Catholic soil in this new land was not yet deep enough to be tilled by clumsy tools. Rome declared the Church must dissociate itself from any political party but some bishops interpreted the decision differently. Calwell believed that church and state should be separate in a modern religiously pluralistic nation as stated in our Constitution and quoting from the Gospels, Matt. 20:15-22, and Thomas Jefferson who had declared the United States was a secular State with a religious community that Calwell applied to Australia. Calwell said that the early Christians exchanged a good religion with Constantine and accepted a set of imperial garments. He welcomed the Declaration on Religious Freedom of Vatican II and encouraged ecumenism. In 1963, Calwell mediated on a dispute within the Australian Greek Orthodox Church.
Calwell became Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Party in March, 1960 and the 1961 election was the closest in Australian history with both major parties winning 62 seats. The ACT and Northern Territory members did not have full voting rights and were not counted and the LCP won on third Communist preferences in the seat of Moreton. US President, John Kennedy was shot the week before the 1963 election provoking a conservative reaction. In 1964, Calwell was awarded a high Papal Knighthood. He opposed the Vietnam War from 1964 and conscription that, with State Aid on the basis of need, were the main issues in 1966. On 21 June, he was shot at after an anti-Vietnam meeting in Mosman but was back at the Sydney Town Hall on 3 July. After defeat at the 1966 election, Calwell declared 'it was better to be defeated on principle than win on lies' and was vindicated on Vietnam.
Calwell resigned from the Leadership in 1967 and continued to actively oppose the Vietnam War and conscription. In 1967 he accepted the offer, on the third occasion, to become a Privy Councillor following all Labor Prime Ministers and senior Ministers such as Evatt but was the only Opposition Leader to be offered it. In 1970, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Melbourne. He was fluent in Irish, spoke French, some Mandarin, a little Italian and emphasised correct English while demonstrating an extensive and colourful vocabulary. He often spontaneously cited literature and history. In his last book in 1972, he quoted the apostle Paul that he had fought the good fight, run the race and kept the faith and in his farewell Parliamentary speech, he pleaded for peace. When he died in 1973, national and religious leaders and diplomats attended his large funeral.
Arthur Calwell promoted an egalitarian society in the New World free from inherited antagonisms and enhanced by immigration, was proud of Australia's unique history and social achievements achieved mainly through the ALP and promoted responsible support for our neighbours, especially PNG. Bob Armstrong, his former Secretary and later Secretary of the Immigration Department stated in 1972:
“If he had not possessed that rare gift of seeing with the eyes of today the things of tomorrow, many thousands of men and women, their children and the children of those children would not be enjoying hope-filled lives in this country today.”
He would be delighted that a little girl, who came to Australia with her family seeking a better life, flourished in her new land and now represents the electorate of Calwell in the Federal Parliament.
