49-442: Hail Tomorrow is a 1947 Australian stage play by Vance Palmer . It was published at a time when that was relatively rare for Australian plays. The play concerned the 1891 Australian shearers' strike and the establishment of New Australia . The play was not widely performed but the published version was widely reviewed. It was given a number of amateur performances. The play was adapted for ABC radio in 1948. Palmer later wrote
98-810: A bowling green, tennis courts, a dispensary and a maternity hospital. Due to his success in Fiji, Theodore was approached by the British administrations in Borneo and the Solomon Islands to lead prospecting expeditions. Neither were successful, and he contracted malaria while in Borneo; upon his return, he was presented with a tabua (polished whale's tooth) and elevated to the chiefly rank of ratu . Theodore took up full-time residence in Fiji, returning to Australia only for business trips and trout-fishing. He had
147-527: A coma, Theodore died at his flat in Edgecliff on 9 February 1950, at the age of 65. His funeral was held at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney , with the mass celebrated by his friend James Duhig , Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane. He was buried at South Head Cemetery . Theodore married Esther Mahoney on 20 December 1909. She worked as a photographic tinter and was the daughter of a cabinetmaker from Toowoomba . The couple had two sons and two daughters. She
196-403: A daily or Sunday newspaper for three years. Theodore invested most of his profits back into Associated Newspapers, buying shares at a low price and selling them later for a 500–600% return. He and Frank Packer subsequently decided to create a new weekly magazine for women, which they titled The Australian Women's Weekly . George Warnecke , an ALP acquaintance of Theodore's, was appointed as
245-559: A few weeks earlier, this cost Scullin his majority. In November, the UAP and Langites rose to defeat the government on a non-confidence motion, and an election was held in December. Theodore had no base of support in Sydney and he lost his seat to Lang candidate Sol Rosevear . This ended Theodore's political career, although during the 1930s several offers were made to him to return. He was
294-612: A majority in the Assembly for the first time in 1915, he became Treasurer and Secretary for Public Works in the government of T. J. Ryan . In 1919, Ryan resigned and Theodore succeeded him as Premier of Queensland, then Australia's only Labor state government, following the great split in the Labor Party over the issue of conscription in World War I . He was a popular and successful Premier, and soon began to be talked about as
343-404: A minor gold rush, but by the end of 1936 the three mines were the only ones remaining. By 1943 Loloma alone had yielded $ 10 million worth of gold and paid over $ 2 million in dividends. Theodore took a keen interest in the welfare of the miners. He advised the government on the creation of medical benefits and workers' compensation schemes, while the company town had three schools, a golf course,
392-469: A more traditional, deflationary approach. Meanwhile, a conservative government had taken power in Queensland, and appointed a Royal Commission to investigate Theodore's financial dealings as Premier. The Commission found that Theodore and another former Queensland Premier William McCormack , had corruptly profited by authorising the purchase by the state of a copper mine at Mungana while concealing
441-600: A number of state-run enterprises and introducing new competition and labour market regulations. These perceived steps towards socialism led to Theodore being nicknamed "Red Ted". A notable constitutional reform was the abolition of the Queensland Legislative Council in 1922; Queensland remains the only Australian state with no upper house in its parliament. Theodore was popular among the general public, and won two state elections ( 1920 and 1923 ) before resigning in 1925 to enter federal politics. He
490-584: A possible federal Labor leader. Important educational measures were implemented, which benefited the handicapped and isolated, adult franchise in local government was introduced, and the upper house of Parliament abolished. Workers benefited from the introduction of a compulsory unemployment scheme, changes in the Safety and Accommodation Acts, and the Profiteering Prevention Act. Improvements in housing were also secured through amendments to
539-656: A radio serial on this subject, Two Worlds . In the early 1890s, Alec Glover, chairman of the Central Strike Committee in Barcaldine, clashes with William Lane , editor of The Boomerang and leader of the Utopian community in Paraguay. Vance Palmer Edward Vivian "Vance" Palmer (28 August 1885 – 15 July 1959) was an Australian novelist, dramatist, essayist and critic. Vance Palmer
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#1732776426406588-419: A residence 10 miles (16 km) outside of Suva , and while at the mines lived in a bure . In March 1939, Prime Minister Joseph Lyons cabled Theodore in Fiji, asking him to return to Australia and co-ordinate the country's national resources for defence purposes. However due to Lyons' defection from Labor being a key contributor to Theodore's political demise, Theodore therefore declined, stating that "in
637-748: A statement explaining that the offer had been made entirely by the Loan Council and would have to be ratified by cabinet. Theodore eventually agreed in February 1942 to oversee the creation of the Allied Works Council , with himself as Director-General of Allied Works. He subsequently established the Civil Constructional Corps (CCC) to undertake construction work requested by the military. Theodore faced criticism and political interference from his former opponents in
686-641: The 1931 election , where he lost his own seat. He had little success in combating the Great Depression , and disputes over economic policy led to a party split and several defections to Lang Labor and the United Australia Party . Theodore was only 47 when he left politics, and went on to have a successful business career as a partner of Frank Packer . Theodore was born on 29 December 1884 in Port Adelaide, South Australia ,
735-878: The Australian Workers' Union (AWU). Theodore became Queensland state president of the AWU in 1913. Meanwhile, he had been elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in Woothakata from 1909 to 1912 for the Australian Labor Party and subsequently from 1912 to 1925 in Chillagoe (the seat of Woothakata renamed). His position in the AWU made him a power in the Parliamentary Labor Party, and when Labor won
784-609: The Chillagoe area and worked in the Vulcan Mine in Irvinebank . It was among the unorganised workers of Stannary Hills and Irvinebank that the Amalgamated Workers' Association of North Queensland was born. Theodore founded the Amalgamated Workers' Association with Bill McCormack . This union used the process and principle of amalgamation to unify with other unions until it became Australia's largest union,
833-801: The McCarthyist period of the 1950s, but his integrity was recognised by the deeply conservative Prime Minister of that era, Sir Robert Menzies . Vance died from heart disease in 1959. The Victorian Premier's Literary Award for fiction is named the Vance Palmer Prize , while the prize for non-fiction is the Nettie Palmer Prize (until 2010 when under the stewardship of the Wheeler Centre they were renamed as Victorian Premier's Prizes). Ted Theodore Edward Granville Theodore (29 December 1884 – 9 February 1950)
882-505: The labour movement . Theodore was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly in 1909, aged just 24. He was also elected state president of the Australian Workers' Union in 1913. Theodore became Treasurer of Queensland following Labor's victory at the 1915 state election . In 1919, Theodore succeeded T. J. Ryan as premier. His government pursued various interventionist economic policies, establishing
931-418: The 'back of beyond'. He also worked as a manager: at that time there was a large Aboriginal population with whom he both worked and celebrated, attending their frequent corroborrees . It was here his love of the land and environmental awareness was honed, so too his interest in white black relationships. From his early years he was determined to be a writer, and in 1905 and again in 1910 he went to London, then
980-838: The ALP, particularly Jack Lang and Eddie Ward , the Minister for Labour and National Service. He requested that the Department of Labour and National Service provide the CCC with lists of men available for work, but Ward refused to allow the information to be issued. The corps had to resort to telephone directories and electoral rolls in order to recruit sufficient workers. Ward then attacked Theodore for calling up elderly and deceased men. In September 1942, Theodore tendered his resignation to Curtin, citing Ward's lack of cooperation. Curtin relaxed political controls and gave him additional powers, including
1029-524: The Nineties , a critical study of the development of the nationalist tradition in Australian literature usually associated with The Bulletin . This is perhaps his best-remembered work. Vance and Nettie were remembered by those who knew them for their great compassion and generosity. They were instrumental in the recognition of Australian literature as a subject worthy of serious study and teaching in
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#17327764264061078-817: The Savings Bank Act, the Workers' Homes Act, and the Fair Rents Act. Agriculture also received much attention through measures like the Agricultural Education Act, the Irrigation Act, the Main Roads Act, and the establishment of an Agricultural Bank, a cold store, a state cannery, a Cheese Pool, and a wheat board . Orderly marketing and controls on price fluctuations were also carried out to develop agriculture, while
1127-616: The Theodore Government also involved itself in the marketing of Queensland fruit produce. In 1925, Theodore resigned as Premier and stood for the Queensland seat of Herbert in the federal election, but was unexpectedly defeated by Lewis Nott by 268 votes. Theodore was elected to the House of Representatives for the seat of Dalley in Sydney at a 1927 by-election . His status as an outsider in Sydney Labor politics
1176-750: The ability to prosecute men who refused to work. He rescinded his resignation and eventually left the position in October 1944. Theodore was a delegate to the Imperial Press Conference in London in 1946. He resumed his work in Fiji and considered moving there permanently. However, the following year he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. His health declined rapidly and he began handing business responsibilities to his children; he resigned from ACP in January 1949. After several days in
1225-472: The absence of some emergency involving the national safety, I would like to keep out of politics". In the event however Lyons' offer became moot when he died the following month April before anything could be arranged. In May 1940, the Loan Council offered him the position of coordinator of works. This proved highly controversial among members of the government, and Prime Minister Robert Menzies issued
1274-452: The academy. During the last decades of his life Vance is remembered for his regular radio broadcasts on books and writing. Vance and Nettie's last years were clouded by their own ill health and by worry about their daughter Aileen, who suffered a mental breakdown in 1948 and became an alcoholic. A member of the advisory board for the early Australia Council Palmer was attacked as a Communist "fellow traveler" (which to some extent he was) during
1323-663: The advent of fascism, whether in Australia or overseas. Because they had witnessed the loss of democratic rights during the Great War their work was to strengthen the Australian belief in egalitarianism . Palmer published a series of historical and biographical works: National Portraits (1941), A G Stephens: His Life and Work (1941), Frank Wilmot (1942) and Louis Esson and the Australian Theatre (1948). In
1372-580: The army late in 1919. Both Vance and Nettie had begun to publish poetry, short stories, criticism and journalism before the war, but in the 1920s, living in the fishing village of Caloundra , Queensland , to save money, they dedicated themselves to literature full-time. Palmer published his first novel in 1920, and a well-received play, The Black Horse , in 1924. His best novels of this period were The Man Hamilton (1928), Men Are Human (1930), The Passage (1930) and The Swayne Family (1934). During World War II Vance and Nettie were strongly opposed to
1421-705: The centre of Australia's cultural universe, to learn his craft and advance his prospects. He was acknowledged as an expert on foreign affairs – in Mexico and Ireland. His association with Alfred Orage and his work for The New Age and other guild socialists greatly influenced his political outlook. Palmer met his future wife, Janet (Nettie) Higgins , in Melbourne in 1909. They were married in London in 1914 and were on holiday in France when World War I broke out. They went back to London where their elder daughter Aileen
1470-691: The fact that they had a financial interest in the mine, which furthermore was not economically viable. In July 1930 the " Mungana affair " forced Theodore's resignation. Without Theodore's leadership and financial skills, the Scullin government drifted into deeper crisis. When it became apparent that the Queensland government did not intend charging Theodore with any offence, Scullin re-appointed him as Treasurer, in January 1931. Lyons and Fenton felt that Scullin should have waited until Theodore had been formally cleared, and resigned from cabinet in protest. Two months later, they and three of their supporters crossed
1519-608: The floor to the non-Labor opposition, and eventually joined forces with the Nationalists to form the United Australia Party , led by Lyons. During 1931 Theodore faced the greatest economic crisis in Australian history. The government imported an advisor from the Bank of England , Dr Otto Niemeyer , who recommended an "orthodox" solution, including sharp reductions in government spending such as pensions and unemployment benefits. The radical Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang , on
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1568-602: The founding editor. The new publication proved immensely successful, and in 1936 Theodore and Packer joined forces with Denison to form Australian Consolidated Press (ACP), which became the new publisher of the Women's Weekly and Denison's The Daily Telegraph . Theodore served as chairman of the new company, but "interested himself only in the financial and administrative aspects" while Packer concentrated on publishing. In 1933, Theodore learned that gold had been found in Fiji on
1617-602: The island of Viti Levu . The area of interest had been pegged by Bill Borthwick and leased by Pat Costello, both of whom had connections with Queensland. Theodore contacted Costello, an old acquaintance, about the find, and offered to finance further exploration of the area. He formed a syndicate with Frank Packer, John Wren , and Wren's associate Patrick Cody, with each of them holding a quarter stake. Geological findings were initially unfavourable. Eventually three mines were established – Emperor, Loloma and Dolphin – with Theodore as managing director of all three. Their success sparked
1666-532: The mainland and worked as a gold miner at Day Dawn and Kalgoorlie . He went back to Adelaide for Christmas 1902, and then joined his father on an unsuccessful prospecting expedition to Leigh Creek and Bundaleer , where they had hoped to find copper. Later in 1903, Theodore got his first experience in industrial relations, helping negotiate a wage increase for miners at Arltunga . He then decided to try his luck at Broken Hill, New South Wales . In 1906 he left for Cairns , Queensland where he prospected for tin in
1715-411: The only sitting treasurer to lose his seat until Josh Frydenberg in 2022. Theodore left politics entirely after his defeat. In 1932, Theodore began a business relationship with 25-year-old Frank Packer , the son of newspaper industry veteran R. C. Packer . The duo formed Sydney Newspapers Limited with the aim of acquiring The World , a daily newspaper published by the Australian Workers' Union that
1764-461: The other hand, campaigned for the repudiation of Australia's debt to bond-holders in London. Theodore rejected both these alternatives and proposed instead an expansion of credit to farmers and small business, through the issue of "fiduciary notes" which could be redeemed after the Depression. His Fiduciary Notes Bill was denounced as financially unsound by orthodox economists and the banks. It
1813-476: The postwar years Palmer wrote a trilogy – Golconda (1948), Seedtime (1957) and The Big Fellow (1959), based loosely on the life of the Queensland politician Ted Theodore . The trilogy met a poor critical reception. While today his novels are out of print, many of his short stories are still read and reissued. The Big Fellow won him a posthumous Miles Franklin Award . In 1954 Palmer published The Legend of
1862-513: The second of six children born to Annie (née Tanner) and Basil Stephen Theodore. His parents had met in 1882, on the passage from England to Australia. After arriving in Fremantle , Western Australia , they initially went their separate ways; they kept in touch by letter, however, and by the end of the year had married in Perth . They subsequently moved to Adelaide , where their first son Stephen
1911-407: Was a permanent problem for him, but he soon made his mark in federal Parliament. In 1929 he became Deputy Leader of the Labor Party and Deputy Opposition Leader under James Scullin . In October 1929 Scullin defeated the conservative government of Stanley Bruce and became Prime Minister, while Theodore became Treasurer and de facto Deputy Prime Minister . Two days after the Scullin government
1960-622: Was an Australian politician who served as Premier of Queensland from 1919 to 1925, as leader of the state Labor Party . He later entered federal politics, serving as Treasurer in the Scullin Labor government . Theodore was born in Adelaide , the son of a Romanian immigrant. He left school at the age of 12, and spent the next decade working his way around the country. He arrived in Queensland in 1906, and soon became involved in
2009-661: Was born in Bundaberg , Queensland , on 28 August 1885 and attended the Ipswich Grammar School . With no university in Queensland, he studied contemporary Australian writing at the intellectual hub in Brisbane at the time, the School of Arts, following the work of A. G. Stephens . Working in various jobs, he took a position as a tutor at Abbieglassie cattle station, 800 kilometres (500 mi) west of Brisbane in
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2058-586: Was born in Manchester , England, and descended from Irish immigrants. Her father died when she was an infant, and she was sent to work in the Lancashire cotton mills. When her mother died, she accepted an invitation to join her step-brother Tom Harrison (an ex-convict) at his farm in Greenough, Western Australia ; however, she stayed there only a few months before returning to Perth to marry. Theodore
2107-540: Was born in 1915. Later that year, they returned to Australia and settled in Melbourne. Their second daughter, Helen , was born there in 1917. Vance and Nettie campaigned against the Hughes government's attempt to introduce conscription into Australia. In 1918, Palmer enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force and was sent back to Europe, but the war ended before he saw service. He was discharged from
2156-684: Was born the following year. Theodore's father, originally named Vasile Teodorescu, was born in Galați , Romania , into a well-to-do family connected with the Romanian nobility. He and his brother travelled to London in their youth, where they learned English. His parents had intended that he follow his father into the Romanian Orthodox priesthood, but he quit divinity school to join the British Merchant Navy . Theodore's mother
2205-429: Was defeated at his first attempt, but two years later won a by-election for the Sydney seat of Dalley . In 1929, Theodore was elected deputy leader to James Scullin . He became Treasurer and de facto Deputy Prime Minister after the 1929 election , but resigned after less than a year amid accusations of corruption . Theodore returned as a Treasurer in early 1931, and served until the government's landslide defeat at
2254-534: Was educated at Lefevre Peninsula Catholic and Aldgate State schools in Adelaide, but left school at 12 to work on the Adelaide docks. In 1900, aged 16, he left for the goldfields of Western Australia, working as a labourer at Lennonville and Peak Hill . He then joined a guano mining crew on the Houtman Abrolhos , where he acquired his lifelong love of fishing. After a while, Theodore returned to
2303-540: Was eventually defeated in the Senate , which was still controlled by the conservative opposition. Theodore has been described as a visionary proto-Keynesian for this proposal, although it cannot be known what effect his measures would have had on the Depression had the bill been passed. In March 1931, Lang's supporters in Parliament deserted the main body of Labor. Combined with the defection of Lyons and his supporters
2352-488: Was known to be in financial difficulties. For £100, they acquired the rights to lease the masthead and plant for one year. It was subsequently announced that the newspaper would be re-branded as The Star and would be priced at 1d (one penny), compared with 1½d for its major rival The Sun , published by Associated Newspapers Limited. Hugh Denison , the managing director of Associated Newspapers, paid Theodore and Packer £86,500 in return for an agreement for them not to publish
2401-543: Was sworn in, the US stock market crashed . The effects of the Great Depression were soon felt in Australia, and the Scullin government, like others, was hard pressed to deal with mounting unemployment and the collapse of world trade, on which Australia's export-based economy depended. Theodore, an early advocate of Keynesian economics, favoured deficit spending to rejuvenate the economy. However, Works and Railways Minister Joseph Lyons and Trade Minister James Fenton supported
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