Labour controls were introduced during the Second World War because of the high amount of men and women who volunteered or were recruited for military service abroad (Australian War Memorial, 2014). It was introduced to ensure that there were a substantial number of workers to fulfil the requirements of the war industries for the war effort (Anderson et.al, 2009, p. 195). The Australian government had the highly important task of supplying food, clothing and equipment for the overseas forces, therefore needing industries to continue producing goods. Australians as a nation were expected to work for the war effort this affected the severity of the working rules therefore, manpower controls had a significant effect on the Australian civilians. In 1940, the Minister for State of Defence Coordination created a list of reserved occupations to ensure maximum man power for the war effort (Australian War Memorial, 2014). The list was developed to prevent voluntary enlistment of skilled workers from important services, at this time the list was not mandatory and was open to any of the public. In 1942 the list was replaced by a schedule of reserved occupations and industrial proprieties due to the labour crises which began to emerge after the Japanese advance into the Pacific
The Director-General of Manpower, John Dedman, was a significant individual to enforcing manpower regulations. Dedman had the power to exempt any person from service in the armed forces if working in essential services (Australian War Memorial, 2014). It was at this time that employees could not change jobs without receiving prior permission. In October, 1939 the law of conscription was introduced this enabled the government to recruit any unmarried men aged 21 to participate in militia training for 3 months to service in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) (Carrodus et.al, 2012). When conscription was first introduced by the government conscripted soldiers only served in in Australia territories.
Prime Minister John Curtin was the main individual who implemented the change in the recruitment regulations in 1943 in order for Australia’s war effort to be taken seriously by other countries. The change in the recruitment practices allowed soldiers to serve in all areas south of the equator including South East Asia (Red apple education, 2014). Prime Minister John Curtin explained to the Australian public that the manpower controls is necessary for the war effort. He says that every single working Australian needs to devote their time and effort in order to help the soldiers.
"For Australia our utmost, which means everything we have and everything that belongs to us, must now be mobilised. . . . The protection of this country is no longer that of a contribution to a world at war but the resistance to an enemy threatening to invade our own shore. . . . It is now work or fi ght as we have never worked or fought before. . . . The hours previously devoted to sport and leisure must now be given to the duties of war. Every citizen has a parallel duty to that of the man in the fighting forces. . . . And brains and brawn are demanded in every place of war endeavour. We have to pep up the production of every essential requirement." (Anderson et.al, 2009, p. 195)
The negative attitude regarding conscription which is held by a large portion of the population has never changed over the years. In World War 1 the idea of conscription was proposed to the Australian public by Billy Hughes, the Australian Prime Minister during this time. In October 1916, a referendum was held and the notion of conscription was narrowly beat with 1, 087, 557 in favour and 1, 160, 033 against (Australian Government, 2014). The second referendum was held in the year 1917 1, 181, 747 people were against the idea of conscription and 1, 015, 159 were in favour of conscription (Australian Government, 2014). In World War 2 there was no referendum proposed to the public regarding conscription, the government was aware that the public did not want conscription. This attitude is still held by the nation today, the idea of conscription has never been accepted by Australia.