Australia Needs a Tragic Statesman

When Australian Prime Minister John Curtin died in office in July 1945, his death was attributed not only to sickness but also to the immense pressure of leading the country through the Second World War. His greatest burden was the imperative to make a series of decisions that could not wait for certainty. Curtin withdrew Australian forces from the Middle East despite Churchill’s opposition, accepted Singapore’s fall before Britain acknowledged it, and shifted the nation’s focus to a new and untested alliance with the United States. He understood the fog of war and the difficult choices that had to be made. Having been a pacifist and socialist in his younger days, he was forced to grapple with a moral dilemma, knowing that he had to place Australia on a total war footing in spite of his ideals. Curtin represented the ‘tragic statesman’, making tough choices in unpredictable circumstances, accepting inevitable losses, and never mistaking hope for certainty. Australia has not seen a leader like him since.