Gary Sauer-Thompson comments on the recently aired docudrama on John Curtin. In popular history Curtin and Menzies are often rated as Australia's two greatest Prime Ministers; Curtin because of his stand in WWII and Menzies for his longevity. In my opinion, they were two of Australia's worst.

Both Menzies and Curtin were Prime Ministers in WWII and faced the early onslaughts on allied military effectiveness by the Germans and Japanese. Menzies, followed the policy of the "Great and Powerful Friends" [GAPF] which had been in place since 1919 with Billy Hughes at Versailles.

This policy has been bipartisan since that time, and other than a small period where it was challenged by the international liberalism of Doc Evatt, and later the Engagement Doctrine of Gareth Evans, it has dominated Australian foreign policy making.

Menzies actually removed Australia's most effective commander, Richard Williams, just prior to WWII when a not so flattering review of the Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] was done and became a political liability for Menzies. Williams faced the chopping block and was replaced with a retired Royal Air Force [RAF] hack from England.

Australian air force policy became British policy and totally lost its indigenous and independent strain that it had under Williams. I consider this Menzies biggest mistake in his first period as Prime Minister. Because of this Australia got the Empire Air Training Scheme which handed over sovereignty of Australian airmen to the RAAF. This is something that the Australian Flying Corps [AFC] did not allow in WWI under the Prime Ministership of Billy Hughes.

Menzies also faced Winston Churchill who saw Australians as inferior to British leadership and consequently a subservient dominion - not a sovereign force. Churchill, however, was aware that Menzies and Blamey were aware of domestic national politics, and consequently, Churchill and his High Staff lied to Menzies and Blamey over the Greece campaign.

The fall out from this was the future Australian civil and military leaders did not trust Churchill's word. Part of Curtin digging his heels in with Churchill over the Australian Divisions coming back to Australia were because of Churchill's duplicity during the Greek campaign. Even so the Divisions stayed in Sri Lanka for a time until the Burmese front settled down, so it wasn't a complete victory for Curtin.

Despite Menzies losing the confidence of parliament and the government changing to one led by Curtin - the foreign and military policies are exactly the same with Menzies and Curtin. The speech that Curtin made in December 1941 is seen as some watershed in Australian policy - but it isn't. His words:

Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom.

The policy toward America is exactly the same as it was to the UK previously. Prior to that point the protectorship of Australia came through Royal Navy [RN] dominance, Curtin is just replacing the RN with the United States Navy [USN]. It is the same policy and speaks of the lack of imagination in Australian foreign policy which continues to this day. In addition, where Menzies had a dominion-style relationship with Churchill, Curtin swapped that for exactly the same with MacArthur - two of the worst people in history to be submissive too.

Menzies and Curtin were both out of their depth and it showed in Australian WWII military leadership. It was nothing like it was in WWI. No Monash rose from WWII, and the one most able to be the next Monash, Richard Williams, was removed for political reasons just prior to the war.

More Reading on John curtin

• John Curtin
• Robert Menzies
• World War II
• Gary Sauer-Thompson
• The Pacific Theatre in World War II
• Australian Foreign Policy in WWII