CANBERRA, ACT. — One of the most controversial of Hughes’s policies was conscription, an issue which not only created a rift in the Labor Party, but also divided the young nation. On October 28, 1916, the first referendum to introduce compulsory military enlistment was voted on and narrowly defeated.
Two weeks later, on November 13, the Labor Party expelled Hughes over his support for conscription. However, just a few days earlier, Hughes had formed the Nationalist Party, which incorporated both expelled Labor Party members and members of the opposition. Hughes formed a new cabinet and remained Prime Minister, a position he retained until 1923.
Although initially opposed to Federation, Hughes saw the advantages Federation offered for his particular areas of interest, those being defence, immigration and industrial relations.
He won the federal seat of West Sydney in 1901, and held it until 1916, being an eloquent speaker and shrewd tactician. During the opening years of World War I, Hughes, as Attorney-General, was active in his ministry.
When Prime Minister Andrew Fisher resigned due to ill health in 1915, Hughes was chosen to succeed him.
William Morris ‘Billy’ Hughes was Australia’s seventh Prime Minister. Born in London on September 25, 1862, he migrated to Australia in 1884.
After many years of wandering from job to job, he established a mixed business which sold, among other things, political pamphlets.
As a result, his shop became popular with young reformers, and listening to their discussions piqued Hughes’s interest in politics. In 1894, he won preselection for the seat of Lang, allowing his debut in state parliament.
