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HomeWelcome To The National Centre of BiographyNCB Upcoming EventsThe Seven Dwarfs and The Age of Mandarins 1940s-60s
The Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins 1940s-60s

The 'Seven Dwarfs' epitomise major changes in Australian government administration commencing, in a small way, in the aftermath of the Depression, but gathering momentum with the declaration of war in September 1939 and, subsequently, in leading reconstruction after the war and in the subsequent era of prosperity and affluence.

Government in this era was marked by an expanding role for the Commonwealth government in the life of the federation, entering fields such as education, health and housing which had previously been seen as largely the preserve of the State governments. A key feature of the era was adoption of approaches to economic policy and the role of government in the economic life of the nation based on the ideas and philosophies of John Maynard Keynes. Likewise, in welfare matters, policies in Australia were extensively influenced by the Beveridge report.

Many of the graduates recruited in this period rose to the highest ranks of government and had a profound influence on public policy throughout the 1940s and for a generation afterwards. 

Some of the most famous names are:

  • Sir Frederick Shedden, Secretary, Department of Defence
  • Sir Roland Wilson, Commonwealth Statistician; subsequently Secretary to the Treasury
  • Dr H. C. Coombs, Director-General of Postwar-Reconstruction; thence Chairman of the Commonwealth Bank; later Governor of the Reserve Bank
  • Sir Kenneth Bailey, Solicitor-General and Secretary, Attorney-General’s Department
  • Sir Allen Brown, Secretary, Prime Minister’s Department
  • Sir John Crawford, Secretary, Department of Commerce and Agriculture; then Secretary, Department of Trade
  • Stan Carver, Australian Statistician

Physically diminutive, they were dubbed the 'Seven Dwarfs'.

There were many others of comparable intellectual depth and analytical skill such as Dr John Burton, Sir Paul Hasluck, Sir Arthur Tange and Sir James Plimsoll in the Department of External Affairs. Those prominent in the economic field included Sir Leslie Melville, Sir Frederick Wheeler and Sir Richard Randall. And, active at the interface between the Army and Administration, was the elusive team assembled by Alf Conlon.

This conference provides an important opportunity to consider this critical and formative period in Australian history with particular attention to the contributions of leading individuals, personally and collectively.

It enables an examination of the work of these individuals as a group, and to recognise, that among them, there were significant debates about the course of public policy in terms of views about the role of government and competing preferences for the market, government intervention and public enterprise. 

Cost: $110 full; $75 students and concession
* includes lunch, and morning and afternoon teas supplied by Ginger Catering
Bookings: (02) 6125 4146 or ncb@anu.edu.au

The conference is supported by:

National Centre of Biography, ANU
Research School of Social Sciences, ANU
College of Arts & Social Sciences, ANU
Australian and New Zealand School of Government
Public Policy Institute, Australian Catholic University, Canberra
Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
Economic Society of Australia
Australian Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia

Date & time

  • Thu 04 Nov 2010, 9:45 am - Fri 05 Nov 2010, 4:30 pm

Location

Old Parliament House, Canberra

Speakers

  • Kenneth Bailey
  • Geoffrey Bolton
  • Nicholas Brown
  • Selwyn Cornish
  • Peter Edwards
  • Ian Hancock
  • Jeremy Hearder
  • Adam Henry
  • David Horner
  • Barry Jones
  • Peter Lawler
  • David Lee
  • Stuart Macintyre
  • John Martin
  • Alex Millmow
  • John Nethercote
  • Tim Rowse

Contact

  •  Christine Fernon
     Send email

Image Gallery

Kate Cowie addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Toni Makkai addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
attendees at Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
John Farquharson at Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
attendees at Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Nick Brown addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
attendees at Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
David Horner addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Selwyn Cornish addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Tim Rowse addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
David Lee addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Meredith Edwards addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Adam Henry addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Peter Edwards addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Jeremy Hearder addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Geoffrey Bolton addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Stuart Macintyre addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Ian Hancock, Peter Lawler, Jack Richardson address Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Ian Hancock addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Peter Lawler addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Jack Richardson addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Alex Millmow addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Barry Jones addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
John Martin addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010
Helen Tracey addresses Seven Dwarfs and the Age of Mandarins conference, 2010

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