ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the period after the retirement in 1966 of Prime Minister Robert Menzies at the age of 71. His successor Harold Holt was a moderniser who strengthened ties with America but also paid more attention to Asia. In the 1960s, the tastes and values of the ‘baby boomers’ grew more pronounced; these were young people who followed with growing interest the many radical movements for social change erupting across the West. Calls for change intensified when Australian troops were conscripted to fight in Vietnam and as Aboriginal people campaigned for change to the Constitution (1967 referendum). In 1972, the election of the Whitlam Labor government brought in an era of major reform. Australia recognised the Peoples’ Republic of China and Australian troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. The ‘White Australia policy’ was abandoned, the rights of Indigenous peoples and women gained political support, while the new policy of multiculturalism recognised ethnic diversity and promoted social inclusion. Meanwhile, the post-war ‘Long Boom’ came to an end as Australia, like other Western nations, suffered both inflation and rising unemployment. The Fraser (1975–83) and Hawke (1983–91) governments grappled with an economy that could no longer guarantee regular employment.
