Defence (Citizen Military Forces) Act 1943
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Defence (Citizen Military Forces) Act (1943) was federal Australian law passed on 26 January 1943 which provided for the use of Australian conscripts in the South-Western Pacific Zone (SWPZ) during the period of war. The Act also provided that this approval would lapse within six months of Australia ceasing to be involved in hostilities.
Initially Opposition Leader and leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), John Curtin, voiced opposition in Parliament to the move by the Menzies Government and reiterated ALP opposition to compulsory military service overseas. But a compromise was reached where conscripts were only to serve in the Pacific region 'and such other territories in the South-west Pacific Area as the Governor-General proclaims as being territories associated with the defence of Australia'.
