Government controls

As in World War 1, the Commonwealth Government imposed a large number of new controls over people's lives. They did this through the authority of the National Security Act of 1939. This Act did two major things:

• it effectively overrode the Constitution for the duration of the war, giving the Commonwealth power to make laws in areas where it did not have that power under the Constitution; and

• it effectively overrode the power of parliament, by giving the Government power to make regulations, that is, laws that required only the signatures of some Ministers and the Governor-General.

(AWM 42770)

The Government used its powers to make a huge number of laws and regulations affecting all areas of people's lives. Among these were:

• the reduction of the Christmas - New Year holiday period to three days;

• the restriction of week-day sporting events;

• blackouts and brownouts in cities and coastal areas;

• daylight saving;

• increased call-up of the militia;

• the issue of personal identity cards;

• increased enlistment of women into the auxiliary forces;

• regulations allowing strikers to be drafted into the Army or into the Army Labor Corps;

• the fixing of profit margins in industry;

• restrictions on the costs allowed for building or renovations;

• the setting of some women's pay rates at near-male levels;

• internment of members of the Australia First organisation;

• controls on the cost of dresses;

• rationing of clothing, footwear, tea, butter and sugar;

• the banning of the Communist party, and the Australia First Movement for opposition to the war;

• formation of a Women's Land Army;

• the pegging of prices; and

• prosecution of about 1000 conscientious objectors, and the imprisoning of some of them.