Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Titles tagged with ‘prime ministers’

48 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year

1910s

Australasian Gazette – HMAS Brisbane Launched at Cockatoo Island newsreel – 1915

In this 1915 newsreel, the wife of then prime minister Andrew Fisher launches the HMAS Brisbane naval ship from the dockyard of Cockatoo Island.

Cartoons of the Moment – Australia’s Prime Minister Delights the Empire newsreel – c1915

In this edition of Cartoons of the Moment, Harry Julius comments on the war in Europe and Prime Minister Hughes’s policy of restrictions on trade with Germany.

Cartoons of the Moment – The Kaiser War newsreel – c1918

This edition of Cartoons of the Moment was probably made in 1918, after Prime Minister Hughes’s second visit to England to attend the Imperial War Cabinet.

Prime Minister Rt Hon. WM Hughes visits Western Front historical – 1918

At a time of great controversy, Australian Prime Minister WM (Billy) Hughes consults with his generals on the Western Front.

1920s

Delegates to the Australian Labor Party’s Easter Conference at the Trades Hall Melbourne newsreel – 1928

This is rare footage of key historical figures of the ALP and trade union movement at a 1928 conference at Melbourne Trades Hall.

1930s

Menzies Speech: Declaration of War radio – 1939

The announcement by Prime Minister Menzies in 1939 that because Great Britain has declared war upon Germany, Australia is also at war.

1940s

Australia to England via Tobruk and Benghazi: Menzies Wartime Tour home movie – 1941

Most footage of the Second World War is in black-and-white, making this 16mm colour home movie by former Prime Minister Robert Menzies even more extraordinary.

Curtin Speech: Japan Enters Second World War radio – 1941

In a broadcast to the nation, Prime Minister John Curtin announces that Australia is now at war with Japan.

From England to the USA: Menzies Wartime Tour home movie – c1941

Part travelogue and part historical record, this home movie captures official visits as well as the prime minister’s own travel.

ALP Cinema Advertisement: In the Wake of the Storm advertisement – 1946

This cinema ad for the 1946 federal election encourages Australians to stay with the Labor Party, which has successfully led the country through the end of the Second World War.

ALP: Frank Forde, Election 1946 newsreel – 1946

Labor Deputy Prime Minister Frank Forde appeals to his Capricornia electorate to vote for him and Prime Minister Chifley in the September 1946 federal election.

Liberal Party Cinema Advertisement: The Golden Age advertisement – 1946

This Liberal Party cinema advertisement for the 1946 federal election proposes that life for ordinary people under the incumbent Labor government is by no means as good as it should be.

Menzies 1948 Journey, Reel 1 home movie – 1948

This 16mm colour home movie filmed and edited by Sir Robert Menzies is an extraordinary record for not only Australians but the British too.

Menzies 1948 Journey, Reel 2 home movie – 1948

A truly mesmerising piece of footage taken through the eyes of Australian prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies, during a family journey through Europe.

Menzies 1948 Journey, Reel 3 home movie – 1948

This home movie is the third reel of a four-part travelogue filmed by Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, in 1948.

Liberal Party Cinema Advertisement: The House that You Built advertisement – 1949

This Liberal Party cinema advertisement for the 1949 federal election presents a choice between the 'socialist’ and 'free democratic’ ways of life, as offered by the ALP and Liberal Party respectively.

1950s

They Chose Peace documentary – 1952

The Realist Film Unit covered the Youth Carnival for Peace and Friendship in Sydney, which took place in the highly political climate of 1952.

The Queen in Australia documentary – 1954

The first colour feature made in Australia, documenting the first visit of a reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1954.

1960s

Interview with Archbishop Mannix television program – 1962

Interviewed at age 97, Dr Daniel Mannix, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, was a man of considerable influence in Australian public life.

Menzies in Profile documentary – 1964

A tribute celebrating the life of Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia and founder of the Australian Liberal Party.

ALP: Federal Election 1966 advertisement – 1966

These Australian Labor Party television advertisements are for the 1966 federal election and broach issues ranging from education and health care to resource development, conscription and the Vietnam War.

Mister Prime Minister – Alfred Deakin television program – 1966

A biography of Alfred Deakin, Prime Minister of Australia from 1903 to 1904, 1905 to 1908 and from 1909 to 1910.

Mister Prime Minister – Joseph Aloysius Lyons television program – c1966

A profile of Joe Lyons, Prime Minister of Australia from 1932 to 1939.

Holt – Film Re-enactment of the Circumstances Surrounding the Disappearance of the PM sponsored film – 1967

This unedited footage shot by Victorian Police re-creates the unexplained disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt from a Victorian beach in December 1967.

1970s

Australian Movie Magazine No 7201 newsreel – 1971

This 'year in review’ edition is not a typical example of the newsreel’s format. It presents some of the significant events of 1971 and includes a range of story types.

ALP: It’s Time advertisement – 1972

This TV commercial for the 1972 Whitlam election campaign targeted elusive Labor voters – women and young people – with a catchy song and starry singers.

Whitlam – Visit to Bendigo and Eaglehawk historical – 1973

Gough Whitlam, the first Labor Prime Minister in 23 years, visits Bendigo and Eaglehaw in Victoria to lend support to the party’s campaign for the May 1973 state elections.

Billy and Percy television program – 1974

Based on the diaries of Percy Deane, private secretary of Prime Minister WM Hughes during the conscription debates of the First World War.

Peter Nicholson Animations – Fraser’s Leadership Challenge short film – 1974

An animated political cartoon by Peter Nicholson featuring Billy Snedden and Malcolm Fraser.

Peter Nicholson Animations – Gough’s World Tour short film – 1974

An animated political cartoon by Peter Nicholson featuring Gough Whitlam, Joh Bjelke-Petersen and Bob Hawke.

Kerr’s Cur historical – 1975

On 11 November 1975, on the steps of Parliament House, the dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam delivers his now-famous verdict on the day’s events.

The Sullivans – On the Brink of War television program – 1976

The first four episodes of the long-running hit series cover the period leading up to the declaration of the Second World War in Australia on 3 September 1939.

Life at the Top: A Week with Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser documentary – 1977

Tracks Malcolm Fraser for one week in 1977 as he goes about his prime ministerial duties in Canberra and takes trips to Kalgoorlie and Wollongong.

This Day Tonight – The Last Program television program – 1978

It is fascinating to hear the man who dismissed an elected Australian federal government in 1975 say that he would do it again.

1980s

The Dismissal television program – 1983

On 11 November 1975, the Labor Prime Minister was dismissed. Great Australian drama based on actual events, produced less than a decade after they took place.

The Harold Holt Mystery documentary – 1985

On 17 December 1967 Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach, Victoria. This docudrama reconstructs Holt’s last days and examines controversial theories surrounding his death.

Hellfire Jack: The John Curtin Story documentary – 1985

A portrait of John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia from 1941 to 1945.

1990s

Treaty music – 1991

Aboriginal pop song from the 1990s with a powerful political message.

Keating Speech: The Redfern Address spoken word – 1992

In his famous ‘Redfern Address’, Prime Minister Paul Keating articulates injustices suffered by Australia’s Indigenous peoples and how society can redress them.

Mabo: An Address to the Nation television program – 1993

In a televised address to the nation, Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating outlines the government’s response to the High Court Mabo decision on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights.

After Mabo documentary – 1997

The most respected Indigenous commentators on native title are featured here, thus adding to the documentary’s historical importance.

2000s

Four Corners – American Dreamers television program – 2003

As the world waits for the inevitable invasion of Iraq, Four Corners offers a compelling picture of the power of the Neo-cons to influence George W Bush.

Anthem: An Act of Sedition documentary – 2004

This ambitious work gives voice to everyday people affected by the ‘war on terror’ and Australia’s mandatory detention policies.

Letters to Ali documentary – 2004

One family’s willingness to embrace 15-year-old Ali stands in contrast to the media’s portrayal of asylum seekers as ‘terrorists’ or ‘people smugglers’.

The Life and Times of Malcolm Fraser television program – 2004

A portrait of Malcolm Fraser, Prime Minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983.

Canberra Files, The documentary – 2006

Sir Robert Menzies filmed his own wartime tour in 1941, including meeting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at his home.

Curtin television program – 2007

The Curtin telemovie is like a skilfully painted miniature: small in size and scope but, on closer examination, high on well-researched detail.

First Australians – Episode 5, Unhealthy Government Experiment documentary – 2008

This episode explores the lives of Jandamarra, an Aboriginal stockman, and Gladys Gillian, an institutionalised half-caste.