Robert Joshua
Encyclopedia
Robert Joshua, MC
(6 June 1906 – 2 June 1970) was an Australia
n politician, and a key figure in the 1955 split in the Australian Labor Party
which led to the formation of the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist)
and, subsequently, the Democratic Labor Party
.
, to Edward Cecil Joshua, a Mauritian
distiller, and Mary Inglis, née Drummond, who was born in Victoria. He attended Caulfield State School and Wesley College
, was briefly a motor mechanic, and became a teller at the Bank of Australasia. He married schoolteacher Alma Agnes Watson at Glen Iris
on 27 November 1929.
in 1940 and was posted to the Middle East. He led a successful raid during the defence of Tobruk
in Libya
, and was awarded the Military Cross
. Promoted from major to lieutenant colonel in 1942, he commanded the 2nd/43rd Battalion, which fought around Lae
and Finschafen in New Guinea
. He was twice wounded in action.
's The Common People, and Lyndhurst Giblin
's The Growth of a Central Bank. He became drawn to the Australian Labor Party
, and was president of the Ballarat
branch; he had joined the party largely because he supported the nationalisation of the banks.
In 1951, Joshua was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
for the seat of Ballaarat
. He was known as a fierce anti-communist, and attracted controversy for claiming that the Japan
ese were "quite unbalanced in their mental outlook" in relation to the 1952 peace bill, although his views were later modified.
In 1955, Joshua, together with six other federal parliamentarians, was expelled from the Labor Party. Together, they formed the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist)
. Joshua cited his "distrust" and "sympathy with Communist ideas" of Labor leader H.V. Evatt as reasons for his defection. The only non-Catholic
in the new party (he described his religious affiliation as "theist"), Joshua denied any connections with B.A. Santamaria. Eventually, he became an Anglican.
Together with all of the other Anti-Communist members, Joshua was defeated at the 1955 election
, having declined an offer from Robert Menzies
not to run a Liberal
candidate in his seat. Following his defeat, he became an accountant and stockbroker at Ballarat; he continued to contest Ballarat until 1969. Joshua was also the first federal president of the Democratic Labor Party.
Joshua died of cancer on 2 June 1970 at Ballarat, survived by his wife, son and five daughters. He had continued working until a few days before his death, when he notified his doctors: "I'm dying – what are you going to do about it?"
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(6 June 1906 – 2 June 1970) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician, and a key figure in the 1955 split in the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
which led to the formation of the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist)
Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist)
The Australian Labor Party was the name initially used by the right-wing group which split away from the Australian Labor Party in 1955, and which later became the Democratic Labor Party in 1957....
and, subsequently, the Democratic Labor Party
Democratic Labor Party (historical)
The Democratic Labor Party was an Australian political party that existed from 1955 until 1978.-History:The DLP was formed as a result of a split in the Australian Labor Party that began in 1954. The split was between the party's national leadership, under the then party leader Dr H.V...
.
Early life
Joshua was born at Prahran, VictoriaPrahran, Victoria
Prahran , also known colloquially as "Pran", is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Prahran had a population of 10,651. It is a part of Melbourne with...
, to Edward Cecil Joshua, a Mauritian
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
distiller, and Mary Inglis, née Drummond, who was born in Victoria. He attended Caulfield State School and Wesley College
Wesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne is an independent, co-educational, Christian day school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is a school of the Uniting Church in Australia. Wesley is the largest school in Australia by enrolment, with 3,511 students and 564 full-time staff...
, was briefly a motor mechanic, and became a teller at the Bank of Australasia. He married schoolteacher Alma Agnes Watson at Glen Iris
Glen Iris, Victoria
Glen Iris is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Boroondara and Stonnington...
on 27 November 1929.
Military service
Joshua served in the Civilian Military Forces from 1924-30 and from 1936-40, rising to the rank of captain. Subsequently, he joined the Australian Imperial ForceAustralian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
in 1940 and was posted to the Middle East. He led a successful raid during the defence of Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, and was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
. Promoted from major to lieutenant colonel in 1942, he commanded the 2nd/43rd Battalion, which fought around Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
and Finschafen in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. He was twice wounded in action.
Federal politics
Upon returning to civilian life, Joshua began to reshape his previously conservative political views. He was influenced by G.D.H. Cole and Raymond PostgateRaymond Postgate
Raymond William Postgate was an English socialist, journalist and editor, social historian, mystery novelist and gourmet.-Early life:...
's The Common People, and Lyndhurst Giblin
Lyndhurst Giblin
Professor Lyndhurst Falkiner Giblin DSO MC was an Australian statistician and economist. He led a colourful life; he was an unsuccessful gold prospector, played rugby union for England, and fought in the First World War....
's The Growth of a Central Bank. He became drawn to the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, and was president of the Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
branch; he had joined the party largely because he supported the nationalisation of the banks.
In 1951, Joshua was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
for the seat of Ballaarat
Division of Ballarat
The Division of Ballarat is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the provincial city of Ballarat....
. He was known as a fierce anti-communist, and attracted controversy for claiming that the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese were "quite unbalanced in their mental outlook" in relation to the 1952 peace bill, although his views were later modified.
In 1955, Joshua, together with six other federal parliamentarians, was expelled from the Labor Party. Together, they formed the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist)
Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist)
The Australian Labor Party was the name initially used by the right-wing group which split away from the Australian Labor Party in 1955, and which later became the Democratic Labor Party in 1957....
. Joshua cited his "distrust" and "sympathy with Communist ideas" of Labor leader H.V. Evatt as reasons for his defection. The only non-Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
in the new party (he described his religious affiliation as "theist"), Joshua denied any connections with B.A. Santamaria. Eventually, he became an Anglican.
Together with all of the other Anti-Communist members, Joshua was defeated at the 1955 election
Australian federal election, 1955
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1955. All 122 seats in the House of Representatives, and 30 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies with coalition partner the Country Party...
, having declined an offer from Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
not to run a Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
candidate in his seat. Following his defeat, he became an accountant and stockbroker at Ballarat; he continued to contest Ballarat until 1969. Joshua was also the first federal president of the Democratic Labor Party.
Joshua died of cancer on 2 June 1970 at Ballarat, survived by his wife, son and five daughters. He had continued working until a few days before his death, when he notified his doctors: "I'm dying – what are you going to do about it?"