The Forgotten People

"The Forgotten People" is a famous 1942 speech[1] and campaign slogan by Robert Menzies, an Australian politician who was repeatedly chosen as Prime Minister of Australia by emphasising his links to ordinary non-elite citizens.[2]

Robert Menzies, founder of the Liberal Party of Australia and Prime Minister of Australia 1939–41 (UAP) and 1949–66 (Liberal)
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Robert Menzies

Prime Minister of Australia

First term of government (1939–1941)

Second term of government (1949–1966)

Ministries

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Government of Australia

Overview

The speech, delivered on 22 May 1942, defines and exalts Australia's middle class, which Menzies termed "the forgotten people". Menzies used the speech to outline the values and constituency that would form the basis of the Liberal Party of Australia. Menzies had previously been Prime Minister, as leader of the United Australia Party from 1939-1941.[3] From 1942 onward, Menzies had maintained his public profile with his series of "Forgotten People" radio talks, similar to Franklin Roosevelt's "fireside chats" of the 1930s, in which he spoke of the middle class as the "backbone of Australia" but as nevertheless having been "taken for granted" by political parties and of being effectively powerless because of lack of wealth on the one hand, and lack of organisation on the other.[4][1][3]

Cultural legacy

Contemporary Australian politicians continue to invoke Menzies' sentiments.

Labor leader Kevin Rudd made reference to the phrase and to Menzies in the lead-up to the 2007 federal election for a perceived current generation of "Forgotten People".[5]

Liberal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott echoed the Menzian rhetoric in his first budget-reply speech to the Gillard government in May 2011, addressing his remarks to the "forgotten families" of Australia.[6]

After the Coalition lost the 2022 federal election and Peter Dutton became the Leader of the Opposition, he referred to this speech.[7]

See also
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References
  1. "The Forgotten People – Speech by Robert Menzies on 22 May 1942. Liberals.Net: Liberal Party of Australia". Liberals.net. 22 May 1942. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  2. Judith Brett, Robert Menzies' Forgotten People (2007)
  3. "Menzies, Sir Robert Gordon (Bob) (1894–1978)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  4. "Screen Australia Digital Learning - Menzies' Forgotten People Speech (2008)". Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  5. "Howard forgetting the battlers: Rudd - Breaking News - Nationals". Theage.com.au. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  6. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/special-reports/federal-budget-2011/story-fn8melax-1226054908287
  7. Wright, Tony (3 June 2022). "Peter Dutton's Forgotten People took the money and ran". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2022.


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