Minister for Interior and Works, 1952-57

Component identifier:

Series 12

Content Summary:

Kent Hughes became the Federal Minister for the Interior and Minister for Works and Housing on 11 May 1951. In June 1952 the latter portfolio was changed to Minister for Works. As Minister for the Interior, he was responsible for the developmental planning and administration of Canberra. Other responsibilities included elections and franchise, astronomy, mapping and surveys, meteorology, forestry and timber, war graves, War Service Land Settlement, the Australian War Memorial, the acquisition and leasing of land for Commonwealth purposes, and publicity. The department of Works was responsible for the design, supervision, execution and inspection of all architectural and engineering works for the Commonwealth Government and the formulation of town planning proposals in areas controlled by the Commonwealth. In January 1956, as a result of a Cabinet reshuffle, Kent Hughes was dropped from the Menzies Ministry and he did not hold office again.

The series consists of semi-official and personal correspondence, cuttings, minutes, speeches, reports and papers relating to many of Kent Hughes' Ministerial responsibilities, including papers on his removal from the Ministry in 1956. The correspondents are mostly Ministerial colleagues or public servants, including R.G. Menzies, Sir Arthur Fadden, R.G. Casey, George McLeay, Paul Hasluck, W.H. Spooner, Louis Loder, Lionel Price and J.R. Fraser.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The collection was donated to the National Library, in several instalments between 1973 and 1991, by Lady Kent Hughes and her daughters, Mrs Janet Derham, Mrs Margaret Sasse and Dr Mary Lou Sheil.

Names:

Kent Hughes, Lady

Contents

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