Civil Aviation Agreement, 1945-1961

Component identifier:

Series 77

Content Summary:

In October 1952 an agreement was made between the Commonwealth and Australian National Airlines Pty Ltd (ANA Pty Ltd) to provide for the regular review of air routes, timetables, fares and freights so as to avoid unnecessary overlapping of services and wasteful competition. An independent chairman would be appointed to confer with representatives of the Australian National Airlines Commission and ANA Pty Ltd if agreement had not been reached and he would also grant certificates of approval for the purchase or hiring of aircraft from the Commonwealth. The agreement was incorporated in the 1952 Civil Aviation Agreement Act and Latham was appointed chairman in April 1953. In 1957 a new agreement was signed between the Australian National Airlines Commission, ANA Pty Ltd and Ansett Airways Pty Ltd. It provided for a Rationalization Committee, with a Government-appointed Coordinator, but either airline could appeal to the chairman against a decision of the Coordinator. Latham remained chairman until August 1961.

Among the printed items in this series are the Australian National Airlines Acts of 1945, 1947 and 1952, the Civil Aviation Agreement Acts of 1952 and 1957, speeches by R. G. Menzies and S. D. Paltridge on civil aviation (September 1957), a few reports of ANA Pty Ltd and TAA and an address by G. Packer on air transport (20 May 1954). There is a small amount of correspondence between Latham and J. A. Spicer, the Attorney-General, G. P. N. Watt of the Australian National Airlines Commission, and Sir lvan Holyman of ANA Pty Ltd concerning the powers and duties of the Chairman and the 1957 agreement with Ansett Transport Industries.

Comprises Files 1-3 (Items 1-58).

Immediate source of acquisition:

The bulk of the collection was presented to the National Library by Sir John Latham in December 1963, a few months before his death. In November 1974 the Library purchased some further papers from a secondhand book dealer. They comprised family letters and photographs, some diaries and papers relating to the High Court. These papers have been amalgamated into the original collection.

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