Work for Commonwealth Government, 1942-1944

 
Containers:
Box 40
Component identifier:
Series 6
Content Summary:

Fitzpatrick was given leave from the University of Melbourne from September 1942 until March 1944. During this period he worked first for the Commonwealth Rationing Commission and later, from June 1943, for the Department of War Organisation of Industry.

The series is small but has been divided into two subseries. The first contains a memorandum (dated September 1942) from Fitzpatrick to H.C. Coombs, Director of Rationing, about the proposed Department of Post-War Reconstruction and his notes, written in December, dealing with organisation of the new Department.

In October 1942 Fitzpatrick joined a committee set up by the Attorney-General, H.V. Evatt, to prepare and publish a book setting out the purpose and effect of the Constitution Alteration (Post-war Aims and Reconstruction) Bill. The subseries includes a typescript copy of the resolutions adopted by the editorial committee at its inaugural meeting, a long letter, dated November 1942, from Fitzpatrick to Evatt about the Bill and further letters to Coombs concerning the booklet.

In December 1942 Fitzpatrick was invited with J.V. Barry and Vance Palmer to a conference of the Prime Minister's Committee on National Morale. A.A. Conlon was chairman and the committee members included S. H Deamer, J. Stone, K.L. Barry and A. K Stout. The second subseries contains the report on the public relations of the Department of War Organisation of Industry, which Fitzpatrick made to the Minister, J. J Dedman, following the conference; and his letter to G. T Chippendall concerning the Department's functions and their effects on the electoral prospects of Dedman. A typescript draft of a pamphlet intended to be circulated by ALP branches in the State electoral districts within the federal division of Corio, during the Victorian election campaign in 1943, and a typescript article, probably written by Fitzpatrick, entitled 'Measures taken by the Department of War Organisation of Industry in Australia 1942 and 1943', complete the subseries.

Immediate source of acquisition:
The National Library received the bulk of the papers of Brian Fitzpatrick from his widow, Mrs Dorothy Fitzpatrick, during 1975 and 1976. Papers added as Series 2(d) and 2(e), and added to Series 1(d), 2(c), 10 and 13(m), were received in 2001 together with the papers of Dorothy Fitzpatrick. This material was received from the Fitzpatrick's children, Professor Sheila Fitzpatrick and Professor David Fitzpatrick.

Access and use

Parent Restrictions:
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1917348).
Parent Terms of Access:
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact: