Year 10 History - The Second Red Scare: Australia

Rarely does a political event capture a nation’s imagination like the Petrov Affair. In 1954 the Petrov Affair dominated Australia’s headlines. For months Australians devoured stories of espionage and charges of political conspiracy.

The Royal Commission on Espionage ran from April 1954 to September 1955. It looked into Soviet espionage in Australia.

The National Museum of Australia brings to life the rich and diverse stories of Australia through compelling objects, ideas and events.

After the Second World War ended with the defeat of Germany and Japan in 1945, a new global conflict between Communist and non-Communist blocs threatened world peace. The Cold War, as it was called, had substantial domestic repercussions in Australia.

The Robert Menzies Institute is a prime ministerial library and museum that commemorates the life and legacy of Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, bringing alive the spirit of a great Australian for a new generation.

Reds Under the Bed: 100 Years of Communism in Australia provides a short overview of the history of the communist movement in Australia and highlights some of the communist material held within the Noel Butlin Archives Centre.

​In 1950 Liberal Prime Minister Menzies introduced the Communist Party Dissolution Act. At this time many Australians were frightened of communism. The law declared the Australian Communist Party to be unlawful. The Australian Communist Party and several unions challenged the law in the High Court.

The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Defeat of the Referendum on Communists and Communism in September 1951, speech to the University of Adelaide Law School, 2001
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