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Wartime Controls/Censorship
In 1914, the newly elected Australian
Labor government, under Prime
Minister Andrew Fisher, passed two
items of legislation to extend
Commonwealth power. These were
known as the Trading with the Enemy
Act and the War Precautions Act.
These two pieces of legislation
represented a significant increase in
the central authority of the Federal
government - a move that continued in
many areas of law even after the war
ended in 1918. These Acts gave the
government power to:
collect income tax.
Increase censorship of letters,
telegraph cables, newspapers
and magazines, with the goal of
preventing information about
military operations from
reaching the enemy.
Set prices for certain goods
Control the movements of
enemy aliens - in other words
German-Australians - and even
intern (imprison) them.
Ban trade with companies from
enemy countries fighting against
the Allies.
Wartime propaganda
Wartime propaganda was aimed at
encouraging people to support the war
effort by enlisting to serve or by working
on the homefront. Another key
objective was to generate negative
feelings and emotions towards the
enemy, which in Australia meant
fuelling anti-German sentiments in the
general public. During World War I,
Germans and Turks were demonised in
the Australian Press, in posters and in
day-to-day life. Many German-
Australians changed their names to
more English-sounding ones to avoid
discrimination.