There Never was a "Brisbane Line"

By Peter Dunn OAM

"Fake news that grew from a rejected defence strategy"

 

The mythical "Brisbane Line" grew from a defence strategy which was rejected by the Australian War Cabinet in February 1942.

 

Somehow politician Eddie Ward became aware of this rejected defence strategy. In October 1942 he claimed that the previous Government was prepared "to abandon an important part of northern Australia without firing a shot." 

 

General Douglas MacArthur added to the fire by labelling the controversy the "Brisbane Line" in March 1943, exactly twelve months after his arrival in Australia. The media and Eddie Ward took advantage of this new attractive label given to the story and eventually Prime Minister John Curtin was forced to call a Royal Commission.

 

This book sets of the timeline for the controversy around the mythical "Brisbane Line" and provides documentary evidence of:- 

• how the story developed 
• and proves that the "Brisbane Line" did not exist

 

 

 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Australia War
• Release date: Jun 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393808794

Peter Dunn OAM

I am a retired electrical engineer who has a passion for the history of people, places, units, and events in Australia during WWII. My research covers military and civilian activities on the Australian Home Front during WWII. I am also the owner of a very large web site called "Australia @ War".

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Summary

On 4 February 1942, Lieutenant General Iven Giffard Mackay (NX363), General Officer Commanding Home Forces, submitted a proposal regarding the Defence of Australia to Frank Forde, the Minister for the Army. 

Mackay’s proposal was submitted at the War Cabinet meeting of 17 February 1942. It was a strategy for the best deployment of available Australian Army Divisions for the defence of Australia. It noted that it may be necessary to submit to the occupation of certain areas of Australia by the enemy should local resistance be overcome. It made no mention of a line of defence near Brisbane.

War Cabinet did not support Mackay’s proposal and they asked for the Chiefs of Staff to carry out a new appreciation of the Defence of Australia. Frank Forde recommended defending the whole of the populated areas of Australia to the utmost of our ability and to prevent the enemy by every means within our powers from obtaining a foothold on our shores.

The Chiefs of Staff submitted their Appreciation of the Defence of Australia on 5 March 1942.

General Douglas MacArthur arrived in Melbourne on 22 March 1942 after his evacuation from the Philippines by PT Boat and B-17 Flying Fortress to Batchelor Airfield in the Northern Territory. MacArthur met with Lt. Gen. Iven Mackay at 4:00pm on 24 March 1942, only two days after MacArthur had arrived in Melbourne. Presumably Mackay pushed his earlier rejected proposal with MacArthur, which MacArthur also rejected. General Douglas MacArthur made a statement three days after his arrival in Melbourne that that the battle for Australia would be fought in New Guinea and not in Australia.

On 17 October 1942, Edward Eddie Ward, The Minster for Labour, accused the previous government of intending to abandon an important part of northern Australia without firing a shot. Note that Ward did not mentioned the term the Brisbane Line in the Newspaper article and the article did not even mention Brisbane itself.

Mackay’s rejected proposal was never labelled the Brisbane Line by him or the War Cabinet or the Advisory War Council. It would appear that General Douglas MacArthur may have been the first to attribute the name Brisbane Line to Mackay’s rejected proposal during his off the record talk with journalists on 17 March 1943, five months after Eddie Ward first accused the former Government of its plan to abandon part of northern Australia.

Timeline

4 Feb 42 - Lt. Gen. Iven Mackay, General Officer Commanding Home Forces, submitted a proposal for the Defence of Australia to Frank Forde, the Minister for the Army.

17 Feb 42 - The proposal was submitted to the War Cabinet and was not supported

18 Feb 42 - Frank Shedden, Secretary of the War Cabinet, asked the Chiefs of Staff for a fresh appreciation of the Defence of Australia.

5 Mar 42 - The Chiefs of Staff submitted an Appreciation of Defence of Australia.

17 Mar 42 - General Douglas MacArthur arrived at Batchelor Airfield, in the Northern Territory by B-17 Flying Fortress after evacuation from Corregidor by PT-Boat.

22 Mar 42 - General MacArthur arrived in Melbourne.

24 Mar 42 - General MacArthur met with Lt. Gen. Iven Mackay.

6 Apr 42 - Lt. Gen. Iven Mackay appointed Commander of the Second Army

18 Apr 42 - General MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area.

26 Oct 42 - Eddie Ward accused the previous Government of intending to surrender an important part of northern Australia to the enemy without firing a shot.

17 Mar 43 - General MacArthur announced the Australian Government had adopted a Brisbane Line defence policy at