Investing in Australia’s future
‘Patriotism must not die because the war is over’, exhorts a father to his son in this clip, reminding his family that peace also brings a responsibility to the nation.
Year: c1919
Length: 00:59
Source: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
Catalogue Reference: NFSA title:533403
Location: Australia
Tags: Australia, Peace loans, fundraising
Subject: Peace Loans
The financial cost of the First World War to Australia included a war debt of £275 million, at a time when average weekly earnings were around £3. Government initiatives to recoup the costs included War Loans and Peace Loans. Prime Minister Billy Hughes also argued strongly at the Paris Peace Conference for heavy reparations from the defeated Central Powers, to help cover the costs of the Allied nations’ war efforts.