1950s: times of plenty

The three leaders of the Allied powers were firmly embroiled in the Cold War and the Commonwealth of Nations, as the old British Empire was now known, mourned the passing of King George VI and celebrated Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne.

In Australia, the defeat of the Chifley Government in December 1949 ushered in the longest retention of political power by one person in the nation’s history as Robert Menzies became Prime Minister again.

Queensland, celebrating the centenary of its foundation by the end of the decade, had grown and prospered during the 1950s. The post-war baby boom and the influx of European migrants had lifted the population from about 1.2 million to 1.5 million. The state’s demographics had also changed and by the middle of the decade, more than 20 per cent of the population was under 10 years of age, a figure not seen since the 1890s and early Federation years. Life expectancy had risen as well and more than five per cent of the population was more than 70 years of age.

For the courts, the increase in population also meant an increase in workload. The number of appearances before the Magistrates Court leapt from 3520 for every 100,000 residents to 5180 - an increase of 47 per cent. Increases in the Supreme Court and District Court were far more pronounced, indicating a rise in the seriousness of the offences being committed. The pre-war rate of 28 appearances for every 100,000 residents jumped to 88 for every 100,000, a rise of more than 300 per cent. This increase meant a commensurate rise in staffing numbers within the department—at court level, through prosecutions and also in support and administrative staff. In 1952, an amending Act increased the number of Supreme Court judges from 9 to 11, with the appointment of Mr Justice O’Hagan and Mr Justice Barry. The workload was so high that the District Court jurisdiction was re-established after being abolished by the Supreme Court Act 1921. The new District Court allowed for four judges and dealt with crimes with a maximum of 14 years jail, making the Supreme Court’s criminal jurisdiction effectively responsible only for those matters that garnered life imprisonment.

The department found itself caught in the middle of an obscenity debate with the passage of the Objectionable Literature Act 1954. The Attorney-General, William Power, had championed the Act amid accusations that he was seeking to gag the press. The press adopted the argument that while obscene literature was a menace to society, it was not nearly as dangerous as legislation which restricted the freedom of the press. The Attorney-General lamented the fact that such legislation was necessary, but believed Queensland should be responsible for its citizens and the present law could not cope. The Act was passed and among the first books listed was JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, later recommended reading for students in years 11 and 12 across the state.

The Attorney-General also came under fire for his introduction of the Printers and Newspapers Act 1953. It sought to keep a register of all proprietorship, printer and publisher details as well as the pace of printing of newspapers. It was done in an attempt to combat the pamphlets and flyers being produced by the Communist Party, but the legislation was accused of fascism and having draconian powers.

The Gair Government was replaced in 1957 with the Coalition between the Country Party and the Liberal Party under the premiership of Frank Nicklin. Alan Whiteside Munro was appointed Attorney-General, beginning a trend of non-lawyers as attorneys-general. Munro was a heavy legislator and his amendment to the Landlord and Tenant Act addressed the rental housing problem still rife at this time. He also addressed electoral reform, price control and hire purchase as well as penal reform under the terms of the Offenders Probation and Parole Act.

A courthouse rebuilding program began but progressed slowly, largely due to a shortfall in available materials due to the post-war building boom. Ingham was a case in point. Originally scheduled to be replaced and upgraded before the Second World War, the courthouse refurbishment was postponed and not opened until 1955. Ingham was among the first of the ‘modern’ buildings of two-storey rendered brick with minimal decoration. It was designed by Harold John Hitch whose lasting contributions to courthouse architecture were probably best displayed in the Bundaberg Courthouse project in 1958.

As the decade came to a close the children of the war entered the workforce. Their expectations were very different from those of their parents. The world they entered would change before their eyes and the accepted social norms that permeated society would be turned upside down within a few short years.