400 years Netherlands-Australia: Allies: Relations: Relations between the Dutch and Australian governments

The Dutch Consul-General in Australia informs the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the mood in Australia regarding the Netherlands, March 1940.

Relations between the Dutch and Australian governments

During the Second World War, relations between the Netherlands and Australia comprised two elements: on the one hand, they had a joint interest in defeating the Japanese aggressors, but on the other, they held opposing views on the post-war administration of the Dutch East Indies. As the war progressed, the second element became dominant, leading to strained relations. Things were different when Dutch troops first arrived in Australia in March 1942, as Australia was very worried about a Japanese invasion. This fear was fed by earlier Japanese hostilities towards Australia. In November 1941, HMAS Sydney, with 645 crewmembers on board, was sunk. In February and March 1942 the Japanese launched air strikes on Darwin and Broome, which left over 200 dead and 300 injured. When the Dutch forces arrived in Australia in March 1942, the Australian people and government therefore welcomed them with open arms. At that time, they and other Allies were seen as protectors.

During the war, contacts between the Dutch forces and the Australian people were extremely good. Not only did the Dutch make use of Australian facilities, such as ports, airfields and warehouses; they also conducted joint operations. When servicemen spent time on land, they made friends with the locals. In several cases this led to marriages between Dutch servicemen and Australian women.

At the political level, the difference of opinion on the future administration of the Dutch East Indies increasingly came to the fore as the war progressed. Whereas the Dutch government wanted to restore its former authority in the archipelago, Australia was in favour of decolonisation. Australia’s political direction became especially clear when the Prime Minister, John Curtin, died in June 1945 and was succeeded by Ben Chifley, a trade unionist. Both the new Prime Minister and his foreign minister, Herbert Evatt, fiercely opposed the restoration of Dutch rule. This was reflected in Chifley’s refusal, despite earlier promises, to allow 30,000 Dutch servicemen to be stationed on Australian territory, as they could later be deployed in the Dutch East Indies. This anti-Dutch policy was supported by the Australian maritime trade unions.

When the war ended on 15 August 1945 and the Dutch prepared to restore their rule in the Dutch East Indies, they met with powerful opposition. Shortly after the Indonesian nationalists Achmad Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta had proclaimed the Republic’s independence on 17 August, the Australian maritime trade unions launched a boycott of all Dutch naval and merchant ships, and refused to load, refuel and repair them. The Australian government refused to intervene, to the Netherlands’ displeasure. The alliance gave way to a political dispute. Only after the transfer of sovereignty to Indonesia on 27 December 1949 and the electoral defeat of the Australian Labour Party several weeks earlier were relations between the two countries normalised. In March 1950 the two countries upgraded their missions into embassies at Australia’s initiative.

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	The Dutch Consul-General in Australia informs the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the mood in Australia regarding the Netherlands, March 1940. Relations between the Dutch and Australian governments During the Second World War, relations between the Netherlands and Australia comprised two elements: on the one hand, they had a joint interest in defeating the Japanese aggressors, but on the other, they held opposing views on the post-war administration of the Dutch East Indies. As the war progressed, the second element became dominant, leading to strained relations. Things were different when Dutch troops first arrived in Australia in March 1942, as Australia was very worried about a Japanese invasion. This fear was fed by earlier Japanese hostilities towards Australia. In November 1941, HMAS Sydney, with 645 crewmembers on board, was sunk. In February and March 1942 the Japanese launched air strikes on Darwin and Broome, which left over 200 dead and 300 injured. When the Dutch forces arrived in Australia in March 1942, the Australian people and government therefore welcomed them with open arms. At that time, they and other Allies were seen as protectors. During the war, contacts between the Dutch forces and the Australian people were extremely good. Not only did the Dutch make use of Australian facilities, such as ports, airfields and warehouses; they also conducted joint operations. When servicemen spent time on land, they made friends with the locals. In several cases this led to marriages between Dutch servicemen and Australian women. At the political level, the difference of opinion on the future administration of the Dutch East Indies increasingly came to the fore as the war progressed. Whereas the Dutch government wanted to restore its former authority in the archipelago, Australia was in favour of decolonisation. Australia’s political direction became especially clear when the Prime Minister, John Curtin, died in June 1945 and was succeeded by Ben Chifley, a trade unionist. Both the new Prime Minister and his foreign minister, Herbert Evatt, fiercely opposed the restoration of Dutch rule. This was reflected in Chifley’s refusal, despite earlier promises, to allow 30,000 Dutch servicemen to be stationed on Australian territory, as they could later be deployed in the Dutch East Indies. This anti-Dutch policy was supported by the Australian maritime trade unions. When the war ended on 15 August 1945 and the Dutch prepared to restore their rule in the Dutch East Indies, they met with powerful opposition. Shortly after the Indonesian nationalists Achmad Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta had proclaimed the Republic’s independence on 17 August, the Australian maritime trade unions launched a boycott of all Dutch naval and merchant ships, and refused to load, refuel and repair them. The Australian government refused to intervene, to the Netherlands’ displeasure. The alliance gave way to a political dispute. Only after the transfer of sovereignty to Indonesia on 27 December 1949 and the electoral defeat of the Australian Labour Party several weeks earlier were relations between the two countries normalised. In March 1950 the two countries upgraded their missions into embassies at Australia’s initiative.



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