The Allied Works Council was an organisation set up to oversee and organise

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

construction works in Australia during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Established in February 1942, with their first offices in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, the Allied Works Council was responsible for carrying out any works required by the Allied Forces including providing any equipment, materials or workmen required to carry out these works. By 30 June 1943 they had 4,609 administrative and technical staff and a enrolment in the Civil Constructional Corps of 66,274 and 2,521 in the Civil Alien Corps which was made up primarily of Italian internees. In these roles they were considered 'enemy aliens' and 'prisoners of war'. Edward Granville Theodore, a former

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is appointed ...

(1919–25) and Federal Treasurer (1929–31) was appointed Director-General of the Council. Following the war, the work of the council evolved into the Ministry for Works.

References

External links

Allied Works Council InformationNational Archives of Australia Fact Sheet
{{Authority control Military history of Australia during World War II 1942 establishments in Australia