Editing Harold Holt (section)

===Domestic policy===
According to his biographer [[Tom Frame (bishop)|Tom Frame]], "Holt's inclinations and sympathies were those of the political centre [...] he was a pragmatist rather than a philosopher, but he nonetheless claimed a philosophical lineage connecting him with [[Alfred Deakin]] and approvingly quoted his statement that 'we are liberal always, radical often, and reactionary never'."<ref>Frame (2005), pp. 133–134.</ref>

====Economy====
[[File:ABC Decimal Currency.ogv|thumb|right|An [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] (ABC) video showing Holt (as Treasurer) introducing the coins of the new Australian dollar in 1964]]
Holt as prime minister was sometimes criticised for a failure to be assertive on economic matters. A major [[Drought in Australia|drought]] in 1965 had led to slowdown in growth, but he was unwilling to increase public spending in case it increased inflation.<ref name="Frame 2005, p. 161">Frame (2005), p. 161.</ref> The [[Australian dollar]]&nbsp;– a legacy of Holt's period as Treasurer&nbsp;– came into circulation on 14 February 1966, less than a month after his prime ministership began. In November 1967, the British government unexpectedly announced that it would be devaluing the [[pound sterling]] by 14 percent. Holt announced that the Australian government would not follow suit, effectively withdrawing Australia from the [[sterling area]]. The decision was strongly opposed by the Country Party, who feared it would disadvantage primary industry. McEwen went as far as to issue a public statement criticising the decision, which Holt considered a breach of [[cabinet solidarity]]. The dispute caused a breakdown in Holt and McEwen's relationship and nearly brought down the Coalition; at one point, Holt made preparations for the Liberals to govern as a minority government the event McEwen tore up the Coalition agreement. Ultimately, the dispute was resolved in Holt's favour.  ''[[The Bulletin (Australian periodical)|The Bulletin]]'' said that the withdrawal was "quite certain to mean the end of any remaining special relationship between Australia and Britain".<ref>Frame (2005), pp. 239–241.</ref> There were no other important economic policy reforms made by the Holt government, although Australia did become a founding member of the [[Asian Development Bank]] in 1966.<ref>Frame (2005), p. 180.</ref>

====Immigration====
As prime minister, Holt continued the liberalisation of immigration law that he had begun as Minister for Immigration. When he came to office, what remained of the [[White Australia policy]] was upheld by [[ministerial decree]] rather than by explicit legislation. In March 1966, the residency requirement for [[naturalisation]] was changed to a uniform five years; it had previously been 15 years for non-whites. Discriminatory provisions relating to [[family reunification]] were also removed.<ref name=new>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105891028 "New migration policy will aid Japanese"], ''[[The Canberra Times]]'', 11 March 1966. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref> As a result, in the two years after March 1966 around 3,000 Asian immigrants were granted Australian citizenship,<ref>Frame (2005), p. 160.</ref> compared with 4,100 in the preceding two decades.<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105888104 "Sir Robert rejected migrant plan"], ''[[The Canberra Times]]'', 22 February 1966. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref> Additionally, Immigration Minister [[Hubert Opperman]] announced that potential immigrants to Australia would be assessed solely "on the basis of their suitability as settlers, their ability to integrate readily, and their possession of qualifications which are in fact positively useful to Australia";<ref>[https://www.moadoph.gov.au/blog/white-australia-policy-the-beginning-of-the-end-50-years-ago/ White Australia policy&nbsp;– the beginning of the end 50 years ago], Museum of Australian Democracy, 9 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref> non-whites had previously had to demonstrate that they were "highly qualified and distinguished" to gain entry.<ref name=new/>

[[Keith Wilson (South Australian politician)|Keith Wilson]] believed that the Holt government's reforms ensured that "from now on there will not be in any of our laws or in any of our regulations anything that discriminates against migrants on the grounds of colour or race". However, there would not be a practical change in the composition of Australia's immigration intake for many more years.<ref>[http://www.nma.gov.au/online_features/defining_moments/featured/end_of_the_white_australia_policy White Australia policy ends] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913014001/http://www.nma.gov.au/online_features/defining_moments/featured/end_of_the_white_australia_policy |date=13 September 2017 }}, National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref> Holt maintained that "every country reserves to itself the right to decide what the composition of its people shall be", and promised "a community life free from serious minority and racial problems".<ref name=cap>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105890727/11617882 "'We are a capital importing country': Mr Holt"], ''[[The Canberra Times]]'', 9 March 1966. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref> He was careful to frame his changes as simply a modification of existing policy, in order to avoid alienating organised labour (historically the greatest supporters of restricting non-white immigration).<ref name="Frame 2005, p. 161"/> The Labor Party had only removed "White Australia" from its platform in 1965, and Opposition Leader [[Arthur Calwell]] stated he was "determined to continue to oppose, for many obvious reasons, any attempt to create a multi-racial society in our midst".<ref>[https://electionspeeches.moadoph.gov.au/speeches/1966-arthur-calwell Australian Federal Elections Speeches: Arthur Calwell], Museum of Australian Democracy. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref> However, Holt was less circumspect outside Australia, telling British journalists that no White Australia policy existed and ordering Australian embassies to promote the changes to Asian governments and media outlets.<ref name=new/><ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107881136 "Holt, Wilson in weekend meeting"], ''[[The Canberra Times]]'', 11 July 1966. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref>

====Constitutional reform====
{{Further|Australian referendum, 1967 (Aboriginals)|Australian referendum, 1967 (Parliament)}}
[[File:Harold Holt and FCAATSI.jpg|thumb|right|Holt, [[Gordon Bryant]] (left), and [[Bill Wentworth]] (right) meeting with [[Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders|FCAATSI]] representatives&nbsp;– from left to right, [[Faith Bandler]], [[Douglas Nicholls]], [[Burnum Burnum]], and [[Winnie Branson]]]]
In 1967, the Holt government amended the constitution to alter [[Section 51(xxvi) of the Australian Constitution|section 51 (xxvi)]] and remove [[Section 127 of the Australian Constitution|section 127]]. This gave the federal government the power to legislate specifically for [[Indigenous Australians]], and also mandated counting Indigenous people in the [[Australian census|census]]. The constitutional amendments required [[Australian referendum, 1967 (Aboriginals)|a referendum]] before they could be enacted, which passed with over 90 percent of the vote; it remains the largest referendum majority [[Referendums in Australia|in Australian history]]. Holt personally considered the amendments unnecessary and mostly symbolic, but thought they would be well received by the international community (particularly Asia).<ref>Frame (2005), p. 213.</ref> According to [[Barrie Dexter]], he was privately shocked by the referendum result, having been uncertain whether it would even pass.<ref name=p214>Frame (2005), p. 214.</ref>

Holt came to regard the referendum as indicative of a shift in the national mood. In the following months, he toured Aboriginal communities and consulted with indigenous leaders, including [[Charles Perkins (Aboriginal activist)|Charles Perkins]] and [[Kath Walker]]. Despite opposition from state governments,{{Efn|At a meeting in [[Perth]] in July 1967, the Aboriginal Welfare Conference of State and Commonwealth Ministers voted to preserve the ''status quo''.<ref name=p214/>}} he created a new [[Office of Aboriginal Affairs]] within the [[Prime Minister's Department (Australia)|Prime Minister's Department]], as well as a new advisory body called the Council of Aboriginal Affairs (chaired by [[H. C. Coombs]]).<ref>Frame (2005), p. 215.</ref> According to Coombs and [[Paul Hasluck]], Holt had little interest in indigenous affairs before becoming prime minister.{{Efn|Coombs said: "When we talked it became clear that Holt had little knowledge of Aborigines and was puzzled to know how the Government should go about creating an appropriate administrative agency to deal with the problems associated with them".<ref name="p214"/> Hasluck said: "I am puzzled about Holt's role as innovator in Aboriginal affairs. In sixteen years with him in cabinet I had never known him to show any interest in Aborigines".<ref>Frame (2005), p. 216.</ref>}} Despite this, he brought about a fundamental shift in the way policy was handled, paving the way for the federal government to assume many of the powers and responsibilities that had previously been the preserve of the states. Indigenous academic [[Gary Foley]] has said that Holt's death was a setback for Aboriginal people, as his successors did not show the same commitment to the framework that he established.<ref>[[Gary Foley|Foley, Gary]], [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/27/harold-holts-death-and-why-the-1967-referendum-failed-indigenous-people Harold Holt's death and why the 1967 referendum failed Indigenous people], ''[[The Guardian Australia]]'', 27 May 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.</ref>

The Holt government also unsuccessfully attempted to remove [[Section 24 of the Constitution of Australia|section 24]] of the constitution (the so-called "nexus clause"), which requires the number of members in the House of Representatives to be "as nearly as practicable, twice the number of senators". [[Australian referendum, 1967 (Parliament)|The resulting referendum]] did not come close to passing, with only 40 percent voting in favour nationwide and only one state ([[New South Wales]]) recording a majority. All three major-party leaders campaigned for the "Yes" vote, while opposition came mainly from Coalition backbenchers and [[Democratic Labor Party (Australia, 1955)|Democratic Labor Party]] senators. Supporters of the "No" vote successfully argued that section 24 protected the influence of the Senate, and thus the interests of less populous states and rural areas.<ref>[http://insidestory.org.au/the-forgotten-1967-referendum/ "The forgotten 1967 referendum"], ''Inside Story'', 26 May 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.</ref> Holt did make one other significant legal reform, albeit one that did not require a constitutional amendment. In September 1967, he announced that his government would use [[Section 74 of the Constitution of Australia|section 74 of the constitution]] to remove the potential for [[High Court of Australia|High Court]] cases to be appealed to the [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]]. The necessary legislation was not passed until after his death.{{Efn|The ''Privy Council (Limitation of Appeals) Act'' came into effect in August 1968. It closed off appeals to the Privy Council in matters involving federal legislation, but it remained possible to appeal from [[Judiciary of Australia|state supreme courts]] until the passage of the ''[[Australia Act 1986]]''.<ref>Frame (2005), p. 217.</ref>}}

====The arts====
In November 1967, in one of his last major policy statements, Holt announced the establishment of the [[National Gallery of Australia]] and the [[Australia Council for the Arts]]. The National Gallery, which did not open until 1982, was the first arts-related major infrastructure project to be funded by the federal government; previous projects had been funded by state governments or by private subscription. Holt said it would "add significantly to the cultural life of Australia and the national capital".<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/106980131 "Work to begin on National Gallery"], ''[[The Canberra Times]]'', 2 November 1967. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref> The other element of his announcement, the Australia Council for the Arts, was the first national [[arts council]], intended to provide arms-length advice to the [[Prime Minister's Department (Australia)|Prime Minister's Department]] on arts funding.<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/106980333 "New council for the arts"], ''[[The Canberra Times]]'', 2 November 1967. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref> [[Rupert Myer]] has suggested that "Holt's legacy ought to be a core belief in, and broad public demand for, the sustained support of cultural activity from all three tiers of government".<ref>[[Rupert Myer|Myer, Rupert]], [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/cherish-harold-holts-legacy-so-the-arts-can-flourish/news-story/0a72e3c21d885f2dd523c59db7f3cb42 "Cherish Harold Holt's legacy so the arts can flourish"], ''[[The Australian]]'', 1 November 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.</ref>