Editing Arthur Fadden (section)

===Professional career===
In April 1913, Fadden moved to [[Mackay, Queensland|Mackay]] to become assistant [[town clerk]] of the [[City of Mackay|Mackay Town Council]]. He defeated 56 other applicants for the position.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=4}} In 1916, his superior, Frederick Morley, was dismissed as town clerk over allegations of theft, which Fadden himself had uncovered. Morley eventually received a two-year jail term, and Fadden was promoted in his place, again defeating more than 50 other applicants; he was reputedly the "youngest town clerk in Australia". He had attempted to enlist in the [[Australian Army]] the previous year, but was rejected on health grounds. In 1918, Fadden served on the committee of the relief fund for the [[1918 Mackay cyclone|Mackay cyclone]], which devastated the town and killed thirty people.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=5}} However, he resigned as town clerk in September of that year and moved to [[Townsville]] (the largest settlement in [[North Queensland]]), where he established his own accountancy firm.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=6}} He had qualified as an accountant through a correspondence course from a school in [[Melbourne]].{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=4}}

According to his memoirs, Fadden initially struggled to make ends meet as an accountant, and considered relocating to [[Brisbane]]. However, he eventually found an unused loophole in the tax code that allowed him to gain a competitive advantage. His business prospered thereafter, and he was able to take on partners and opened a second office in Brisbane.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=6}} In 1930, Fadden was elected to the [[Townsville City Council]] as part of a non-partisan grouping calling themselves the "serviceable six". He developed a feud with the city's chief engineer, Sidney Roberts, whom he publicly criticised for using coal from [[New South Wales]] instead of from the local [[Bowen Basin]] mines. He was once again able to use his auditing skills to his advantage, getting Roberts fired for inconsistencies in his balance sheets. The resulting publicity was a springboard for his political career.{{sfn|Arklay|2014|p=7}}