Allen Fairhall
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The Honourable Sir Allen Fairhall KBE |
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Paterson |
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In office 10 December 1949 – 29 September 1969 |
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| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | Frank O'Keefe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 November 1909 Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 3 November 2006 (aged 96) Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Occupation | Electrical fitter, radio officer |
Sir Allen Fairhall KBE FRSA (24 November 1909 – 3 November 2006) was an Australian politician and Member of the Parliament of Australia for the Division of Paterson from 1949 to 1969. During that period he held a number of ministerial portfolios, most notably Supply and Defence.
Fairhall was born at Morpeth, New South Wales, and attended East Maitland Boys' High School. After school he was apprenticed as an electrical fitter at the Walsh Island Dockyard in Newcastle, while attending Newcastle Technical College. At the same time he developed an interest in radio and gained an amateur radio licence. He was able to convince the then Postmaster-General's Department that Newcastle needed a second commercial radio station. In 1931 he established 2KO. During World War II he worked on the supply of signals equipment for the Australian armed services. From 1941 to 1944 he was an alderman of the City of Newcastle.
In 1949, Fairhall entered the Federal Parliament as the Liberal Member for Paterson. He was Minister for Interior and Minister for Works (1956–58), Minister for Supply (1961–66) and Minister for Defence (1966–69). In the latter role, he was responsible for the introduction of the F-111 fighter aircraft and the reintroduction of conscription for the Vietnam War. The purchase of the F-111 was a major political issue in the late 1960s and early 1970s due to price escalation and late delivery, although many of them are still in service and some of them are now expected to have a service life of well over 50 years.
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