Shane Paltridge

Shane Dunne Paltridge KBE (11 January 1910^[1] – 21 January 1966) was an Australian politician. He was a Senator in the Parliament of Australia representing Western Australia from 1951 until his death in 1966. During that period he held a number of ministerial portfolios.

Paltridge was born at Leederville, a suburb of Perth, Australia. He was educated in Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, including Fort Street Boys' High School, Sydney. He joined the Royal Australian Airforce in 1940, and after failing training, the second Australian Imperial Force in 1942. In April 1945, he served on Morotai and in May in the Battle of Tarakan.

Paltridge became a member of the Liberal and Country League of Western Australia (the Western Australian Branch of the Liberal Party of Australia) in 1946. In 1951 he was elected to the Australian Senate. He became Minister for Shipping and Transport (1955–60) and Minister for Civil Aviation (1956–64) under Prime Minister Robert Menzies. In April 1964, he became Minister for Defence, during the early period of Australia's participation in the Vietnam War. Although he recommended against the immediate introduction of conscription in 1964, Cabinet decide to introduce it anyway.

Paltridge became gravely ill with cancer in late 1965. He was made a Knight of the Order of the British Empire on 1 January 1966 and died on 21 January 1966, having resigned as Minister for Defence two days earlier.^[2]

Mary, one of his daughters, was the first wife of the Labor politician Kim Beazley.

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