Page "National Party of Australia" Paragraph 13

The Fadden-led Coalition made almost no headway against Curtin, and was severely defeated in the 1943 election.

After that loss, Fadden became deputy Leader of the Opposition under Menzies, a role that continued after Menzies folded the UAP into the Liberal Party of Australia in 1944.

Fadden remained a loyal partner of Menzies, though he was still keen to assert the independence of his party.

Indeed, in the lead up to the 1949 federal election, Fadden played a key role in the defeat of the Chifley Labor government, frequently making inflammatory claims about the " socialist " nature of the Labor Party, which Menzies could then " clarify " or repudiate as he saw fit, thus appearing more " moderate ".

In 1949, Fadden became Treasurer in the second Menzies government and remained so until his retirement in 1958.

His successful partnership with Menzies was one of the elements that sustained the coalition, which remained in office until 1972 ( Menzies himself retired in 1966 ).