Australian home front during World War II

The Australian home front during World War II played a significant role in the Allied victory and led to permanent changes to Australian society.

During the war the Government of Australia greatly expanded its powers in order to better direct the war effort, and Australia's industrial and human resources were focused on supporting the Allied armed forces. While there were only a relatively small number of attacks on civilian targets, many Australians feared that the country would be invaded during the early years of the Pacific War. By 1942 the Americans under Douglas MacArthur were arriving in large numbers and used Australia as one base of operations against Japan. In foreign policy reliance on the United States replaced reliance on Britain.