Third Menzies ministry

Third Menzies ministry
27th Ministry of Australia
Robert Menzies Arthur Fadden
Date formed	28 October 1940
Date dissolved	28 August 1941
People and organisations
Monarch	George VI
Governor-General	Lord Gowrie
Prime Minister	Robert Menzies
No. of ministers	19
Member party	United Australia–Country coalition
Status in legislature	Minority government
Opposition party	Labor
Opposition leader	John Curtin
History
Election	21 September 1940
Legislature term	16th
Predecessor	Second Menzies ministry
Successor	Fadden ministry

This article is part of a series about Robert Menzies
Early life State politics Member for Kooyong (1934–1966) 1938 Dalfram dispute United Australia Party spills 1939 1943 Prime Minister of Australia First term of government (1939–1941) Entry into WW2 Advisory War Council Liberal Party foundation Second term of government (1949–1966) ANZUS Communist Party ban 1951 Communist Party ban referendum Petrov Affair Royal Commission on Espionage Entry into Vietnam War Ministries First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Elections 1940 1946 1949 1951 1953 (Half-Senate) 1954 1955 1958 1961 1963 1964 (Half-Senate) The Forgotten People
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The Third Menzies ministry (United Australia–Country Coalition) was the 27th ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 12th Prime Minister, Robert Menzies. The Third Menzies ministry succeeded the Second Menzies ministry, which dissolved on 28 October 1940 following the federal election that took place in September. However, as a result of that election the government was reduced to minority status, and were forced to rely on the votes of independent crossbenchers Alexander Wilson and Arthur Coles to survive. The ministry was replaced by the Fadden ministry on 28 August 1941 following the resignation of Menzies.^[1]

Percy Spender, who died in 1985, was the last surviving member of the Third Menzies ministry; Spender was also the last surviving minister of the First Menzies ministry, Second Menzies ministry, Fadden ministry, and the Fourth Menzies ministry. John McEwen was the last surviving Country minister.