Frank Anstey was one of the most significant opponents to conscription, both through his own efforts and through his role in mentoring others.

Frank Anstey was born in London in 1865 and arrived in Melbourne aged 11 as a stowaway. He was attracted to labour politics early and became President of the Tramways Employees Union in Victoria.

Anstey entered state parliament in 1902 and then Federal Parliament in 1910 as the Member for Bourke, the electorate that covered Brunswick and parts of Coburg. This photograph was taken in 1912, shortly before the beginning of World War One in 1914. Anstey was organising for Labor in the countryside, and became the most prominent spokesperson for rural interests within the party.

Anstey’s views were heavily influenced by socialism and he was opposed to World War One from its beginning. He regarded the War as being a conflict that only served the rich and powerful. This flowed through to his opposition to conscription. One argument that he made frequently was that he would only support conscription of men after the wealth of the capitalists had been conscripted. Not all of Anstey’s arguments were egalitarian - much of his work contained strong elements of racism, and in particular anti-semitism. He was strongly criticised at the time by other socialists for these depictions.

Frank Anstey was a significant mentor for both John Curtin and Frank Hyett, and to a lesser extent Maurice Blackburn. It was at the study circles held at Anstey’s house in Brunswick that opposition to conscription within the labour party was organised.

Frank Anstey remained in federal parliament until 1934. In that time he served as assistant leader for the Labor Party for five years, and was a minister in the Scullin Government. After the defeat of the Scullin Government, Anstey grew increasingly embittered and withdrawn, spending the rest of his life as a private individual. He died in 1940.