Bill Ashley

William Patrick Ashley (20 September 1881 – 27 June 1958) was an Australian politician. He was a Senator for New South Wales from 1937 until his death in 1958, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He was a cabinet minister in the ALP governments between 1941 and 1949, serving as Postmaster-General (1941–1945), Minister for Information (1941–1943), Supply and Shipping (1945–1948), and Shipping and Fuel (1948–1950). He was the party's Senate leader from 1946 to 1951.

Early life Ashley was born on 20 September 1881 at Singorumba Station near Hay, New South Wales. He was the son of Julia Ann (née O'Connell) and James Ashley; his father worked as a station overseer. His mother was born in Ireland. After leaving school he worked as a shop assistant in Hay and at a hotel in Booligal. He and his younger brother Tom enlisted in the Australian Commonwealth Horse in 1902 as troopers in the 5th Battalion.

In a minor reshuffle in April 1948, Ashley became Minister for Shipping and Fuel, responsible for the Department of Shipping and Fuel. In June 1949, his handling of a scheme to introduce long-service leave for coal miners contributed to a major ensuing strike. He had implied that the federal government would contribute financially to the scheme, but this proved not to be the case. In addition, the proposed scheme might have limited the right to strike. He also attempted to support British economic recovery by buying oil from British companies—when they ran short of supplies, he was forced to impose petrol rationing. Both the coal miners' strike and the fuel rationing contributed to Labor's defeat at the 1949 election. He stayed in the Senate for the rest of his life and supported H. V. Evatt against the Industrial Groups. He was accorded a state funeral. Ashley died intestate.