The light on the hill

This article is part of a series about Ben Chifley
Early life 1917 general strike Member for Macquarie (1928–1931) Member for Macquarie (1940–1951) Scullin Ministry First Curtin Ministry Second Curtin Ministry 1945 Labor Party leadership election Prime Minister of Australia Term of government (1945–1949) Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme 1946 14 Powers referendum QANTAS nationalisation 1946 Social Services referendum Commonwealth Employment Service Bank nationalisation 1948 rents and prices referendum Snowy Mountains Scheme 1949 Australian coal strike Ministries First Second Elections 1946 1949 The light on the hill
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"The light on the hill" is a phrase used to describe the objective of the Australian Labor Party. The phrase, which was used in a 1949 conference speech at the Sydney Trades Hall by then Prime Minister Ben Chifley, has Biblical origins. 'City upon a Hill' is a metaphor from the Salt and Light section of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.

The speech, delivered near the end of Chifley's term as prime minister, pays tribute to the people who make up Australia's labour movement.