Gough Whitlam speaking at a United Nations convention during tour of the USA, 1974

Australia played an important role in the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. The countries involved hoped that the UN’s formation would prevent a repeat of the Second World War, the horrors of which were still very fresh in their minds. Australia has subsequently been a member of the UN Security Council on four occasions: 1956–57, 1973–74, 1985–86 and 2013–14.