 He stayed on as Leader of the Opposition until his death, which came a few months after the 1951 election; Labor did not return to government until 1972.For his contributions to post-war prosperity, Chifley is often regarded as one of Australia's greatest prime ministers.He is held in particularly high regard by the Labor Party, with in his "light on the hill" speech seen as seminal in both the history of the party and the broader Australian labour movement.