the "brisbane line" was a defence proposal supposedly formulated during world war ii to concede the northern portion of the australian continent in the event of an invasion by the japanese. although a plan to prioritise defence in the vital industrial regions between brisbane and melbourne in the event of invasion had been proposed in february 1942, it was rejected by labor prime minister john curtin and the australian war cabinet. an incomplete understanding of this proposal and other planned responses to invasion led labor minister eddie ward to publicly allege that the previous government (a united australia party-country party coalition under robert menzies and arthur fadden) had planned to abandon most of northern australia to the japanese.