Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has refused to back away from his description of Sir Robert Menzies as a “Nazi appeaser”, insisting his comments were supported by the historical record. 

The senior Labor minister triggered a political dispute after using the term during a speech at the National Press Club.

He argued Labor had a stronger record on national security and defence than its political opponents. 

Opposition figures demanded Mr Conroy withdraw the remark, arguing it was an attack on the founder of the Liberal Party and a distortion of history. 

But speaking on Friday, Mr Conroy made clear he would not be retracting his comments. 

“In the end, you can’t argue with history,” he told Nine’s Today.

“There’s a letter from Menzies 10 days after Hitler invaded Poland, saying (Hitler) does not want a first-class war, saying nobody gives a damn about Poland.

“He argued that we have no right to dictate what sort of government Germany has. 

“It’s the Liberals who are desperate for a distraction from the fact that Angus Taylor is hopeless. They’ve spent more time defending Menzies than they have their own leader. 

“That is how ridiculous they are and irrelevant they are at the moment.” 

Following the press club address, opposition MPs moved to censure Mr Conroy.

Shadow defence minister James Paterson accused the minister of engaging in historical revisionism. 

“As prime minister between 1939 and 1941, Menzies prepared Australia for war and did not hesitate to join the fight against the Nazis on September 3, 1939,” Senator Paterson said. 

“In opposition, he loyally supported the Curtin government in Australia’s fight against fascism. 

Former Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo said there was historical context behind the debate but questioned whether the language used by the minister advanced the discussion. 

Mr Pezzullo said there was significant debate among Allied leaders after Germany invaded Poland about whether conflict should be delayed while countries rebuilt military capability. 

“Historically, he’s right,” Mr Pezzullo said of Mr Conroy’s broader argument. 

“There was a big push to try to appease Hitler after the invasion of Poland, to try by time, but I just don’t know that the label helped.” 

Mr Pezzullo pointed to similar debates in Britain and the United States at the time, arguing the period could not be viewed through a modern political lens. 

He said figures including British prime minister Neville Chamberlain had pursued policies aimed at buying time rather than embracing Nazi ideology. 

Coalition MPs accused Labor of attacking a prime minister widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in Australian political history. 

Shadow Energy Minister Dan Tehan said the government had become increasingly political in its handling of the issue. 

“We had Pat Conroy, the defence industry minister, having said at the National Press Club that Sir Robert Menzies was a Nazi appeaser,” Mr Tehan told Sky News. 

“We censured him in the parliament, and the sad reality was Labor opposed that censure motion. 

“We had Tim Watts, the Victorian member of parliament, who basically yelled out and had to withdraw that Sir Robert Menzies, was a coward.” 

Mr Tehan said the dispute reflected a broader trend inside the government. 

“The Labor Party have shown on a policy front they cannot get their act together,” he said. 

Despite the mounting criticism, Mr Conroy’s office has made clear there will be no apology.

Mr Conroy used his National Press Club address to defend Labor’s defence credentials and unveil major reforms to defence procurement.  

The minister said $29 billion had been wasted over the past decade due to what he described as systems that were “not fit for purpose”.  

He announced structural changes aimed at improving accountability across defence and argued the reforms demonstrated why Labor could be trusted with national security. 

The address drew a contrast between wartime Labor prime minister John Curtin and Mr Menzies. 

“My great hero is John Curtin,” he said. 

“I’m very interested in disclosing what really happened before World War II and during World War II, where it was a choice between John Curtin and Nazi-appeaser Robert Gordon Menzies.” 

The comments prompted an immediate backlash in parliament. 

The dispute centres on a letter written by Menzies in September 1939, shortly after Australia entered World War II. 

The document, which was released publicly decades later, discussed whether negotiations with Adolf Hitler might still be possible.