BROADCAST NO. 6.
BROADCAST BY THE PRIME MINISTER ( RT. HON. R. G. LI: ENZIfES
OVER NATIONAL. ST. TIONS AT J_ 175_
MONDAY, 41th DECEBER, 1961.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In my Policy Speech I made two statements which I will
repeat. The first was:
" After 12 years, the AoLP. can easily make a series
of brand new offers without saying where the new
hundreds of millions are to come from, though they
will, of course, come from you."
This forecast was completely borne out on the following
evening when Mr. Calwell produced a series of promises, the cost of
which on authoritative calculations runs into hundreds of millions;
anywhere between œ 24Cm and œ 390m on his specific offers and many,
many more millions on those which were more vaguely stated. It
has been very interesting for me, going around Australia, to discover
how widespread is the realisation that the people themselves would
have to pay, since governrznts have no money to spend except that
which has bejn earned and paid over by tax or loan by the men and
women of Aurtralia. I gathered the impression from the Labour Policy Speech
that Mr. Calwell thought that it could all be done without increasing
taxeso Mr. Calwell's predecessor, Mr. Chifley, so frequently
quoted by Members of the Labour Party, said quite plainly in
Paliament, with reference to a much smaller proposal:
" It is of no use attempting to fool the people with promises.
These things can be done only by the imposition of additional
taxes,"
But today's Labour men don't quote that remark.
The second statement in the Policy Speech was;
" We offer you good government. The essential quality
of good government is that it should have sound and
intelligible principles, that it should pursue great
national and social objectives with resoluteness, that
it should be able to meet the storms that arise from
time to time with a proper sense of navigation, that
it should have cohesion in its own ranks and a strong
sense of mutual loyalty,"
I stand by that definition. Good government is what
Australians are entitled to, When you vote on December 9 you will,
I know, exercise your judgment as to which side can give you good
government in the sense that I have described.
Do you really think that the present Labour Opposition is
capable of giving it to you? What are its sound and intelligible
principles? I had thought that the major plank in ito platform
involved the nationalisation of industries., The Member for Yarra,
a member of Labour's front bench, an absolute certainty to be a
Minister if Labour won this election, wrote in June this year, only
months ago, that economic power must be transferred " by controls,
by public enterprise and by nationalisation". Mr. Calwell is a
determined advocate of Constitutional amendments which would enable
this objective to be achieved. Yet, for purposes of this election,
he has declared a moratorium on the great socialist principleø He
cays to you, in effect: " Don't worry about our great socialist
principle by which we live and move and have our being; just vote
us into office and we will forget about thct principle for the next
three years" o
Can the deeply divided Federal Labour Party profess to
have cohesion in its own ranks, to say nothing of mutual loyalty?
The very idea is r~ dictlous. For on the great matters which will
determine whether government is good or baa, it is almost impossible
to obtain a concerted view from our opponents0
They profess to be opposed to Communism0 Yet they
resisted our secret ballots law which restored proper democrati~ c
rights to trades unionists, and if they honour the latest instructions
they have had from outside, they will repeal the legislation
and leave the way clear for a great Communist revival.. Where do
they stand on the threats to world peace presented by the bullying
and aggressive tactics of the Communist Powers? That many Labour
members are profoundly opposed to the Cotmunist strategy is, of
course, quite clear, I do not question Mr, Calwell's personal
attitude, But he has sitting close to him prcepective ministers
who are sel,-m heard to voice a criticism of the Communist Powers
but take a good dual of time in attacks upon the United Kingdom
and the United States of America, without whose s%' aunch friendchip
completely re-established by us, Australia's security would be in
danger* Where do-Is the Labour Party stand on such great
associations as those in the ANZUS Pact with America and New
Zealand and in SEATO which includes three Asian powers and is
powerfully backed by the United States, United Kingdom and France?
I remind you that they have never once had a good word
to say about either arran,,, ment.
What are their pDrinciples on defence? Every time the
defence estimates have been before Parliament for years they have
criticised them. it is not long ago that they were proposing that
we should heavily reduce our defence expenditure. All this is
graciously concealed from you in the present election.
Where does the Labour Party stand on the vital principle
of responsible government?
That is a system under which the people elect a Parliament
and may dismiss it at the next election if they think fit, while
the Parliam~ ent produces through the normal processes a Prime Ministel.
and Ministers who must accept responsibilities for their policies
in the course of Parliamen~ tary debate. The Labour Party cannot
possibly pretend to believe in this system for, as I have frequently
pointed out, the Federal Labour Party is absolutely bound by the
decisions on policy of the Federal Conference of the Australian
Labour Party which is, of course, not elected by you and has no
responsibility to you,
It is the simple fact that you could elect Labour on
such policy as it now presents to you, only to find that in the
course of the life of the Parliament this outside body could, as
the isuapreme governing authority and policy making body" give
different orders and compel their performance,
I could go on like this for a long time if I had the time
or you had the patience, but what I have said to you is designed
to emphasise that, with the complete mutual loyalty which has
existed among Ministers and Members on the Government side for the
last 12 years, we can offer you a continuance of good government
with no qualifications, with no reservations, and with a record of
performance to back it. The short survey of the Labour Party's
position which I have put to you will, I think, satisfy you that
labour cannot offer you good government in this sense, It is no
doubt for this reason thrat in this election they have offered you a
series of inducements in cash or credit hoping that if they cannot
persuade your minds they may at any rate have a chance of appealing
to your pockets.
Time after time you have rejected this offensive
approach. You have with sound common sense refused to be
bought with your own money, I am confident that the current
attempt to get you to reverse this judgment and to forget the
essential character of good government will once more fail.