E14BARGO: NOT TO B FUBLISHED, BROADCAST OR TELECAST BEFORE
7o15 P. M. ON THURSDAY, 26TH NOVEMBER.
BROADCAST NO, 2 SENATE ELECTION
BROADCAST BY THE PRIME MINISTER THE RT. HON.
SIR ROIERT MENZIES, OVER ABC NAIIONAL STATIONS
IN ALL STATES AT 7.15 P. M. ON THURSDAY,
26TH NOVEMBER, 1964
The Labour Party has challenged the Government
on Defence Policy. It has made it the issue in the Senate
Election. So I ask: " What is the policy of the Labour Party
on foreign policy and defence?"
No Party can have a foreign policy or a defence
policy unless it has certain basic ideas. Once these basic
ideas are established, details of application will fall into
pla ce. To be opposed to any form of compulsory service is
not a Defence Policy, because it is negative. The Labour Party
must go further. Briefly, let me lok at two crucial matters.
The first is our relationship to our alliesi in
ANZUS and SEATO. Under certain circumstances, we have treaty
rights to secure their help. Rights, of course, involve
obligations. We are bound to help if we want to be helped.
We have forces in Thailand, in Malaysia, in South Vietnam,
Why? Because eleven million Australians in the line of advance
of aggressive Communist China cannot defend our country alone.
We must have partners, and be active partners ourselves.
What is Labour's basic policy on this great matter?
Nobody knows. Their Left-Wingers growing in influence say
that we ought not to have forces overseas, which means, if you
think of it, that we ought to renounce our treaties.
I know that moderate Labour men do not want so
suicidal a policy. But will they prevail?
After all, they ar, committed to the strange idea
that nuclear weapons ought not to be brought into or used from
the Southern Hemisphere an idea that would mean that America
could not use nuclear weapons in our defence in a nuclear war
while leaving the new nuclear power, Rod China, free to operate
from North of the Equator.
The other crucial matter is in reality involved in
the first. Does the Labour Party have a garrison conception
of Australian defence2 abandoning our idea of " defence in
depth?" We believe in keeping the enemy as far away as
possible, by strengthening those South-East Asian nations which
are opposed to Communi,ñ mo o / 2
6
-2
Only a few weeks ago, Dr. Cairns, who is the
Opposition's most consistent spokesman on these matters,
propounded, without dissent from his leaders, an astonishing
proposition, He said " I think the general policy of containment
is a sound policy, but the question is: dhere?
I think here is where serious mistakes have been
made. I do not think[, Droper consideration has beern
given to where is the best strategic point to make
this containment. I think as far as the Pacific is
concerned it is clear that t; is somewhere along the
52,500 mile line from Kamchatka north of Japan to
say Darwin in the south and then to the east and the
west. This is, I believe, the first line of defence
in this policy of containment,,"
If you look at the mapp you will see that this
abandons the whole of South-East Aisia. It is the abandonment
of defence in depth of our treaty obligations. It is pure
isolationism. So I r-epeat: What is the policy of Labour?
WLatever it is or may turn out to be, you are being asked by
our opponents to vote for it on Decemiber