SIXTEENTH COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE
LUNCHEON AT PARLIAMENT HGUO3E, CANBERRI OCTOBER 1970
Seechby the Prime Minister, Mr. john Gorton
Mr Vice Chairman, , arliamentary Colleagues all
It falls to my lot to propose the toast of our distinguished guests. Sir, it is
my privilege today, both as Prime Minister and as a member of the Australian
Branch I hope a financial member: to preside at this Luncheon in honour of
Delegates to the Sixteenth Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. We are glad
to have you meeting here in Australia and here in our National Capital, and we are
glad that you are meeting in Australia for the second time.
I know that many of you came early to our country in order to have the chance
to look around it a little before settling down to the business at the corference table.
I hope you have found this time well spent, interesting and enjoyable. We indeed
are glad that you took this opportunity to see us while you are here. But now you
have business to do, and I see from the agenda that you will be discussing a wide
variety of topics, ranging from co-operation in development to the challenge of
dissent. This Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is unique. With 7, OC0 members
and 80 branches, it's certainly representative, and it touches at some point or other
through its members, its affiliated branches and its associated groups, just
about every part of the free world. And I believe it serves two broad and im; ortant
purposes. It provides continuing links between members of the Commonwealth of Nations,
the greatest multi-racial association of free nations the world has known. And it seeks
to preserve, for the world to see, the image of parliamentary democracy as we
know it, and as we oractice it in varying degrees today.
Let us look at this Commonwealth of Nations for a moment. It has emerged from
an empire of dominions, of colonies under the Crown, an empire that has now passed
down the corridors of history. And in place of that empire, there are free and
independent nations, some owing allegiance to the Crown, some not, but all having
inherited the principles of parliamentary rule, based on the Westminster model.
Some have abandoned that model, others have abandoned it and returned to it,
but whether it be a Westminster system or a Presidential system, the root is the
same, and that is what is sought to be preserved by the members of this Association. / 2
It would be unrealistic, Sir, to pretend that all is smooth sailing all the time
amongst the members of the Common% ealth of Nations. It would be dull if that
were so. No great historical development such as this can come to this point
and see in front of it the future it can follow without there having bee-i some
problems, some controversy, without there being able to be seen in the future
other problems and other controversy. And I think the Commonwealth has still
to find a way in the future through many problems. But the fact that it will fi-nd
its way through those problems with success is, I believe, attested to by the
evidence of the problems which it has already overcome in its existence so far.
This Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is the Association that provides
a strong and continuing link between the members of the Commonwealth. There
are other links, of course, the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conlerence,
other Conferences of one kind or another, but the Parliamentary Association is
the most representative because all of us, as members, are directly concerned
in our varying ways with the practice of parliamentary democracy in our own
Houses of Assembly, or Congresses or Senates or whatever the nomenclature
may be. And that, I think, is one reason why the Association is growing in
strength and that is why I hope it will have a long and a useful life, not only for its
members but for the world as a whole.
Now I mentioned a second purpose for the Association, and that was to
preserve the image of parliamentary democracy before the world. And this, I
think, is of immense importance today, perhaps of as great importance as we
have ever known in history. All around the world in, I suspect, all the countries
represented here, there is a clamour for dissent. Our. parliamentary systems
and the rule of law they all have in trust are under test, in all our countries, and
are on trial in many ways, particularly in the eyes of the younger generation.
Let none of us be dismayed by this. Dissent, of itself, is not only not a bad
thing but a good thing. It can be healthy. It can be part of the cleansing process
in a democracy and in the institutions of a democracy, and our institutions I
speak collectively not only allow it, but specifically provide for it. That is why
in so many of our countries here represented, we have an official Cpposition,
a free press, a ballot box. And that is why the Commonwealth Pad iamentary
Association itself puts contentious measures on its agenda and delegates can
speak with heat on this and disagreement on this, and dissent with each other
on this, but each point of view is thereby heard.
But in this goodness of dissent, however, and clamour for it, there can in all
our countries be dangers. There are dangers that in searching for a change for
the better, we may let the legitimate ways of bringing that about become
illegitimate and fatally weaken our system. We should never forget that urbridled
dissent on the part of Hitler's brownshirts led to the overthrow of the parliament
in that country and the world into the bloodbath which followed. a a / 3
I believe there is no better syst . n than parliamentary democracy. I think
it is the only system which has validity, if we are going to speak of -man's right
to be free and to choose for himself t he way of life he wants and who vwill direct
those public affairs which so impinge upon the way oZ life he wants.
There are many drawbacks to democracy, but I repeat -, It is the best
method of obtaining these ends yet discovered.
The laws which govern our lives are laws we all in our parliaments mk
for ourselves. They are laws we can change in an orderly fashion by exactly
the same process we used to bring them into existence. There are many vilo
consider in one country or another that a law is a bad law, and that can be
changed. There are in many countries good laws, in themselves, but laws whiich
have become out of date. And they can be updated. But if we are to retain before
the world, all of us, that image of parliamentary democracy of which I spokle,
then changes of that kind must be made in a constitutional and parlia-mentary way.
Dai -Yers arise as soon as we reject this course. And, indeed, on this*,-subject,
that great parliamentarian, Edmund Burke, put it quite clearly two hu:ñ idred
years ago
" The only liberty I mean is a liberty connected with order; that
not only exists along with order and virtue, but which cannot exist
at all without them.
That was true then, that is true now for all who espouse parliamentary democracy.
And that, because those gathered here today are throughout the world showing
a method of government different from a totalitarian government, that is why I
really meant it when I said it is a privilege for me today to welcome you to our
country so that you can continue this great work. This, I think, is the spirit in
which the Parliamentary Association meets, and it is, in that spirit that I welcome
you all here and trust that your deliberations will further advance the cause.-
of all those countries here gathered.