AWA
PRIME MINISTER
MAfCQUARIE NETWORK WEEKLY BROADCAST 4
BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE RT. HON.
WILLIAM McMAHON, CH, MP. 19 APRIL 1972
D E FE NCE
I want to speak to you now about the defence and
security of Australia. Most of you know that not so many years ago we
relied for our defence on the might of the armed forces of Britain
and America. World War Two and other events, such as the large-scale
British withdrawal East of Suez, and a changed American approach to
its role as world policeman, have changed all that.
There has been another significant change. For
literally hundreds of years the Asian nations remnained unchanged and
unchangeable. In contrast, dramatic changes are now occurring in
Asia. China is becoming a world power. Make no mistake
about that. And there can be no doubt that, as part of her tpolicies,
she is continually promoting insurgency in other countries. For
example, in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. These are all close to
US. Even in these conditions, some people argue that we
should not spend so much money on defence because, they say, there
isn't much chance of a direct attack on Australia now.
My answer is that any person who is prepared to take a
risk with the defence of this country is acting in a way that is
completely intColerable. The unexpected can happen, and we have to
prepare for it. In defence you cannot preroare overnight. You cannot
rely on a crash programme. Highly-trained troops with good equipment
are essential. Let mc give you a couple of illustrations of how
quickly conditions can change.
You will remember confrontation between Indonesia and
Malaysia and the possibility that this could spill over into Papua
and New Guinea even closer to us than Indoncsia. You will remember
Communist-inspired insurgency in the North of Malaysia and in Thailand.
You will remember the recent border conflicts between India and Pakistan
and between China and India. And now we have the most serious
invasion of all the blatant and unprovoked attack by the North
Vietnamese against the South Vietnamese.
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We know,. too, of the growing presence of the-Russians
in the Indian Ocean,. and the-assistance'Russia has given to the North_
Vietnamese. We in the Government are not prepared to expose our
own country to similar unexpected attacks. Consequently we must
prepare to meet threats expected or unexpected as they emerge. And
we must be prepared to help our neighbours to the North who are a
shield against attack. There is a further point to be empDhasised. No country
can in all circumstances go it alone. No country can successfully
retreat into isolation. So we have the additional responsibility of
maintaining our treaties and our alliances.
of these the most imp-ortant is with the United States
under the ANZUS Treaty. This Treaty is crucia~ l to our long-term
defence planning because it could be our most important guarantee
in the most critical circumstances. Only a fool or a traitor would
want to throw it away.
It is true that in our defence preparations we must
increasingly strive for self-reliance and self-sufficiency. But we
have to be realists in a world in which no nation c-an stand alone.
The two, that is, our treaties and maximum self-reliance are linked
together. They go together.
Let us go back to ANZUS. Remember it is basically a
military treaty. It would be deadly dangerous to try and turn it into
a human rights declaration, as some people want to do.
ANZUS is also a two-way traffic. We can't expect
everything and give nothing. We must command respect for our own efforts
and willingness to help our friends. That is why we have agreed to have
defence installations at the North-W~ est Cape, at Pine Gap and at Woomera.
I assure you there is nothing sinister or "-nderhand about them. They
are part of our defence -partnership with America. And we are not doing
anything that would make Australia a target in another nation's cause.
We are thinking of our own security and our co-operation with the
United States in mutual defence.
Fina-lly, let me sr~ cak about National Service. This is
the only way at present to keep the Army up to the minimum strength
required to meet our defence needs. So thlis is the question we have
to ask. Whose judgment would you trust : I!--Out the size of our armed
forces? Our military advisers or those who are pledged to abolish
National Service in a bid for political popularity?
To abolish National Service now would upset the w-hole
balance of our forces and would reduce the nation's military strength
to a dangerous degree. We will have none of this.
We, in the Governm~ ent, are realist and national. We
are not adventurers. We have a duty to you and to our allies. So
defence must always be the primary concern of all loyal Australians.
And we in the Government are determined to keen it
that way.