SUGGESTED LINE FOR LAUNCESTON flATRICULATION COLLEGE
THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION INTRODUCED A VERY ORIGINAL
NOTE INTO THE CAMPAIGN WHEN HE SPOKE TO THE TASMANIAN
PRESS CLUB HERE IN LAUNCESTON ON TUESDAY. HE RAISED
THE ISSUE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS.
NOW THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE. IT IS AN ISSUE
THAT WILL BE CENTRAL TO THE POLITICAL DEBATE IN
AUSTRALIA AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FOR THE REST
OF YOUR LIVES, THE NOVEL THING ON TUESDAY WAS THAT
IT SHOULD BE RAISED BY MR FRASER IN THE WAY HE DID
IN THE FORM OF AN ATTACK UPON THE LABOR GOVERNMENT.
YOU ARE EO:_' G TO HEAR A GREAT DEAL ALONG THIS LINE
BEFORE Th-E I-EXT GENERAL ELECTION WHEN MOST OF YOU
WILL BE A-B31-TO EXERCISE THE MOST BASIC OF ALL
DEMOCRATIC R: GHTS THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
THAT RIGHT TO VOTE AT 18 W'J WAS GIVEN BY THE VERY
FIRST PIECE. OF LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN THE FIRST
SESSION OF PARLIAMENT AFTER WE FIRST BECAME THE GOVERNMENT.
ANY OF YOU WHO ARE VOTING ON SATURDAY HAVE THAT RIGHT
BECAUSE A LABOR GOVERNMENT GAVE IT TO YOU AFTER 23 YEARS
OF REFUSAL TO ALLOW IT BY THE LIBERALS., NDIVIDUAL
RIGHTS AND HUMAN FREEDOMS ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS THINGS
WE HAVE.
-2-
BUT WOULDN'T YOU SAY. THAT PERHAPS THE MOST SACRED
OF THEM ALL, WOULDN T YOU PUT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST
YOUR RIGHT NOT TO BE DRAFTED INTO MILITARY SERVICE
THAT IS, YOUR RIGHT OVER THE USE OF YOUR OWN BODY?
MR FRASER WAS MINISTER FOR THE ARMY AND THEN MINISTER
FOR DEFENCE UNTIL HE FELL OUT WITH JOHN GORTON AND
DESTROYED HIM IN A GOVERNMENT WHICH INTRODUCED THE
FIRST PEACE TIME CONSCRIPTION IN AUSTRALIA'S
HISTORY, IF l'\ R FRASER WAS SrILL IN GOVERNMENT,
EVERY BOY IN THIS ROOM WOULD BE LIABLE FOR TWO YEARS
COMPULSORY MILITARY SERVICE. IT IS ALL TOO EASILY
FORGOTTEN, IT IS ALL TOO EASILY FORGOTTEN THAT
MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE WHO WERE KILLED IN VIETNAM
THE FORGOTTEN FIVE HUNDRED WERE CONSCRIPTS AND
THAT TWO-THIRDS OF THOSE WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM
THE FORGOTTEN , qAR WERE CONSCRIPTS. z
FOR ALL BUT 18 MONTHS OF OUR WRETCHED INVOLVEMENT IN
THAT WRETCHED WAR, MR FRASER PRESIDED AS ARMY MINISTER
AND DEFENCE MINISTER OVER THE CONSCRIPT SYSTEM,
THE FIRST ACTION LANCE BARNARD TOOK AS A MINISTER ON
THE DAY HE AND I FORMED THE GOVERNMENT WAS TO END
CONSCRIPTION, WE DIDN'T WAIT FOR THE PARLIAMENT TO
MEET, IT WAS DONE BY THE STROKE OF A PEN.
7
ON THE SAME DAY WE ENDED THE LAST VESTIGES OF
AUSTRALIA' S MILITARY COM" MITMENT IN INDO-CHINA AND
WE FREED FROM PRISON ANY HEN WHO WERE SERVING TERMS
FOR REFUSING MILITARY SERVICEoWE WIPED FROM THE
RECORDS THEIR CONVICTIONS SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT
SPEND A LIFETIME OF CIVIL HANDICAP BECAUSE OF THEIR
CONVICTION THEIR CONVICTION IN BOTH SENSES OF THE WORDCONVICTION
AS CRIMINALS FOR STANDING UP FOR THEIR
CONVICTIONS. DON'T FORGET VIETNAM -IT WAS A WAR THE LIBERALS
FOISTED UPON AUSTRALIA AND AS THE RECORD OF HOW WE
GOT INVOLVED, WHICH I AS AN INDEPENDENT HISTORIAN
COMPILED AND PUBLISHED A FORTNIGHT AGO SHOWSA
WAR WE GOT INTO THROUGH LIBERAL LIES AND LIBERAL
DECEIT AND LIBERAL STUPIDITY. DON'T FORGET
CONSCRIPTION OR WHAT IT MEANS TO YOUR CIVIL
LIBERTIES, ESPECIALLY WHEN ONE OF ITS GREATEST
ADVOCATES, rFIR FRASER, TALKS ABOUT FREEDOM.
LET ME MENTION SOME OTHER BASIC RIGHTS. IS THERE
ANYTHING MORE FUNDAMENTAL THAN EQUALITY BEFORE THE
LAW? THERE CAN.'. BE NO EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW
UNLESS THERE IS EQUALITY OF ACCESS TO THE COURTS.
WITHOUT THAT EQUALITY THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ONE LAW
FOR THE RICH AND ANOTHER FOR THE POOR. WE HAVE
SET UP THE LEGAL AID SERVICE TO PROVIDE THAT EQUALITY.
THERE IS THE BASIC QUESTION OF RIGHTS FPR ABORIGINES.
T. SMART ALECKa-4v. HAD c. E;
, Oi4t R JOKE AT TASMANIAN EXPENSE BY CHI-ACKING
THE VISIT HERE DURING THE CAMPAIGN BY MY MINISTER
FOR ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS, LES JOHNSON, T THOUGHT
THAT THERE WERE NO ABORIGINES IN TASMANIA BECAUSE
OF THE DREADFUL THINGS WE DID OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
IN FACT THERE ARE IMPORTANT PROGRAMS OPERATING IN
THIS AREA FOR ABORIGINES. BUT THE POINT I WANT
TO MAKE IS, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR HISTORY,
AUSTRALIA HAS A GOVERNMENT WHICH IS TRYING TO RESTORE
BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS TO ABORIGINES AND TO REPAIR
AUSTRALIA'S REPUTATION,
ANOTHER -AS: C HUMAN RIGHT IS POLITICAL AND NATIONAL
INDEPENDEiCE,. ON 16 SEPTEMBER WE SHALL BE GIVING
INDEPENDENCE TO MORE THAN TWO MILLION HUMAN BEINGS,
THE TWO A: D A HALF MILLION PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE
WORLD'S LARGEST REMAINING COLONY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA.
FOR MOST OF THE YEARS THE LIBERALS WERE IN POWER,
UNTIL 1971 AT THE EARLIEST, THE MINISTER FOR WHAT
WAS THEN CALLED EXTERNAL TERRITORIES USED TO TALK ABOUT
INDEPENDENCE FOR PAPUA NEW GUINEA IN TERMS OF THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY IF THEN, TALK ABOUT ALL
POWER BEING VESTED IN CANBERRA'
IT WILL BE ONE OF THE PROUDEST THINGS OF MY LIFE
TO HAVE ACHIEVED WHAT A MERE 5 YEARS AGO WAS DENOUNCED
AS WILDLY IRRESPONSIBLE TO DIVEST CANBERRA OF
AUTHORITY OVER THE LIVES OF TWO AND A HALF
MILLION PEOPLE.
IN THE MATTER OF MOST IMMEDIATE CONCERN TO YOU
AT THE MOMENT YOUR OWN EDUCATION, IS THERE ANY
RIGHT MORE IMPORTANT THAN EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY
FOR A DECENT EDUCATION? WHEN HE WASN'T MINISTER
FOR ARMY PRESIDING OVER CONSCRIPTION OR MINISTER
FOR DEFENCE PRESIDING OVER THE WAR IN VIETNAM,
MR FRASER WAS MINISTER FOR EDUCATION,
HE WAS V~_ FIN HIS OPPOSITION TO THE NEEDS CONCEPT
IN EDUCAT:,.., HICH HAS BEEN PUT INTO EFFECT BY THE
SCHOOLS CM SOI HE WAS OPPOSED TO THE SCHOOLS
COMMISSION LTSELF, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF WHICH HAS
TRANSFORMED -=--UCATION IN OUR NATION, HE WAS OPPOSED
TO FREE EDUCATION AT UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES OF
ADVANCED EDUCATION. THESE ARE THINGS WE HAVE
ESTABLISHED, THINGS WHICH HAVE GUARANTEED TO EVERY
AUSTRALIAN 30Y AND GIRL, A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF
EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY.
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THIS IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR. ONI E OF THE
GREAT RIGHTS THAT WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD HAVE
BEEN FIGHTING FOR FOR GENERATIONS IS EQUAL PAY
FOR EQUAL WORK. ALMOST ALONE OF THE ADVANCED
WEALTHY COUNTRIES. AUSTRALIA UNDER THs LIBERALS/
REFUSED THIS RIGHT TO WOMEN. WE ESTABLISHED THAT
RIGHT.
YOU HAV! E TO JUDGE WHETHER THAT IS A RIGHT WORTH
HAVING, BECAUSE IT DOES BRING WITH IT SOME DIFFICULTIES,
YOU HAVE BEEN HEARING A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE DAMAGE
OUR TARIFF CUT OF 25% DID TO THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY
HERE IN LAUNCESTON, THE FACT IS THAT THE REAL REASON
WHY THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY DEVELOPED IN PLACES LIKE
LAUNCESTON WAS THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO CALL UPON GROUPS
OF UNSKILLED'WOMEN WORKERS WHO. WOULD ACCEPT LOW WAGES
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO OTHER FORM OF EMPLOYMENT AVAILABLE.
ONCE THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUAL PAY WAS ESTABLISHED BY
my GOVERNMENT THIS NO LONGER APPLIED. THE TARIFF
CUTS HAVE BEEN A MARGINAL FACTOR IN FORCING THE
vyfp
RESTRUCTING OF THE AUSTRALIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY.
THE TRUTH IS THAT IF ONE TRIED TO RESTORE THE AUSTRALIAN
TEXTILE INDUSTRY TO ITS EARLIER SITUATION, ONE WOULD HAVE
TO TAKE AWAY EQUAL PAY NOT JUST IN TEXTILE BUT IN
ALL INDUSTRY, FOR ALL WOMEN.