] RIME' MINISTER'S BRO;; DCA; T ON CIAUNL., 7 26 OCTOFER 1975
Last week I mentioned to you about the torrent of
telegrams that I'd been receiving protesting against the
Opposition's unprecedented action in delaying the debate
on the Budget Bills. Since then I've attended many public
meetings last Monday in Melbourne's City Square;
on Friday in Sydney's Hyde Park; and just this afternoon
in Melbourne's Town Hall. And on each occasion it's been
remarkablethe sense of outrage that ordinary citizens have
felt at this unprecedented and unprincipled action by the
Liberals and the Country Party.
It was particularly moving in the Melbourne Town
Hall this afternoon because there there were thousands
of migrants people who'd come from countries where,
sometimes, democracy has been destroyed, or where democracy
is weak, or where democracy is under challenge. And they,
more than most Australians, in December 1972, were impressed
by the fact that in Australia, after a vigorous election
campaign, there was a change of Government at the ballot
box one Government was rejected and another one was elected
by peaceful means. They were among the people who were most
outraged, when after 17 months, there had to be another
election in April and May last year. Againthey expected
that the Government would be able to serve a three year term
and now, for a second time, they find this challenge to
Australian democracy, which they had respected. And they
particularly are alert to the stratagems to which conservative
forces will resort in order to look after their vested
interests. And this year there have been three such
examples: first of all, for the first time in 25 years
since there's been proportional voting for the Senate, we
found that two State Premiers replaced Labor senators by
non-Labor senators; now for the first time in 75 years
we find that the Senate is contemplating rejecting the
Budget. Very often in the past the Government of the day
hasn't had a majority in the Senate, and if half the
senators vote against any proposition, if the votes in the
Senate are 50-50) then the proposition is rejected.
Now there have been 139 money Bills over a three-quarters of
a century of our Federation which have been passed by the Senate:
although the Government didn't have a majority in the Senate.
This is the second principle, the second conventionwhich
has been thrown out by the Liberals and Country Party last
year and this year. And the third is that the Governor-General
asks the State Governors to issue writs for the Senate and on
24 previous occasions the Governors have always obeyed the
Governor-General's suggestion. Nowfor the very first time
in 75 years of our national Government the Premiers are
contemplating advising the Governors to rebuff the Governor-General.
Now I point out that the Opposition has not rejected
the Budget this would be too much for many of them.
You might have seen in a program last night, and midday today,
on another television station, where a Liberal senator said
he would never vote against the Budget and he said that there
were many of his colleagues of the same mind. But they're
prepared to vote to delay the Budget they haven't got any / 2
Budget proposals to put in its stead; Mr Fracer has now
used the great phrase about his own Budget proposals
that they are ' inoperative'. lie says that if there is
to be an election to the House of Representatives, then
they'd pass the Labor Budget but of course he is not
prepared to give the Government, which has a majority
in the whole Parliament and a majority in the HIouse of
Representatives, the opportunity to govern for the three
years for which it was elected. It can continue to pay
the public servants, the soldiers, all the accounts; until
the end of November. We're satisfied that after that)
alternative arrangements can be made. I point out to
you that the Government can get money by borrowing or
from taxes, but the Constitution says no money shall be
drawn from the Treasury except under Appropriation made
by law. Now our opponents are trying to frustrate
the Constitution by refusing to make those Appropriations.
I trust that everybody who is on the Australian
Government's payroll -civilian and military, and people
who rely on the Australian Government to pay for the
services and the supplies they render will be patient and
will except the assurance that they will finally be paid.
The Australian Government will do all it can to mitigate
the hardships that they endure. But we are determined
that the Government which has a majority in the people's
House, the House of Representatives, will not be frustrated
by this unprecedented, unprincipled use of the Senate,
where nobody has a majority, where no Governments can
be formed.. The people are entitled to have the Government
they elected.