WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL MR. FRASER?

By Eric D. Butler
Prime Minister Fraser is acting both correctly and wisely (politically) in attempting to ensure that "the state of the economy" is made a major issue at the coming Federal Elections. But the disturbing fact keeps emerging that finance-economics is the Achilles Heel of the Liberal-N.C.P. Coalition.

Having successfully made inflation a major issue at the 1974 Federal Elections, the Coalition parties headed by Mr. B. Snedden, failed to present a constructive alternative and enabled a victorious Gough Whitlam to use the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament to force through his most dangerous legislation. The fact that Mr. Fraser is probably the best Prime Minister the Liberal Party can produce at present must not be allowed to obscure the fact that his statements to date on finance-economics have been most disturbing.

After a build up of public expectation concerning disclosures about economic facts allegedly kept secret by the Whitlam Government, Mr. Fraser's address to the nation last Monday evening, November 17th, was an anti-climax. Mr. Fraser did not reveal anything not previously known.

The League of Rights has pointed out that the estimated Budget Deficit of $2,798 million would certainly be exceeded and that the Hayden Budget increase in indirect taxes must force the C.P.I. figures up for the December quarter. The Hayden Budget, although widely described as "responsible", could not possibly reverse inflation significantly because, so far from removing the basic causes of inflation, it intensified them.

I fear that Mr. Fraser has been badly advised concerning his strategy for removing the Whitlam Government. At the time of the Connor sacking, the Whitlam Government's electoral stocks were at an all-time low. In its attempts to support wage indexation, the Whitlam Government was running into increasing violent opposition from the Communists. Government morale was low and Whitlam was coming under increasing criticism inside his own ranks. If the Coalition parties had kept the pressure on the Whitlam Government, constructively criticised the Hayden Budget, but observing that they would permit demonstration of its failure, the Whitlam Government would have destroyed itself by May or June of next year. It would have had no alibis left. The Senate elections would have seen an electoral massacre.

A MAJOR BATTLE FOR AUSTRALIA HAS BEEN JOINED

The stage has now been set for the greatest explosion in Australian history. We have warned for years that this moment must come. The first mindless baying of the Communist-controlled mobs has been heard in Australian streets "Stop Fraser in the streets" is the instruction that has gone out from the strategists of subversion and revolution. But these strategists see the coming Federal Elections as but the preliminary to the major battles of next year.

The reserve power of the Crown was used correctly to force the demagogue Whitlam to face his political masters. But aided by years of brainwashing which has eroded an understanding of the true role of the Crown the Senate and the Constitution as the protectors of the individual against tyranny, Gough Whitlam has counter-attacked, attempting to have the elections conducted in an atmosphere of fear and confusion. He is also attempting to exploit the notorious sympathy of Australians for anyone presented as the underdog. He is being aided by a propaganda machine, which Hitler's Dr. Goebbels would have regarded with envy.

The Socialists in the Federal bureaucracy, the Universities and the Schools are now openly showing their insidious strength. It is highly irresponsible to deny that Whitlam's electoral stocks have not recovered from an all-time low. The 1975 Federal Elections are not basically concerned with party politics, but with the future of a Constitution already seriously damaged by the Whitlam National Socialists. The Senate is now under direct attack and no effort must be spared to defeat as many anti-Senate candidates as possible.

The Australian League of Rights is entering the Federal Elections with the most massive campaign in its history, a campaign designed to achieve both short-term and long-term objectives. By the time readers receive this issue of "On Target", the two enclosed League brochures will already be flooding into Australian homes. These brochures are carefully designed to get the best balance of pressure and encouragement applied to a highly explosive situation.

The League now has the grass-roots organisation to have distributed effectively at least two million brochures. Every supporter must be prepared to give every possible moment to the battle for Australia's future over the next four weeks. The financial cost is going to be high, but we are making an urgent appeal to all supporters to fill immediately the League's $40,000 Basic Fund and to give a little extra to finance the brochures, many of which are being produced by volunteers working on every piece of printing equipment available.
If you are not in direct touch with a local League organisation, order your brochures direct from your League State headquarters. But act TODAY, and decide your FUTURE.

The dramatic manner of Gough Whitlam's removal has, ironically, provided him with a situation in which he has already recovered a lot of lost electoral ground. The former Prime Minister is a formidable political performer and a decisive Fraser victory will require a constructive anti-inflation financial policy which can readily be grasped by electors and which, immediately after the elections, can start to be applied, thus defusing the revolutionary situation the Communists and their allies contemplate.

Mr. Fraser's gloomy review of the economy, and a prediction of three years for a recovery, must be music to the ears of the revolutionaries. Mr. Fraser should be stressing that there is nothing basically wrong with the free-enterprise economy and that; freed from financial problems it will immediately overcome any production problems. The depressed plight of the rural community, for example, is not because of any breakdown in production. The latest victims of the rural collapse, the dairy farmers, are, like others, suffering because they cannot sell their adequate production at a profitable price. Their biggest basic problem is rising financial costs.

If Mr. Fraser cannot advance a policy for reducing increasing financial costs, then he is doomed, even if managing to win the elections. However desirable it may be to reduce Federal Government spending, this of itself will not reverse inflation. Promises of tax indexation, while better than the present taxation policy, implies that wages are still going to move upwards. Increased wage costs must be reflected in higher prices. Mr. Fraser and his Treasurer Mr. Lynch cannot defy simple arithmetic. While industry is subjected to increasing financial costs, progressive Sales Tax being a glaring example, it must attempt to recover those costs through higher prices. Higher prices result in higher wages, wage indexation merely assuring that the increases are automatic. Higher wages require an increased money supply to finance. The increased money supply carries the prevailing high interest rates. This is a further financial cost, which the unfortunate employer must attempt to recover through prices.

As Mr. Fraser has been reported as saying that he had, while at Oxford University, been an admirer of John Maynard Keynes one would hope that he understands that Keynes did admit that the finance-economic system will not work without constant injections of new money. But Keynes suggested that the only way to achieve this result was through Deficit Budgets knowing that this would help foster progressive inflation. What Mr. Fraser should be doing is to recommend that the new money required for a Government Deficit be applied to abolishing Sales Tax at least on all items used to adjust wages, thus resulting in a falling price level, and that system of Consumer Discounts be applied on all basic items in the economy.

I can only hope that someone will explain to Mr. Fraser that unless he adopts a financial policy for drastically reducing costs, it is as certain as the sunrise that he cannot do anything serious about inflation. And if he does nothing about reversing inflation constructively, a major Australian explosion is inevitable. Mr. Fraser deserves better than to preside over such an explosion.

THE A.B.C.'S RED NETWORK

A careful monitoring of the Australian Broadcasting Commission's programmes more than confirms the view of Mr. Peter Nixon, Postmaster-General that a moderator is necessary to ensure that the A.B.C presents balanced political viewpoints and programmes during the Federal Elections.

Labor's Minister for the Media, Dr. Moss Cass, reacted by producing figures to "prove" that the Liberal-National Country Party received 31 per cent more time than Labor on the A.B.C.'s public affairs programmes. But, without attempting to challenge Dr. Cass, it should be noted that there is invariably a vast difference between how Labor Members, especially Mr. Whitlam, are interviewed and interviews conducted with non-Labor Members.
Some of the young Leftist "intellectuals" can hardly disguise their venom when interviewing, for example, Mr. J. Bjelke-Petersen.

In the special one hour programme by the A.B.C.'s morning radio programme" AM" concerning the sacking of Mr. Whitlam and associated events last week, Mr. John Gorton and Senator Steele Hall, were both interviewed extensively, the impression being created that they were presenting a Liberal viewpoint. The loaded question for non-Labor politicians is a specialty of the A.B.C.'s Leftist activists. For a period, Mr. Fraser was referred to as "the caretaker Prime Minister". When Mr. Whitlam is reported, he "said" something. Invariably it is reported that Mr. Fraser "claimed". All very subtle, but effective.

Then there was the constant reference for days to the 68 "senior" Treasury officials who protested to the Governor-General that Mr. Fraser's Government was attempting to force them to break the guidelines laid down for Mr. Fraser's Government. Last Saturday Mr. M. J. Campbell of the public servants union was quoted as saying that the protestors were "very junior officers", mostly of grade 8 level and wearing "Shame Fraser Shame" badges. But the A.B.C. persisted with its reference to the "senior" Treasury officials over the weekend, even referring to these officials when critically questioning Mr. Fraser on the "Four Corners" T.V. programme.

Dr. Cass's balance sheet" did not include a number of A.B.C. programmes such as "Lateline" which provide a monopoly platform for the Left wing and a wide range of way-out deviates, many of whom are positively vile. No traditional or conservative viewpoint is put. The A.B.C. costs the Australian taxpayer $160 million dollars a year. The taxpayers are being brainwashed with their own money. They are entitled to call a halt. Or at least to demand a little more balance.

URGENT W.A. ACTION MEETING

Every Perth supporter is urged to attend action meeting at the home of Mrs. B. Nixon, 47A Irvine Street, Peppermint. Thursday, November 27th, 8 P.M. Those attending should ring Robert Dewing: 93 2077.
All W.A. supporters also reminded of Conservative Speakers Club Dinner on Wednesday November 26th, to be held at Rivervale Hotel, 220 Great Eastern Highway, Guest Speaker Mr. Robert Nixon, on "'The Petersen Plan for Reversing Inflation". Tariff $4.00. Bookings: H. Farrar - 86 4107. Or write to P.O. Box 105, East Victoria Park. 6001.

Election Comment authorised by Eric D. Butler, 273 Little Collins Street, Melbourne.