THE ELECTION RUN UP

In the current highly emotional state of Australian politics, with the terror campaigners operating for the first time, public opinion polls must be regarded with the greatest caution. There can be no argument that the crisis developing after the Coalition parties had decided to deny Supply has permitted Mr. Gough Whitlam to stage a dramatic electoral recovery.

Long-term students of Australian politics point out that the poll to note carefully is the one immediately following the announcement of elections. Mr. Bill Snedden decided that it was safe to challenge Whitlam because the polls showed that Labor would lose. But once the election had been announced the first poll taken showed that Labor would obtain between 48 and 49 percent of the vote. And this is what happened in spite of later polls showing that Labor's vote would be higher.

The first Morgan Gallop Poll taken since Mr. Whitlam was sacked by the Governor-General and the election date fixed, showed a sharp increase in support for the Liberal-N.C.P Coalition, from 43 percent on November 8th to 46 percent. Labor support dropped from 47 per cent to 44 per cent. These figures suggest a win by the Liberal-N.C.P Coalition in the House of Representatives, although there is a significantly high 5 per cent support for independents. This 5 per cent could hold the key to the election results.

The Senate vote obviously is going to be extremely close, with the dreadful prospect of Mr. Steele Hall and Mr. John Gorton holding the balance of power. Mrs. "Tammy" Fraser, the Prime Minister's wife, has predicted that if the Liberals do not win this election, it will be the finish of the Liberal Party. But if Mr. Malcolm Fraser manages to win in the House of Representatives, does not control the Senate, and fails to start to de-fuse the finance economic crisis, the Liberal and N.C.P parties will also be finished. The violent backlash against them will be shattering.

Our own view is that irrespective of what happens on December 13th, Australia will face its greatest crisis next year. If Mr. Whitlam manages to win the House of Representatives, primarily because of the mass Melbourne and Sydney vote, it will be because Mr. Fraser has failed to convince a sufficient number of people that he has a constructive answer to inflation. If only Mr. Fraser would listen to Premier J. Bjelke-Petersen he could dramatically rally the Australian people behind him in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Mr. Fraser and his colleagues should be carefully considering the significance of the relatively large support for independents. This reveals quite clearly that while a large number of electors are hostile to the Whitlam Labor Party, they are far from convinced that a Fraser-Anthony Government would do any better.

WHITLAM SETS 'PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY' AS THEME FOR ELECTION

Introduced by Mr. Bob Hawke, President of the Australian Labor Party, as the "Prime Minister of Australia", thus further flying in the face of the Constitution, Mr. Gough Whitlam hammered, and hammered, and hammered, his theme of "parliamentary democracy" which is at stake; according to himself. The "record" of the Whitlam Government was brushed over lightly, but quite obviously Gough Whitlam is out for the electoral kill on his chosen theme.

League supporters know that parliamentary democracy is intact. The very fact that we are having an election to allow the people to speak on December 13th is proof positive of that!

The Governor-General did intervene, as Gough Whitlam intended that the Governor-General should, because Parliament was deadlocked. Sir John Kerr had no other choice, because Gough Whitlam refused to resign, and refused to go to the polls. This was brought out forcefully in a long analysis by Dr. Paul Gerber, a Queensland Constitutional expert in The Herald (Melbourne) November 24th. This issue is dealt with strongly and clearly in the enclosed electoral brochure, which supporters must give the widest possible distribution in the time left to us.

Amid well-organised roars of "We Want Gough", Mr. Whitlam smirked and basked in the mainly synthetic adulation; the whipped-up adulation of the mob; which can turn to howls of rage and fury almost as quickly. Mr. Whitlam is skating on very thin ice. The record of his Government is deplorable; never has so much damage been done to Australia in so short a time.

His hypocritical call for "parliamentary democracy" is a sham. We have it - that's why he's been forced to face the people, and he has brought on this situation himself by exploiting the Crown to cast himself as a political underdog who has been mistreated, and simultaneously turn public anger against the Governor-General and the Monarchy: both issues raising Gough Whitlam's electoral stocks! Very slick; very tricky-typical of the man. Will this Whitlam dodge blow up in his face? If enough of the enclosed brochures are distributed by supporters, it will.

WHOSE FACES MAY BE RED?

"More than 150 political scientists from universities and tertiary institutions throughout Australia claimed yesterday that the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, acted wrongly in dismissing the legally elected Whitlam Government". - The Age (Melbourne) November 24th.

The letter, signed by these academics, not specialists in Constitutional Law, but political "scientists", was well off the beam, as could be anticipated. We suspect that many of them are Red already, and we hope that the faces of the remainder will be red. One of the good things, which may come out of the present political fracas at Canberra, is that political "scientists" may be well and truly discredited. They deserve to be. Their letter is nonsense. It accuses the Governor-General of making political decisions. Even the pro-Labor, socialist, Professor Colin Howard, of Melbourne University, affirms that the Governor-General acted within the Constitution. Professor Howard is an Australian expert on Constitutional Law.

As a revolutionary situation develops in Australia, more and more subversives will emerge from their places of concealment to add their force to the revolution. Many will surprise and amaze the man in the street as they expose themselves as revolutionaries. For a better understanding of the subversive attack that is now being waged against the forces of law and order in Australia, read "Theory of Subversive Action" by Roger Cosyns-Verhaegen (translated from the French). Price: 90 cents, post free, from all League offices.

THE COUNT-DOWN HAS STARTED!!

Addressing a meeting of League actionists in Melbourne last Friday evening. November 21st, National Director Mr. Eric Butler said that the fuse of a revolutionary bomb assembled over many years had now been lit. "The count-down has started", he said. The revolutionary bomb could only be defused by the adoption of a constructive anti-inflation policy similar to that of the "Petersen Plan".

Mr. Butler said that the League of Rights had clearly emerged as the only movement with the knowledge and capacity to generate the action necessary to save Australia. With this issue of "On Target" we include the third and final League election brochure. The growing demand on the League's brochures is placing a tremendous strain on our physical and printing resources. But we now have in operation a magnificent nationwide team of volunteers.

Mr. Butler stressed at the Melbourne meeting that he as National Director, had accepted the personal responsibility of heavily committing the League financially to a programme far in excess of anything done in the past. It was therefore imperative that League supporters not only contributed the Basic Fund of $40,000 but extra for the election campaign. Actionists at the Melbourne meeting, many already having contributed to the Basic Fund, provided over $500. If this spirit can be matched right around Australia, the National Director's faith will not have been misplaced. What is needed from every reader at this crisis hour is participation in brochure distribution, and contributions or pledges for the League's Basic Fund and election expenses.

BRIEF COMMENTS

All public servants are not Left-wingers. Almost six thousand Canberra residents have signed a petition of support for the Governor-General; and this has been organised by Canberra public servants. A total of ten thousand signatures is aimed for. The organisers, public servants, have been forced to call for police protection.

The new Bishop of Ballarat, (Victoria) is the Right Rev. John Hazlewood; former Anglican Dean of Perth (W.A.). Rightly or wrongly, the media have given Bishop Hazlewood something of a "swinging" image. He introduced "rock masses", and once appeared on a television debate to speak in favour of the legalisation of the smoking of marijuana. Like many public men, he may be having second thoughts as he witnesses, at first hand, the inevitable social results of permissiveness. He lashed out bitterly at a recent rally in Ballarat, attacking... "emotive propaganda, pornography, empty-headed, hairy students enjoying extravagant pensions to unseat true learning....mobs howling about the death of democracy, and militants destroying democracy"...and much more. Even the most liberal mind can be shocked into reality when confronted with hard facts.

The national convener of the Australia Party, Mr. John Sissons, seems as unaware of Constitutional Law as the mobs now howling and raging in the streets. He doesn't believe that a Governor-General should be able to intervene in a political crisis, or that the Senate should be able to block Money Bills. He is confident that the Australia Party will win two seats in the Senate - one in Victoria and one in N.S.W. We hope he is wrong!

A group of 150 lawyers has recently met in Melbourne to discuss the Australian Constitution. Yes, they were addressed by Senator James McClelland, former Minister for Labour and Immigration in the Whitlam Government, and himself rather a mysterious figure. He is of a legal background. The group is known as; wait for it - "Lawyers for Democracy". Does that have a familiar ring? A spokesman, Mr. Keon-Cohen, said the group was working for "proper constitutional government" in Australia. Apparently such Constitutional experts as Professor Colin Howard of Melbourne University, and Dr. Paul Gerber of Brisbane University. don't know what they are talking about!
Please excuse us if our-suspicions are aroused. This crowd is pushing the Socialist/Communist line that the powers of the Governor-General and the Senate be curtailed, and preferably abolished. One House. That's the way to centralise political power and have the individual at the mercy of Big Brother.

In The Australian (November 22nd.) appeared an advertisement, headed Timor Seminar. It was held at Melbourne University, and Speakers included Mr. Jim Dunn, a former Australian Consul; Mr. Jose Ramos Horta, Fretelin Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Notice the inference that Fretlin is the Government of East Timor. It isn't anything of the sort; just trying to capture control. Horta is a Communist agent. Another Speaker was Mr. John Hamilton, of The Herald (Melbourne); and lastly. Mr. Jim Roulston, Senior Vice President of the A.L.P., and the A.M.W.U. (Australian Metal Workers' Union). This Union is under Communist control. Laurie Carmichael is the Federal Assistant Secretary, and John Halfpenny is the Victorian Secretary. The Seminar was sponsored by Action for World Development (would you believe?!) and the "Timor Information Service". (We wonder who or what runs that).

Mr. Frank McManus, the Leader of the D.L.P., agrees that there is no such thing as a constitutional crisis in Australia. Mr. Whitlam was clearly in breach of the Constitution, and the matter had been dealt with correctly by the Governor-General. Mr. McManus says that trade union power is one of the vital issues of the Election (we agree). The return of Mr. Frank McManus to the Senate would be most valuable, as this would be a severe blow to Labor's chances of capturing the Senate with the support of John Gorton and Steele Hall. Mr. Frank McManus is a man of great courage and integrity; he should be back in the Senate.

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