THE BICENTENNIAL AFFAIR

One of Prime Minister Hawke's senior Ministers, Mr. John Dawkins from West Australia, triggered a nationwide debate when he attacked the project to re-enact the arrival of the First Fleet. Mr. Dawkins charges that the re-enactment of the arrival of the First Fleet would be "tasteless" and could rekindle "enmity felt by sections of the community concerning the way in which the colonisation of Australia commenced and proceeded."

The Dawkins approach to history appears to be Orwellian: any aspects, which you find displeasing, should be thrown down the memory hole. The only enmity against the enactment of the First Fleet's arrival comes from a relatively few pseudo-intellectuals and the self-proclaimed spokesman for the Aborigines, prominent among these being Mr. Mansell from Tasmania. The cowardly, or subversive attitude of many in the media may be judged by the fact that no one challenges Mansell's claim to be an Aborigine.

Mansell is an Australian of predominantly European background. As one wit put it, if Mansell does fulfill his unlikely threat of mobilising 10,000 fellow Aborigines to demonstrate against the enactment of the First Fleet, they will hardly be noticed among the many thousands of other Australians of European background there to greet the Fleet. As a number of writers, have pointed out, Captain Cook was not the first European to visit Australia; the Dutch visited long before. And there is evidence to suggest that some of the Asians were aware of Australia's existence. But it was the British who first initiated colonisation. Of course this was an "imperial" act, and it is a fact of history that Australia was originally used by the British government of the time as a penal settlement.

Some of the most outstanding people in history have had bad parents and have started their lives under shocking conditions. But no honest person attempts to deny his origins. Judged by today's standards, the early convicts were brought to Australia under brutal conditions. Some, but not all, of those who controlled them, treated the convicts harshly. But it is pure fiction to claim that all convicts were innocent of any serious crime. Every student of social history knows that the shocking economic conditions of eighteenth century Britain produced a great upsurge of violent crime. And, of course, many of the convicts ultimately earned their freedom and progressed in a way they could never have done back in Britain, which, at that time, included the whole of Ireland. Australian history is studded with the examples of early Irish convicts who were a credit to themselves and the system of government and law, which had its origins in Britain.

When Captain Phillip arrived at Botany Bay on January 28th, 1799, he did not find English Common Law, the English language, or any other aspect of British civilisation lying around on the beach. Phillip and his colleagues, the good and the bad, brought it with them. Victorian RSL President Bruce Ruxton points out that "This is an Anglo-Saxon country, founded on Anglo Saxon traditions. The majority of these Aborigines who are complaining about the Bicentenary are a mixture of the two great races, Aboriginal and Anglo Saxon. They choose to identify with their Aboriginal heritage and ignore their Anglo-Saxon forebears. That is their business, but with the blood of both coursing through their veins they cannot have it both ways." The truth is, of course, that full-blood Aborigines like the Rev. Cedric Jacobs, do not relate to the few radicals, publicised by the media, who in the main are manipulated by others.

Ever since the Australian Bicentennial Authority has been established, there has been a consistent effort to ensure that anything relating to the British heritage is played down. But the blatant anti-British bias of the former Executive Director of the ABA, Dr. David Armstrong, was too much. He has come out among the critics of the First fleet re-enactment, criticising the ABA for making available some financial support to the stranded fleet in Brazil. Dr. Armstrong, who left the ABA with a sizeable "golden handshake", has also criticised radio stations for making appeals to help finance the First Fleet, making the absurd statement that he thinks that this is "outrageous when there are children starving in Africa."

The last word has been said on this affair by one Australian or Aboriginal background, the first Aborigine to serve in the Federal Police, Mr. Blakeney, who has observed that if Australia had been settled by the Russians, or the Japanese, there would probably be no Aborigines existing today. Contemptuous of "so-called Aboriginal activists" like Mansell, Blakeney says, "Mansell has claimed he 'will get 10,000 Aborigines there to throw the whites into the sea. Well, I can tell him I was nine years in the army. I fought in Malaya. I was part of the UN peacekeeping force.... I'm proud of my country. I'll take him on any day."

(Recommended reading: Red Over Black, by former Communist Geoff McDonald $8.00 posted; Healing a Divided Nation, by the Rev.Cedric Jacobs, O.B.E., $6.00 posted. From all League addresses)

BRIEF COMMENTS

The Press Council has upheld a complaint concerning a Melbourne Age report of the 4th April. Melbourne visit of Mr. Oliver Tambo leader of the African National Congress. The Age demonstrated against Tambo. The complainant, Mr. Peter Moon, gave the press Council two photographs, obtained from The Age, showing black and Asian people in the demonstration. The Council ruled that the article's pro-apartheid claim relied on impressions formed by the journalist and were not supported by direct evidence. And what was The Age's defence? The report was not wrong, "it was merely incomplete". Creating a false impression by this type of reporting is far more prevalent than most newspaper readers realise.

It is not surprising that many parents are becoming increasingly concerned about what is happening in the school they help to finance with their taxes. Failure to adequately instruct students in basic skills is bad enough. But under the guise of "sex education", attempts are being made to introduce blatant pornography, as witnessed by the filth being used as part of the NSW State School courses on "personal development". Videotapes include a course for 12-year olds showing masturbation, films about lesbians, homosexuals, and abortion. One video shows frontal nude and explicit sex. A spokesman for the NSW Department of Education, a Mr. Frank Meany, rejects the suggestion that promiscuity is being encouraged, perhaps those responsible do not know what promiscuity means!

Sir Peter Abeles continues on his monopolistic ways, having now taken over East West Airlines, and, according to reports, is about to take over TNT Traco SPA, the Italian courier and express parcels courier. As far as we know, the former Hungarian refugee has never actually created anything. With access to adequate credit, he takes over what others have created. Most forms of monopoly stem from the Credit Monopoly.

When millionaire Fabian Socialist Pierre Elliott Trudeau took over the Canadian Liberal Party, he set Canada firmly on the Fabian Socialist road. In desperation Canadians elected a government, which called itself conservative. Western Canadians were relieved but not for long. The Mulroney government continued down the Trudeau road. Now comes the suggestion that Canadians might in sheer frustration turn to the New Democratic Party, generally described as a "democratic socialist" party. Leader Ed Broadbent is a London School of Economics graduate. The Globe and Mail is suggesting to Broadbent that he should model the NDP on Bob Hawke's Labor Party. This will mean an alliance with Big Business and Big Finance.

Old time Australian Trade Union leaders, men like Albert Monk, would be astonished to see what has happened to the ACTU since it was taken over by academics like Bob Hawke. Now comes the ACTU's "reconstruction" programme, which means, among other things, less unions and much greater centralisation. Sections of Big Business favour this. The ACTU's proposal for restructuring the Australian economy holds up Sweden as a model for Australia to follow. Sweden is one of the most over regulated nations outside the Communist bloc; life is dull and dreary, as witnessed by the faces of many of the people.

The Herald, Melbourne, of July 27th carried an interview with Mr. Will Baley, managing director of ANZ Banking Group. Mr. Baley admitted that the bank gives money to political parties: "Political parties are part of the community. They require support." Mr. Baley says the ANZ has a policy of providing assistance for the day to day running of the parties, but does not support election campaigns. By helping to finance all parties, the banks help to ensure that no party considers any real changes in financial policies.

Senator Baume (The Sun, 10/8) says that the Hawke Government is determined to force the Australia Card legislation through Parliament "even though it was opposed by most M.P.s". We don't claim to know how many M.P.s oppose the Australia Card, but there must be quite a few. Oddly, the extreme Left is more opposed to it than the Right. As it is most definitely a totalitarian measure, we would have expected the reverse. But people, including politicians, are dreadfully confused. We have politicians like Senator Janine Haines, whom we think is a nice type of lady; utterly determined, to hold the fort AGAINST the Australia Card (and thank Heaven for her here) - BUT who is all for the Bill of Rights!!! It doesn't go far enough", she says). How confused can they get?!

Ordinary People
This letter published in the "Regional Progress" Melbourne suburban newspaper Aug. 5th, over the name of "B. Milton" of Ringwood (Melbourne suburb):
"There is no doubt about it; Senator Susan Ryan has been given the responsibility to implement the Australia Card program ("The Age" 30/7). Also on that date a report in The Sun states, 'former Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam yesterday distanced himself from the Federal Government's controversial Australia Card Bill' and 'did not rule out the possibility that abuse of the proposed card by a future government could damage the rights of ordinary people'. "If 'ordinary people' want to purchase a copy of the Australia Card Bill and read the 189 clauses it will cost them $14.40. "Why should the cost be so high for information about something which will affect everyone? Can any Federal Labor M.P. explain this high cost? "In this Bill we are referred to as 'Card subjects'! Everyone should be aware of Clause 189 - Regulations - The Governor General may make regulations, not inconsistent with this Act to be prescribed; or necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving to this Act"'.

FROM CANADIAN 'ON TARGET' (July 13th)

We're Being Invaded! article by Mr. Ron Gostick, National Director of the Canadian League of Rights, who will be present during the Australian League of Rights National Weekend, October 2-3-4:
"We let everyone in. Criminals anybody. Immigration has become a political football and everybody is scared of upsetting the ethnic vote or of being called a racist.' That statement was made by a Toronto immigration official of May 10, 1972, quoted on page 53 of Immigration: The Destruction of English Canada, by West Coast journalist Doug Collins. "How much more true have those words become in the 15 multicult years since they were first uttered!
"Once more this past weekend, another boatload of East Indians floated onto our East Coast, this time Nova Scotia, while the transport ship slipped silently away in the fog. Some 174 'refugees- Sikhs and??? - have been dumped on our shores, with reports of possibly more on the way. This time, our R.C.M.P. and security forces have made two arrests on land, captured and directed the smuggled vessel into port with three crewmembers under arrest. "Now our politicians and bureaucrats take over. So what can we expect now?
"Immigration Minister Benoit Bouchard, according to press reports, is already whimpering that we Canadians can't really do anything to stop this illegal invasion of aliens to our shores. It seems that our immigration policy - a legacy of the Trudeau-Clark-Mulroney years - allows illegal aliens to lie their way into Canada and then remain here for years while lawyers (paid for by Canadian taxpayers) argue interminably. After all, we must respect the 'rights' of the lawbreaker!
Yes, this glaring weakness in Canadian immigration policy became apparent last year when the first boatload of Tamils invaded Newfoundland. Corrective measures were to be instituted we were assured. But the Baloney outfit just hasn't got around to it yet - too busy lecturing South Africa and ladling our tax dollars to Third World Marxist dictators.

"Here are a few of the uncharitable thoughts which keep coming to mind. "
* If we Canadians can't control immigration and decide who can become fellow Canadians, then just who can make these decisions for us? If we are a free and sovereign nation, then we have the power - indeed, the duty - to make these decisions. Right, Mr. Bouchard? And if you don't think this is the correct view, then you've no business pretending to represent us as a Minister of the Crown. "
* During two world wars this century, our politicians and bureaucrats had no hesitation in sending our youth overseas to fight and kill Germans, who supposedly would march on to world conquest if not stopped. Yet today Ottowa can't muster enough spunk and backbone to halt an invasion of illegal Asian 'refugees' arriving in well-paid cargo vessels. Meanwhile, our own kith and kin from the U.K. and Europe who wish to immigrate to Canada are tied up and discouraged by endless red tape and frustration. What goes on down there on Loonyhill anyway?
* And our provincial politicians are little if any better. Not a word of protest against this ghastly immigration scam and betrayal of Canada. One thing becomes daily more obvious: our politicians and media are completely out of step with and divorced from the thinking and feeling of the public. The Toronto Sun, through a telephone poll of more than 3,000 readers, found that 92% of them do NOT want these latest 'refugees' to be allowed to lie and sneak their way into Canada. Only 8% want them to be allowed to remain here. And that's in multicult Toronto! Imagine the percentage of outrage in smaller communities and other provinces....

"One last thought: We're contemplating buying nuclear submarines to stop any possible invasion of our sovereignty under our Artic icecap; and at the same time we're accepting, as if in a trance, the actual invasion of our shores and country by a mounting flood of illegal aliens, arriving in little more than flat bottom paddlers... no amount of sophisticated weaponry will defend that sovereignty unless we have the spirit and will to defend it. But unless we are prepared to ship them right back and severely punish those who bring them and exploit them, this will be a steadily mounting problem...."

If we substitute "Australia" for "Canada" we have basically the same problem. Perhaps Canada is further down the road of decay than our Oz, but our politicians and bureaucrats are heading us down that road, nevertheless. Remember that John Howard, in his recent election campaigning called for an immediate increase of 25,000 immigrants; and most of these would be Asians: our own Immigration Department would see to that.