FABIAN HAWKE VS 'NEW FEDERALISM'

Speaking to the National Press Club on Thursday of last week, July 19th, Prime Minister Hawke unfolded the outline of his long-term strategy to further erode the Federal Constitution. Mr. Hawke has a burning desire to be remembered in Australian history as a man of statesmanship like qualities. Anyone who has read his views on the Constitution over the years can discern that there has been a clear pro-centralist pattern in his thinking. This reflects his undergirding philosophy.

Following the massive rejection of his four referendum proposals last year, Mr. Hawke has decided to discard the direct attack on the Constitution by referendum, and has reverted to the classic Fabian strategy of gradualism, which he clearly outlined in his famous 1984 Fabian address in Melbourne. Mr. Hawke seeks to establish himself as being reasonable, as witnessed by his statement, "Our first task is to move by sensible, practical steps to get better co-operation within the framework of the Federal Constitution as it stands. That is where I propose we focus our main effort."

The Hawke strategy has already resulted in the type of response he is looking for. Opposition leader Dr. Hewson along with N.S.W. Liberal Premier Griener "welcome" the new Hawke initiative, and stress that they also support "reform". Premier Goss of Queensland has responded by stressing the necessity of facing up to the duplication of Federal and State services. Most of the duplication has been the result of the Federal Government intruding into areas best handled by the States or Municipal Government. Malcolm Fraser also drew attention to the question of overlapping services in the field of health and welfare and set up an inquiry to deal with the matter. The resulting Bailey Report recommended handing these services back to the States, but the Commonwealth would not agree on suitable terms, these primarily involving finance.

Effective decentralisation requires decentralisation of financial power. But a reading of Mr. Hawke's Press address leaves little doubt that he does not propose that Canberra relinquish its control of finance. National "economic planning" is stressed and here Hawke meets with no opposition from the Opposition. Mr. John Howard has already given some support to Mr. Hawke, suggesting that the States should cede industrial powers to the Commonwealth, a view also endorsed by Premier Nick Griener.

In a genuine Federal system, as the Australian Federation was intended to be, the Federal Government exists to serve the States, with power effectively decentralised and the Federal Government limited to specific areas such as Defence and Foreign Affairs. Talk about "co-operation" between the States and the Commonwealth is dangerously misleading under centralised financial dictatorship. The series of conferences proposed between the Commonwealth, States and Municipal Government are designed as on going propaganda exercises, with the Fabians like Hawke well aware that one of their greatest assets is the almost complete failure of the Liberal and National Parties to put forward a coherent philosophy of genuine decentralisation. They are also aware that Australians generally have been deprived of any education on their Federal Constitution.

"Progressive education" has helped to produce several generations of constitutional illiterates. The League of Rights has been the only national movement in recent years, which has promoted an ongoing educational programme, with appropriate literature, on the Federal Constitution. Mr. Hawke's new Fabian strategy requires that the League's work not only be sustained but increased.

FROM DARKEST AFRICA

Self-professed Marxist Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for planning terrorist activities, not for opposing "apartheid", has returned to South Africa after an international tour during which he was treated by the media as if he were a world statesman with all the answers to the problems which rack, not only South Africa, but the whole of Africa. In his first statement upon returning to South Africa, Mandela said that the African National Congress, dominated by members of the South African Communist Party, would not call for an end to "armed struggle" until the De Clerk Government agreed to "democratic reform".

On his way back to South Africa, Mandela met with representatives of the "liberated" African States. There is no record of him nominating which of the African States he regards as a successful model for South Africa. Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia, continues to sink towards the low level of other African States under the policies of Comrade Mugabe, who strongly supports Mandela's call for continued sanctions against South Africa at the same time that Zimbabwe sells its stockpile of maize to South Africa. Kenneth Kaunda, held up as a "great Commonwealth leader", has just managed to survive an attempted coup. Kenya, long held up as a success story, has been rocked by massive riots, a desperate President Moi charging that those who sought to overthrow him were backed by mentally unstable power seekers acting on foreign instructions". Liberia, held up by many naive people, particularly in the U.S.A., as a model black democracy, is currently involved in a bloody civil war. The less said about Uganda and other African States the better.

Even if De Clerk acceded to Mandela's programme, and assuming that this did not precipitate a military takeover of South Africa, "majority rule" in South Africa would produce an horrendous bloodbath which would make the current murderous conflicts between the African National Congress and the supporters of Chief Buthelizi look like a Sunday School picnic. The flashpoint in South Africa is fast approaching.

BRIEF COMMENTS

The Fabians, and Dr. Brown's "greens" in the Tasmanian Parliament, have been forced to expose their distrust of the people having a say through referendums, by the attempt of Liberal State Member Neil Robson to have the Electors' Veto adopted in Tasmania. With Mr. Robson backed by all Liberal Members of the Tasmania Parliament, it would only need one of the "greens" to support the Robson proposals to have it sent to the Legislative Council where it is almost certain that it would be accepted, thus becoming law. Dr. Brown is attempting to stall by proposing such a high percentage of electors to require a poll, to make it almost impossible for the electors to organise petitions for referendums. Not without significance is the circulation among Tasmanian parliamentarians of a document criticising the Electors' Veto. The author of the document is Dr. Ken Coghill, the Victorian Fabian number one hit man who played a major role in attempting to smear the League of Rights during the Aboriginal Land Rights and Council Amalgamation campaigns in Victoria. Now that Communism has lost its ideological appeal, it is interesting to note that the Fabian Society is engaged in a big recruiting campaign, particularly in Victorian Universities.

Well-known Australian actor Mel Gibson has, in a new film presentation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, projected the Prince of Denmark as a more manly character. Gibson obviously is a young man who favours the use of robust language, as witnessed by his interview last Tuesday on Ray Martin's highly rated T.V. programme. Commenting on the taxation and interest policies being imposed upon the Australian people, Gibson said, "I think it's nothing short of traitorous what they (the Government) are doing." He doesn't think that the people in government have in their heads anything good for the country. One columnist comments, "Sock it to 'em, Mel."

Once again R.S.L. leader Bruce Ruxton has spoken out on a growing threat to Australia's future, the replacing of British history in Australian schools; this being replaced by American, Russian and Asian history. Ruxton points out "The British gave us freedom, they gave us parliament and law.... Why not teach children here where they got their freedom. The British culture is going down the drain. Bruce Ruxton is right when he charged that the decline in the teaching of British history deprived Australian children of their heritage. How are Australians to understand their system of constitutional government without a study of the history, which produced it? This type of cultural erosion assists the Fabians in their attempted undermining of the Federal Constitution. Treachery of the most dangerous type is abroad in the land and the very future of Australia depends upon this treachery being exposed and opposed. Wherever possible, those responsible for it should be named and held responsible.

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures concerning Immigration show that more than half the migrants and long-term residents coming to Australia are now from Asia (this from formerly unpublished data in the hands of the "Bureau"). We wonder WHY it wasn't published? The proportion of migrants and long-term residents coming from Asia is higher than the migrant intake figures suggest, since apart from the Japanese, a lower proportion of them return home.