JEFF KENNETT SHOULD IGNORE N.S.W. ELECTION RESULT

Irrespective of the merits or de-merits of his campaign to force the Victorian Kirner Government to an early election, Victorian Liberal leader Jeff Kennett should not be influenced in any way by the N.S.W. State Election result. We are not numbered among those who believed that the slightly arrogant and complacent N.S.W. Liberal Premier, Mr. Nick Greiner, was certain to coast to a comfortable victory.
Contrary to a pre-election promise, Greiner held an early election for the good reason that with the passing of time, his Government's popularity was certain to fall. The redistribution of electorates appeared to make his task easier. His thinly disguised totalitarian philosophy manifests itself in his support for Federal centralist policies and his open dislike of the bi-cameral system, with Upper Houses checking the power of Lower Houses. One of Greiner's major declared objectives was to overcome the obstacle to some of his legislation in N.S.W. Legislative Council. He also hoped to reduce the influence of the Independents.

But the Greiner Government was a high-tax one, which Labor shrewdly exploited, also raising the prospect of Greiner implementing a consumption tax if re-elected. And electors generally do not like to be told by the media oracles that it is certain they are going to reelect any government. There was widespread disaffection with the National Party, Local Nationals in Tamworth so resented central interference with their choice of candidates that they selected their own and ran him as an Independent. He thrashed the official candidates.

One of the basic truths of party politics is that governments are voted OUT, not Oppositions voted IN. We have no hesitation in predicting that when the Victorian electors have an opportunity to vote, they will reject the Labor Government in a landslide. All that can prevent this is some act of complete stupidity by the Kennett-led Opposition. Jeff Kennett is not our favourite politician, and his proposal of retrospective legislation is dubious, but he must be given credit for being innovative.

On the question of depriving politicians of that part of their superannuation paid by the taxpayers, he has hit a raw nerve. He has brought to the public's attention the astronomical amount they are paying to politicians who have by any standards been disastrous failures. It will be recalled that Ted Mack resigned from the N.S.W. State Parliament on this issue, claiming it was outrageous that politicians, well paid while in parliament, should then continue to draw huge sums after leaving parliament.

If Victorian Labor politicians will not resign in order to make an early election possible, then the Coalition must use the Victorian Legislative Council to force the Kirner Government to the polls. Jeff Kennett and his colleagues have to forget all the nonsense about some alleged sacred convention that Upper Houses do not use their constitutional rights to deny Supply to a government and force a poll. It is not holy writ that, irrespective of what damage it is inflicting on the community, a government is entitled to continue to do so until the next election. And, of course, in the process, the politicians are not only continuing to draw their salaries, but are increasing their superannuation payouts.

There is a short answer to those who argue that politicians must be paid well and offered big superannuation payouts: there is no shortage of applicants for the job! Comparing government with a commercial organisation indicates a false understanding of the correct role of government. The overwhelming majority of Victorian electors want to have a say about their politicians as soon as possible. Jeff Kennett's duty is to ensure that every avenue is explored which makes this possible.

Ironically, while Liberal Greiner in N.S.W. is attempting to downgrade Upper Houses, Jeff Kennett can make use of the Victorian Legislative Council to ensure that the electors have a say as soon as possible. By doing so he will help to demonstrate the value of Upper Houses in a genuine democracy where there is a division of power. There will, of course, be screams of rage from the liberal intellectuals and others. Kennett and his colleagues should ignore all this.

There is no indication that a Kennett Government will tackle the really basic economic issues confronting the State. But he has demonstrated in the past that he is not afraid to criticise Canberra, even when a Liberal-National Government has been in office. He has indicated that he is not enthusiastic about the rapid dismantling of the protection of Australian industry. He might prove a type of counterbalance to the internationalism of a John Hewson Government, which will certainly be elected because the electors are eager to vote Federal Labor OUT. The debate concerning who should lead Labor is one about whether Bob Hawke or Paul Keating is going to be defeated.

BRIEF COMMENTS

President George Bush has at last been forced to admit openly that the Zionist State of Israel is the major obstacle to any peace agreement in the Middle East. Speaking recently in Jerusalem on the 24th anniversary of the 1967 Six Day War, Israeli Prime Minister Shamir bluntly said that Israel had no intention of giving up any Arab territory, including East Jerusalem. Showing their contempt for President Bush, they were blatantly establishing new settlements in the occupied territories at the very time that U.S. Secretary of State Baker was visiting Israel. We seem to recall that President Bush declared war on Saddam Hussein because he would not obey U.N. resolutions. There is no need for President Bush to declare war on Israel to make it comply with U.N. sanctions. All he has to do is to cut off the massive economic and military support provided by the U.S.A. He will not do this because the real strength of the International Zionist movement is in the U.S.A., not Israel. And so there will be more unrest in the Middle East.

"The evil that men do lives after them." Both Liberal and Labor Governments were responsible for the premature granting of independence to Papua-New Guinea, allegedly in response to "world opinion". Former P.N.G. Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, commenting on the nation's slide into chaos, says, "Independence came too early," claiming that it should have continued under Australian control so that the people would have "learned discipline and respect". The recent acts of violence and destruction by P.N.G. university students provide further evidence of the time bomb ticking on Australia's front door. We wait with bated breath to hear what Fabian Gareth Evans, Minister for Foreign Affairs, has to say about developments.

The South African retreat away from law and order towards bloody chaos continues. When 1,000 Zulus invaded a Xhosa squatter camp and hacked at least 27 to death, and injured scores of others, they provided further evidence of the shape of things to come. This massacre came only 24 hours after police opened fire on hundreds of white farmers attacking a black township in Western Transvaal. Objective observers believe that South Africa is sliding towards civil war. No doubt this will result in the sending of yet another U.N. "peacekeeping" force.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed has reacted to a U.N. report that said Malaysia was lacking in human freedom, by launching into a harsh attack upon Australia's alleged treatment of Aborigines. It appears that the Prime Minister has been reading the Report of the Commission into the deaths of Aborigines in custody, accepting its allegations as factual.

CRAZY?
"If up to 23 million Ethiopians are due to die of starvation and disease and God knows how many people of Bangladesh, plus Kurdish families dying of cold in the mountains, why are our farmers being told to reduce wheat and wool production?" (Robert Moss, Mount Barker, S.A.)

CLEAN THOUGHTS NOT NEEDLES from The Australian, May 21st
"Your readers should be grateful to Max Harris for his forthright condemnation of the sexual culture of today with its sell of promiscuity aided by the A.B.C's. misguided effort to distribute 40,000 condoms as 'part of an awareness program' (Sexual A.B.C. Transmits an Unhealthy Message, The Weekend Australian, May 11th-l2th). "While I do not wish to endorse Mr. Harris' apparent doubts about the ideal of life-long marital fidelity, I applaud his condemnation of the government sex education campaigns which promote the culture of promiscuity. The ultimate answer to AIDS lies not in condoms and clean needles but in clean speech, clean thoughts, and clean conduct. Surely it is time to make talk about morals respectable again. Will the A.B.C. become a catalyst for such a movement?" (Jerzy Zubrzycki Emeritus Professor, Research School of Social Sciences, A.N.U., Canberra, A.C.T.)

RACISM IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN from The Australian, May 27th
"Before the Law Reform Commission proceeds further in pushing for legislation to make 'racist' conduct a federal offence, will it please define 'racist' and 'racism'? "The words are used in a defamatory sense and always applied selectively to white Australians. With the possibility of a defamation or libel suit following accusations of 'racism' those who are so fond of the word might think twice about using it. "One is not so blind to what a bonanza for lawyers all this 'race' legislation is making, as well as the opportunities for empire building being afforded such bodies as the Human Rights Commission, etc." (Brenda MacIntyre, Mullaloo, W.A.)

THE FABIAN SCORCHED EARTH POLICY