FORMER LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA ISSUES PRESS RELEASE ON WAR-CRIMES TRIALS

Polyultovich....War Crimes Case... .From Sir Walter Crocker (Nov. 10th)

"Sir Walter Crocker, when asked why he was taking a step so unusual for someone who has been Lieutenant Governor of South Australia for nine years, and before that Ambassador of Australia for nearly 20 years, as to participate in a public protest outside the Magistrate's Court dealing with Polyukhovich, made the following statement:

1) I am associating with the protestors though I have no connection with them. I admire their initiative and courage, but I belong to no party and am completely independent.

2) Nor am I condoning Nazi crimes - such have been my feelings about them that when World War II broke out I happened to be living in Europe, I volunteered at once for military service. I spent the next six years in the British Army.

3) Being 90-years-old I would prefer the peace of my garden and my books to public demonstrations in the street, but I feel that I must do all I can, slight as it may be, to draw the attention of my fellow citizens to certain facts about this case.

4) As a fourth generation South Australian, and with a life long commitment to Australia's best interests, some of them neither fashionable nor popular, and with some professional knowledge of the circumstances of the case, I am much concerned about the way the trial has been brought about. Our Federal Government, in spite of including a number of men of undoubted integrity and ability, has agreed to the trial through giving into the pressures of a lobby that represents very few Australians and no Australian interests, but which is buttressed with great wealth, with exceptional self-centred persistence, and with ruthless cleverness. A connected lobby has been operating with similar effects in England and France. Its propaganda, accepted by large segments of the mass media, has confused and misled Australians, even those normally well informed.

5) I would therefore emphasise some cardinal points: -
First, this and related trials are not driven by justice but by hatred and revenge.
Second, the events at issue took place half a century ago. The nature of evidence available is dubious. That is why the great majority of names on the lobby's original lists have, on legal advice, been dropped by the Government.
Third, the accused committed no crimes in Australia during their years here.
Fourth, the accused committed no crimes against Australians anywhere.
Fifth, the cost of the trials to Australian taxpayers has already run into millions of dollars.
Sixth, Australia had no reason whatever for getting mixed up with this costly folly, but every reason for keeping out of it. Government in Australia has enough problems on the plates of Canberra and all of the State capitals without taking on this gratuitous burden- Constitutional problems, the faltering economy, unemployment, the crime rate, corruption and incompetence at the highest levels. Worse, the spirit of hatred and revenge unleashed by the trials can poison and destabilise nations as well as persons. Ulster, the Middle East, the fratricidal violence of Serbs and Croats are a reminder, the poison could foul our air for years.

THE DISCIPLINE OF REALITY

As we predicted, the collapse of Communism would not of itself witness the establishment of a safer and more stable world. While President George Bush has been busy attempting to project himself as a great international statesman, he has suddenly discovered that his domestic base is collapsing. Much to the disappointment of Prime Minister Hawke, who was hoping that the Bush visit, planned for early next month, would help to boost his flagging political fortunes, the American President has discovered that as a result of the deepening economic crisis, his own political future is at risk.
If it had not been for the Gulf War, President Bush would have been destroyed politically by now, with an inevitable defeat at next year's presidential elections. Following the euphoria created by the Gulf War, Bush appeared to be a certainty to be re-elected. That certainly has now disappeared.

From Canada comes the news that the electors are deserting the two mainstream parties, the Progressive Conservatives, headed by Prime Minister Mulroney, and the Liberals, and turning in desperation to the smaller parties. The much publicised Free Trade agreement with the U.S.A., and the implementation of the consumer tax have merely aggravated Canada's economic problems.

The chaotic situation in New Zealand, which was to be the model example of how the Consumer Tax would work with benefit to all, is certainly going to be repeated in Australia if Dr. John Hewson and the Liberals come to office on a protest vote against the Hawke Government. Mr. R.J. Ellicott, Attorney General in the Fraser Government, has stated that while the Labor Party no longer deserves to be in office, the Liberal Party offers no hope. Ellicott says "The major political parties and the institutions they run are becoming increasingly irrelevant and unresponsive to the needs of the country and the silent majority of Australians who have long supported them".

But Ellicott then calls for the establishment of a new party. Such a new party would be no better than the present parties unless its individual members are effectively controlled by their electors. Any new political group genuinely concerned about Australia's future would have as its top priority support for an electoral mechanism similar to the Swiss system, making it possible for electors to veto unwanted legislation.

While the international planners strive to bring the former parts of the Soviet Empire, starting with the Eastern European nations, into an expanding European Economic Community, the E.E.C. itself is already running into major problems. The Yugoslav tragedy, itself a violent reaction against multicultural societies, has indirectly helped to open up cracks in the E.E.C. Growing fears about a dominant Germany in the E.E.C. have been heightened by the German initiative in attempting to have the E.E.C. intervene in Yugoslavia with a "peacekeeping" military force. Showing increasing reluctance about developments in the E.E.C., the British played a major role in rejecting the German proposal.

German re-unification has intensified Germany's internal problems, with growing protests against non-German groups. The headlines scream about the threat of "Nazism re-emerging", while in France there is a growing revolt against non-French migrants. It is as certain as the sunrise that the more grandiose the type of planning being attempted, the greater the friction and disintegration.

The current discussion about Australian Federalism is another manifestation of the disastrous results of centralism. But all the politicians, both State and Federal, attempt to dodge the central issue with clichés about "tax sharing".

Those responsible for the creation of the Federation had some grasp of realities, the original concept being that a Federal Government should be established to service the separate sovereign States. So far from there being any suggestion that the States should be abolished, it was envisaged that further States be created as part of a programme of keeping power decentralised. But, as feared by some of the Fathers of Federation, men like Alfred Deakin, a failure to check the financial power of Canberra would result in the central government emasculating the States.

The implementation of the Uniform Taxation system as a wartime measure, originally for a limited period only, set in motion policies of centralisation, which have produced the present disastrous situation.

Stability for Australia is impossible while centralist policies are pursued, by all governments at Canberra. Australia's most prestigious historian, Professor Geoffrey Blainey, has bluntly described Canberra as "parasitic". "It is engrossed in its own mood and atmosphere, its own priorities. It has a vested interest: a fat public service."

Australia's future can only be assured by freeing itself of the destructive parasite. All over the world the central issue in the human drama is emerging more clearly with every day that passes: centralisation versus decentralisation; cultural and radical diversity as opposed to uniformity. Australia is equipped to demonstrate to the rest of the world how to produce stability and harmony by pursuing policies reflecting Reality.

BRIEF COMMENTS

Mr. Robert Maxwell's sudden death will come as a great relief to some people. The former Czechoslovakian Jew was typical of his kind. His most blatant example of vulgarity was when he alarmed the Queen by putting his arm around her. His support for Socialism was a manifestation of his collectivist philosophy. He was a faithful servant of International Zionism and it is appropriate that he should be buried in Zionist Israel. The real Maxwell story remains to be told.

Dr. Hewson announced last week a Coalition plan for spending $5 million a year promoting foreign languages. This is yet another example of the superficial thinking of trendy Liberals attempting to emulate the Labor Party, and, of course, to obtain the migrant vote. Dr. Hewson said that Australia's future depended upon people learning foreign languages "to help boost exports". There is a place for Australians to learn foreign languages for a number of reasons. But to promote the study of foreign languages as part of a multicultural programme is something quite different. At a time when English has become the major international language, it would be more important to ensure that all Australians become literate in that language.

FROM GUN CONTROL TO PEOPLE CONTROL

from David Thompson
When Senator Tate, Minister for Justice & Consumer Affairs, claims that Australians do not have a "right" to bear arms, he strikes at the heart of traditional liberties. Traditional liberties may not depend upon whether Australians do on do not actually own guns, but they certainly do depend upon the source of our "rights". Senator Tate argues that, rather than a "right" it is a "privilege" to be able to own and use guns; a privilege, which it may be expedient for governments to curb from time to time. He could just as easily argue that freedom of speech is a privilege, also to be curbed when a government deems it 'expedient'. It would appear to be expedient to ban political advertising during election campaigns (unless by an authorised political party). This is now openly on the agenda! And perhaps an open admission that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword.

Attention is continually drawn to the horror of the Strathfield 'massacres' or the recent mass killings in Texas, as an illustration of the need to ban guns. But as some have observed, there is just as strong an argument for more guns, not less. If only one other person had been carrying a firearm on either of those occasions, the murderer could perhaps have been immobilised himself, thus saving perhaps dozens of lives. The logic of banning firearms under such conditions merely provides a clear field to the thieves and organised criminals who will have weapons. If we surrender our right to firearms we surrender ourselves to the tyranny of such organised and opportunistic criminals. It would be just as logical to argue for the elimination of the shopping centres, since that is where people were massacred in Sydney!

JUMPING THE GUN
As governments are arguing that owning guns is a privilege, and not a right, they naturally argue that it is governments who can either bestow or remove such privileges. The motive for gun control is not the safety of Australians; the motive is for the opportunity to control Australians. This should be rejected as vigorously as possible.

A number of responsible groups and individuals are campaigning against gun/people control. One of the best efforts we have seen is a campaign newspaper produced by a Queenslander. His campaign newspaper is called JUMPING THE GUN - a hard-hitting, factual and challenging campaign tool. Published early in October for mass distribution, and an initial print run of 60,000 has been exhausted. We are informed that another print run of the paper, slightly updated, has just come off the presses.
We suggest that any campaigners in this field should have a supply. Images of horror from several "massacres" are being used to place psychological pressure upon otherwise more sensible people to call for firearms control. A major Sydney daily newspaper is openly and vigorously campaigning against gun ownership, and even church groups have been panicked/pressured into supporting this position, apparently forgetting that Christ Himself once told His followers to go and arm themselves, even if they had to sell their shirts to do so.

ECONOMIC REALISM

Veteran Queensland economist, H.W. Herbert, writing in the Brisbane Sunday Mail of October 13th, injects some realism into economic discussions: "FORGET CAIRNS GROUP POLICY: "We often see the bully boy sequence on T.V. The strongman floors his opponent, then picks him up so he can knock him down again. "It makes us think of Mr. Keating. Having pushed the economy down into severe recession, he now wants it revived - so that he can knock it down again when returning prosperity leads to a new surge of imports.

"Up and down like a yo-yo. This is what will happen as long as Labor adheres to the Cairns Group policy of an open door for imports even if we could grow them or make them ourselves, like Brazilian orange juice or Canadian potatoes, or French cheeses or fashions or Swedish ships or fancy cars.

"Even with this severe recession we have not been able to achieve a surplus in our balance of payments. As every citizen knows, you cannot reduce a debt without paying it off. "During Mr. Keating's reign as Treasurer, Australia's net overseas debt continued to increase. Two years ago the interest and dividends payable overseas was $l,000 million a year. It is now$l,476 million a year. "This is what Mr. Keating used to call, correctly, 'the tyranny of debt'.

Together with Mr. Hawke they promoted the policy of the Cairns Group - an open door for imports. "Such a policy makes no sense unless other countries also have an open door to our produce. This is something the three great trading blocs of the Northern Hemisphere do not have. "The United States has what it calls an 'export enhancement program' which subsidises farmers' wheat and other grains and thus allows them to be sold cheaply in markets that used to be supplied by Australia. "Australia had an exhibit in Japan of our method of growing rice without 'stoop' labor. The grain is sown in dry soil, then flooded until ripe, then the water is drained off and the crop harvested. The Japanese made the Australians take down the placards showing how much cheaper rice could be produced this way.

"The Uruguay Round of free trade talks is not going well. The small and inefficient farmers of France and Germany have too much political strength. Only token moves towards freer trade are likely, if any. "Germany has an additional problem. Its previously massive balance of payments surplus has now disappeared in the costly job of helping the decrepit East German economy. After this, Germany will be called on to help the ailing Russian and Soviet countries.

"Australian Labor will have to forget Cairns Group free trade. We still had a $575 million payments deficit despite boom exports. "The only way to get a payments surplus, needed to reduce our overseas debt, is to ban non-essential imports. "It would not be too painful. The non-essentials are only about 40% of total imports, and a lot of it is rubbish. "The 60% which are essential are ample to sustain the growth of the Australian economy.

TARIFFS MAKE SENSE

from Herald-Sun (Melbourne, November 8th)
The push by the National Farmers' Federation for free trade is a cruel hoax based on a suicidal idea. That idea is that Australia and the world can solve their problems by tearing down tariff barriers. "Those farmers who signed the N.F.F. petition don't realise they are mere pawns in a global power play that really has no concern for their welfare at all. "Those helping the N.F.F. circulate the 'anti-Bush' petition are cutting their own throat. Free trade will kill off our Australian agricultural machinery industry as sure as it is killing off other Australian industries. Tractors are only the start!

"The fact is Mr. Bush is pushing free trade primarily for the benefit of American banks and multinational conglomerates. Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mr. Bush is sending his industry into Mexico where wages are only 60 cents an hour. "Mr. Hawke (deluded by the concept of the so-called New World Order) also believes in global free trade and is sending our industry off shore while inviting in cheap Third World food and goods, plus subsidised European farm produce. "This treachery against Australian industry is free trade in action. Yet the N.F.F. wants our farmers to go to Canberra screaming for free trade. "What a con job! "Wake up farmers. Free trade will wipe you off the Australian landscape forever.

"Australia is a small country that can only survive and prosper when we protect ourselves. Protection is not a dirty word. It is commonsense." (Jim Gitsham, Rural Action Group, Bendigo, Vic.)