A GREAT AUSTRALIAN PASSES ON

by Jeremy Lee
With the death of Sir Mark Oliphant at the age of 98, another of the "old-school" Australian statesmen has passed on. Tribute has been paid to his work as one of a small team of scientists who changed history with the splitting of the atom in the Manhattan Project. Sir Mark was greatly affected by the subsequent results at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

As Governor of South Australia he demanded from politicians both standards and behaviour, and is reputed to have sent the late Don Dunstan (he of the pink shorts in Parliament) home with the suggestion he was not properly attired. What is not so well known is that Sir Mark Oliphant took a keen interest in financial issues and Social Credit. In a prophetic statement in 1984 (The News, Adelaide, 4/12/1984) Sir Mark was quoted as follows:
" .... It is not necessary to read much to realise that international indebtedness, including our own, has made all virtually bankrupt. The scale of international debt is astronomical and can never be repaid .... As the pressure of mounting interest payments on international trade grew, something was bound to give way. It was possible international trade could be halted. If this happened, Australia 'which has allowed itself to degenerate into a colony of Japan and other vigorous manufacturing nations' would become a backwater. Yet, of all the nations in the world, Australia was best equipped to set its own goals, retain dignity, and be powerful without enormous armed services. 'There is almost nothing needed for the good life which cannot be produced within the island-continent, if we so desire,' he said."

A year earlier he pointed to the monetary system itself (The Advertiser, 26/1/1983): " .... Provided that a development project involves no large component of imported materials, equipment or know-how, a nation such as Australia should be able to complete it with little or no debt accruing. In return for the efforts of Australian workers, a valuable asset can be created which will continue to contribute to the economy for a long time. If the project is not as successful as expected, coming generations do not face intolerable debts which they cannot meet. In a sane world this would be logic ...."

Being a man of integrity, Oliphant could see the truth that eludes so many politicians. Australia is poorer for his passing.

ANOTHER INTERMINABLE G-8 MEETING

ALEXANDER DOWNER AND FIJI

The world is castigating George Speight, the rebel coup leader in Fiji. Why is it that when he and Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer pour scorn on each other, Speight rings more genuine? One reason is Downer's patently double standards. He does not apply the same principles to all our neighbours. If he did, Australia would be taking limited sanctions against Indonesia, Malaysia and Burma.

Events in Fiji confirm, if confirmation is needed, that the 'multicultural' idea is ultimately incompatible with democracy. The inexperienced insist that Australia is a successful example of a multicultural society. The racial enclaves we are building - now hastened with the uncritical acceptance of growing numbers of illegal immigrants - will ultimately cause as much breakdown and animosity as in a host of other countries.

In a thoughtful article in The Australian (18/7/2000) Tony Kevin of the A.N.U. offered some arguments not generally considered in the sanctimonious condemnation of George Speight. Of Speight's constituency he said:
".... His group clearly speaks for the values and interests of the mass of poorer indigenous urban and rural Fijians who have been abandoned by the Fijian elite - read Council of Chiefs, who were comfortably involved in mutually profitable deals with moneyed Indian citizens to the detriment of their peoples' long-term interests ....In the most recent election, Mahendra Chaudhry gained government on far less than a majority of first-preference votes .... The fear amongst ordinary Fijians of a progressive expropriation of their sovereign landrights as Fiji is drawn increasingly into the global economy, seemed real and justifiable. The Chaudhry government's brief tenure was bringing such anxieties to a head.
The demands vigorously articulated by Speight's group for a rock-solid political weighting in favour of protecting the indigenous community's rights have strong international precedents. For example, in Malaysia the Malay people (the bumiputra, or sons of the soil) were given entrenched preferential political and economic rights over non-indigenous communities after the shock of the serious racial violence of the mid-1960s. Malaysia, however undemocratic it may be in terms of the one-person, one-vote principle, has worked as a stable civil society since. Fiji has the right to consider such a solution ...."

Oh, for an Australian political leader prepared to fight against the dispossession of the Australian people by foreign multinational intruders! Or one who understands that democracy is more than one-man-one-vote without any choice on issues one-at-a-time!
In our book, Speight has it all over Alexander Downer.

KIM BEAZLEY AND THE G.S.T.

There are extraordinary attempts being made to suggest that Beazley has "lost the plot" over the G.S.T., and that Australians now endorse the new tax. Beazley is right about the G.S.T. It is a tax that will produce turmoil and misery in the months ahead. Preliminary polls suggesting otherwise are a case of "whistling in the dark". The pain - and the vengeance - is yet to come.

Peter Switzer, The Australian (17/7/2000), said: "Anyone who thinks the G.S.T. has been a piece of cake or, worse still, another Y2K beat-up would have to be a consumer or an intellectual who did nothing to get G.S.T.-ready and is now feeling oh so smug. The Della Bosca hoo-ha this week added unwarranted credence to the view that the G.S.T. is just another Y2K Try telling this to businesses facing court and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for price exploitation, or the hundreds of thousands of businesses which have changed all their shelf-prices and now have 15 days to change all prices on the actual products. Then there are those businesses bound to wind up with a cash-flow problem come November 11 when the first business activity statement is due ....."

There followed a daunting description of the obstacle-course still ahead for Australia. Beazley's weakness is not his opposition to the G.S.T. That will be shown to be right before long. His weakness his refusal to do anything but fiddle with it round the edges.

RING-OF-FIRE ROUND AUSTRALIA SPREADS

Indonesia continues to dissolve, with heavy fighting in the Malukus, where an estimated 4,000 have been killed in the past eighteen months. This time it is between Christians and Muslims. President Wahid has suggested that some form of international assistance might be needed to resolve the conflict. More probably, it would escalate the Islamic reaction.

Fighting also continues in Ambon. Meanwhile, news reports indicate that the militia which caused such loss of life in East Timor is being established in West Papua, named the Satgas Merah Putih, with the same leadership that operated in E. Timor. The Governor-General is Musiran Darmiosunito, an intelligence operative from the Indonesian Airforce, who was vice-governor in East Timor in the period leading up to the referendum. So what will Foreign Minister Downer have to say about West Papua? We wait with bated breath!

WHAT HAPPENS TO DEAD COMPUTERS?

Computer technology is progressing so fast that computers are out of date almost as soon as they appear. Two years is the average operative life. In figures produced by the US National Recycling Coalition, 20.6 million personal computers became obsolete in 1998. The figure is expected to rise to 300 million by 2004 and possibly 500 million by 2007. Each computer contains between 2 and 4 kilos of lead, plus smaller amounts of copper, iron, bromine, tin, nickel, cadmium, tantalum, mercury, silver, gold and platinum. What happens to all this when half-a-billion software and hardware programmes go to join the great computer in the sky?

Malign viruses are also on the increase. Virus attacks on networks have increased 75 per cent in the last 12 months, and are getting more sophisticated and dangerous. 69 per cent of Australian businesses were affected to a greater or lesser degree.

At the risk of sounding facetious, the following lines commend themselves:
"Oh dear! Oh dear! What shall I do?
My hard-drive's caught the Asian flu!
I hope it isn't going to die
And take its cyber-space on high!"

If it meant the end of the Australian Tax Office and the G.S.T., we could probably just bear it!

LAND USERS' REVOLT IN THE U.S.

by Antonia Feitz
Fed up with the U.S. Federal Government's ever-increasing powers to regulate land use, a group of American protesters has started fighting back - with shovels. Their target was a rock barrier constructed by the Forest Service to block access to a one and a half mile stretch of dirt road damaged after a washaway in 1995. Though the road near the Nevada-Idaho border doesn't go anywhere, it has become the "line in the sand" for protesters because for years Federal authorities blocked all efforts to re-open the road. They claimed any work would damage the stream-bed and threaten the Nevada bull trout population which they estimated might number as few as 700. Using the environment as an excuse to restrict humans' access to the land has been a very effective tool for governments so far.

As the protesters faced jail or fines if they violated clean water laws or disturbed the trout's habitat, they built a straw barrier to protect the stream bed from erosion. Then organised in work-gangs of 40, they went in to level the rock barrier and to dig around a huge boulder blocking the road. Demar Dahl, president of the Shovel Brigade said, "I think this is a great day for local government and it is a step in the right direction of us in the West who are tired of the [Federal] government telling us what is best for us."

Showing just how angry people are, protesters from several western states came to help. Scott Traudt, a commercial fisherman from Rhode Island said, "Their fight is my fight ...".
Commenting that loggers, ranchers and people like himself who make their living from the land are frustrated by increased government regulation he added, "We've had enough. We're all getting unified."
(A.P.) May it be true!

BASIC FUND FILLED

WELL DONE MONARCHY 2000

G.S.T. ON PROPERTY SETTLEMENTS?

There is a G.S.T. on cigarettes, alcohol and now they are talking about 'family law' property settlements attracting a G.S.T. The news is that lawyers and judges are asking the Government for a ruling and/or exemption.

M.E.A. TAPES

Letter Writers' Club

Notice from the 'Steering' Committee: The influence of the work of the Letter Writers' Club is gradually being noticed. This work can and must be greatly expanded if we are to have an effect on the voting pattern of the next election.

ON TARGET Readers

As we come up to 'exercise number two', we make an appeal for the support of On Target readers all over Australia. The brochure included in this week's On Target sets out the 'germ' of an idea that can be developed in many ways. This idea came about because of the failure of the recent petition to the Governor General to annul the G.S.T. New and regular letter writers are invited to submit their letters on this subject, to the above address for possible wider circulation. In retrospect, we can see that the 'petition' was too little too late. Also, it could be said that we were attempting to fix the problem "from the top down". This will never work.

All 'Social Credit' political activity must work from the grassroots - and this is what the 'G.S.T. Sorry Day Coupon' sets out to do. But it will only work if a sufficient number of coupons are actually signed and posted to the Member of Parliament. And that depends on the reader of this newsletter. For further detailed information write for the tape: "Where Have All The Social Creditors Gone?".

DIARY DATE FOR SYDNEY CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS' CLUB

SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S STATE WEEKEND

Supporters are asked to mark the dates of Saturday, 19th, and Sunday, August 20th, in their diaries. "Are We Choosing the Paths to Quality of Life?" Dr. Ziema McDonell, Ph.D., will speak to the following: "G.M.O. Foods; Effects on Our Cells and Health; Latest Research; What We Can Do About It". Dr. McDonell has degrees in Medicine, Forensic Science, Biochemistry and Nutrition as well as practicing Natural Therapies. Dr. Kate Clinch-Jones: Dr. Clinch-Jones has a general practice at McLaren Vale. She will speak to the following: "Mechanics of HOW the crops are modified and WHY they do so...Danger of G.M.O's. to effect and modify weeds" Geoff Kurtin Agr. Sc.: After graduating from Massey University in Agriculture he went on to further studies on bovine nutrition in the U.S.A. He is an Accredited Agricultural Consultant, Australasian Institute Agricultural Science & Technology. "Genetic Modification: from the Agriculturalist's Point of View: Is It All Bad?"

Saturday seminar: $10.00 admission. "Frank Bawden Memorial Dinner" will be held on Saturday, August 19th. $22.00 per person - 3 course meal; B.Y.O. drinks. Sunday Action Conference: August 20th...10.00 a.m.. $10.00 admission. Venue to be announced. A short Divine Service to open the Sunday Action Conference. Then the meeting will be opened up for Dr. McDonell who has agreed to stay on for the Sunday morning. She will speak on the following: "Looking at Cancer; Probable Causes; Treatments; Hormones & Menopause Problems; Men's Prostate and Cancer - How to Treat It; What To Do To Avoid It" Action reports will follow.

WEST AUSTRALIA'S STATE WEEKEND

BOOK

NATIONAL WEEKEND

LETTERS

JUBILEE 2000 - THIRD WORLD DEBT RELIEF

The following was sent in response to a Metro News report of churches across Melbourne calling upon the A.L.P. to commit itself to the campaign of debt eradication in the Third World.

To Mr. Mark Zirnsak, Uniting Church Officer
"I see in Metro News for 12/7 about your efforts to dismiss Third World debt by asking Australia to forgo $260M in debt owed by the listed countries. "I would have thought that had you called for a referendum on this matter I would have applauded your noble concerns, as it is not at all difficult or expensive to tack this on to a ballot paper at the time of a Federal election. "However, since you seek to do it by asking the pollies instead, it is the equivalent of picking our pockets, which itself is no more democratic. And I mean exactly what I say as I see no difference between the way you go about this business and the manner of a slick pickpocket, except that you are looking into the eyes of the victim as you do it.
To rehabilitate yourself why not ask that pollies do something about the huge external debt of $250B (Australia's Foreign Debt... ed) and growing at the rate of some $30B p.a. See how much coverage the Media give you then - and ask yourself why they indulge you at present and why they would freeze you out were you to speak out on the strangling external debt which will steer us into becoming just like the very debt victims beyond our shores about whom so much unctuous concern comes from you.
All of which tells me that you are about making us as poor as all the other 'church mice' of this world." - Michael Mazur, Brunswick, Vic.

("Whatever the degree of mercy or moderation shown by the taxing power, or of 'equality of sacrifice' experienced by the taxed, justice in the Christian sense does not begin to enter into the transaction until it ceases to be unilateral; that is until a contractual element begins to enter into it, involving the government in obligations to the people in return for the payments received... "This departure from the Christian conceptions would be less serious if Christians were less confused about it. The prevailing idea of justice has become comparative; a matter of 'fairness' in the distribution of rewards and punishments between classes or individuals, rather than that which is based upon Natural Law and the sanctity of agreement between free and responsible men. The writer is no expert on the New Testament, but to him the parable of the workers in the vineyard appears quite clearly to contrast these two conceptions of justice, and to say that the second is that which obtains in the kingdom of Heaven."
from The Just Tax" by Geoffrey Dobbs ...ed.)

To: The Editor, Advertiser, Adelaide, S.A., July 21st, 2000 (not yet published).
Dear Sir, "Was Rex Jory's call to change the flag [Advertiser, 20/7/2000] a bait seeking reaction or was it another example of immaturity? If we were to change the flag each time some of the population felt awkward about some aspect of our history, we would finish up with a flag bearing some delicate, white, fluffy cotton wool - an emblem of characterless sterility. Our flag is a reflection of our history - warts and all. Nobody will agree that our past has been immaculate, but it is real.
Like individuals, a nation develops its character by learning to cope with its shortcomings and endeavouring to strive for a better future. The Union Jack forms part of our flag because the British founders established in Australia, the Westminster style of government and our legal system which is the envy of many. Rex Jory acknowledged the attraction of Australia, to folk from some 150 countries who have chosen to live here. They did not come here just for the climate! The frequent attacks on the flag create disunity. Why do we never read articles extolling the virtues of our flag?"
Ken Grundy, Naracoorte, S.A.

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