LIBERAL PARTY IN DISARRAY

Having made his trip to save the world, Prime Minister Fraser returned to Australia warning that Australia would be hit by the effects of a deeper world recession unless "corrective action" was taken.
It can now be seen that Mr. Fraser's latest overseas jaunt was a cynical political exercise. If by some miracle, the industrial nations of the world were to start reducing their tariffs and import quotas, Mr. Fraser could claim credit for his advanced economic thinking, and probably hold an early election before it was discovered that a general reduction in tariffs under present financial policies benefited no one except the multinationals, themselves creatures of the international banks. But when Mr. Fraser's "recovery plan" is not adopted, he can then seek to blame worsening Australian economic situation on overseas countries rejecting his advice.

While Mr. Fraser was jetting abroad, growing rumbles inside the Liberal Party burst into the open with a stinging attack on the party by a leading Wimmera (Victoria) official of the Liberal Party, Mr. Lamshed, who has been on Mr. Fraser's Wannon campaign committee for the past eight years. Mr. Lamshed, in what can only be construed as an attack on Mr. Malcolm Fraser, said it was time for the Federal and State Liberal parties to "shed their silver tail image and get out of their ivory tower."
Mr. Lamshed says, "We either wake up to ourselves or we lose the next elections."

According to "The Wimmera Mail Times" of May 21st, Mr. Lamshed said that it had "become patently obvious in federal and state arenas of the Liberal Party ministries that the good "yes" boys have received portfolios they could not handle. Some of them had become ministers despite limited political ability."
Unfortunately Mr. Lamshed indicated that the "progressive and innovative approach" of Mr. Andrew Peacock would be of value. Neither as a Cabinet Minister nor as a backbench Member has Mr. Peacock indicated anything but general support for the policies of the Fraser government.

Commenting on the Lamshed criticism, "The Wimmera Mail Times" in its editorial of May 24th, said, "Australia is a wonderful country, a rich country. It has the potential to be great, given time and wise leadership. But, at the moment, it is still small fry in the world power game, and instead of flitting around the world at taxpayers' expense on some global strategy exercise which is unlikely to cause cold shivers in the Kremlin, our leaders would be better employed returning to good old Aussie gravel and mud, trying to grapple with the nitty-gritty of workaday life in factory, farm and kitchen."

We agree completely. One of Australia's "nitty-gritty" issues is housing. Tens of thousands of young Australians and some not so young - are finding it impossible to build their own homes, primarily because of crippling interest rates. Others have to sacrifice their standard of living in an endeavour to meet interest payments on their mortgages. Government supporters should be challenged to say why a worldwide depression should prevent Australians from using their own vast resources to build all the homes required.
If the rest of the world disappeared tomorrow Australians would still have an abundance of everything required to adequately feed, clothe, house and provide a civilised standard of living for every Australian. Government Members should be challenged to dispute the truth of this statement, and to explain why, for example, the financial policies of the Reagan Administration should be preventing Australians from making use of their own resources.

THE TAX EVASION IMBROGLIO

Households were paying an extra $35 a week tax to subsidise tax dodgers, the Opposition Leader, Mr. Hayden, claimed yesterday." - The Age, (Melbourne) June 7th.

We think that this is nonsense. Treasury types can flaunt sheaves of papers - carrying columns of figures to "prove" that if only everybody would pay the tax that some bureaucrats think they should then everyone else would pay less tax. This is the same line of thinking which has it that "the poor are poor because the rich are rich": there is a set, finite, amount of money in circulation - hence so-called tax evaders are "robbing" those who pay their taxes; mostly pay-as-you- earn taxpayers, who have no opportunity to pay less tax, let alone any prospect of "evading" tax.

The rejoinder the so-called tax evaders can throw in the faces of the ridiculously overpaid mediocrities, who are a burden on Australia's political purse, is that many, many, millions of dollars are being thrown away by way of "aid" to the Third World when there is much social and economic distress at home. Australians are in need of aid - some urgently: social services are often inadequate.
Many, many millions of dollars are being expended on the Government's Immigration programme, some aspects of which are truly subversive.

We don't suggest that the Department, nor the Government itself, considers that the policy of bringing to Australia large numbers of European unassimilables, and opening our doors to large numbers of Asians, is subversive: but there are the promoters of these policies, here and particularly abroad (e.g. in the United Nations), who well know that such policies are subversive, as they will foment social frictions within our country.

The concealed promoters of these policies know it, but the politicians and top bureaucrats don't know it; or if some really do know it, then they won't be drawn out of their silence for fear of "exposure" in the mass media. Intimidation is the word for it. Organisations, which point out the inherent dangers in such policies, are vilified. One observer stated some years ago that the mass media have separated the commonalty (the man and woman in the street) from reality.
The message we are hammering is that countless millions of dollars of our money is being virtually thrown away by the politicians, yet the same are screaming about a far less amount, which a few favourably placed taxpayers wish to avoid.

We were relieved to read in The Age (June 7th) that Mr. Brian Shaw, Q.C., stated, "the broad line of attack against lawyers who advise tax avoiders, could end in a fundamental pillar of democracy being undermined." Mr. Brian Shaw is Chairman of the Bar Council. He went on to say that people have rights, and our system depends on people being able to discover what their rights are, and to exercise them. The point he made is that lawyers should be free to advise people of 'their rights: to advise criminals of their rights, and similarly to advise clients in financial matters'. This has wrongly been labeled "tax evasion".

Another prominent Melbourne barrister, Mr. S.E.K. Hulme, Q.C., said that while he has no brief to tax avoidance..."I have been sickened in the past week to see people, who have done nothing illegal, being exposed to criticism and contempt in the public pillory of Parliament, Press and Television."

An even more dangerous principle is that of punitive provisions in legislation. This just means having declared, by law, a practice that was not illegal one year ago, to be illegal now, and for yesterday's new "crime" to be an offence NOW. This really is infamous practice on the part of government, and as such would eventually destroy all confidence in Law. It smacks not only of the Kremlin, but also of 1984!

Our Prime Minister is already "floating" Government action on retrospectivity of taxation legislation in order to punish by heavy fines those people who "avoided" (legally) the payment of taxation in the past. Once such a heinous legislative practice is adopted by a government, the disintegration of the society governed is considerably brought forward.

BRIEF COMMENTS

Washington, D.C. is obviously under intense pressure from Latin America (In the U.N.) to desist from support of Britain in her struggle with Argentina in the Falklands. Alexander Haig, the American Secretary of State (Foreign Minister) has called Lord Carrington a "duplicitous bastard"; we can't bring ourselves to dispute that. Equally we have no faith in Alexander Haig. He will sell out Britain at the drop of a hat. The American administration is trying to wear two hats: one for Britain and N.A.T.O.; the other for Latin America. Washington has entangled itself so much in the affairs of other countries that it is finding it nearly impossible to adhere to any firm policy. This, in turn, is brought about by finance/economic involvement here, there, and everywhere. All the various lobbies are squeezing Washington.

The Filipino brides campaign isn't all roses. Increasing numbers of young Filipino women are seeking help from women's refuges, and many of the marriages were failing because of cultural differences. (The Age, Melbourne, June 7th). Al Grassby please note. The Korean Super-Con, "Rev." Moon of the Moonies, dictates who shall marry whom within the Moon Movement. Over 90% of such "marriages" are mixed race relationships. "Rev." Moon might get the heave-ho from the U.S.A.

We are getting a new "pitch" on the resources boom. Now that nobody can find it. Mr. Walter Shipley, President of the Chemical Bank of New York, paid us a recent visit to inform us that, yes, there is a boom, but, "recent 'trends' (about which no one can do anything!) in both the Australian and world economies have caused a major reassessment (whacko!) of the extremely optimistic forecast of a resource boom that circulated over the past two years. We were all wrong. This is now the correct pitch: "the investment in resources will be spread more evenly over the next two decades rather than compressed into one or two short periods of hectic activity as was expected in the so-called resources boom." We are so glad to have the final, true picture, but we are incurably old fashioned, and will believe it all when we see it.

There have been many enquiries to Melbourne concerning stocks of Des Griffin's startling book - "The Fourth Reich of the Rich". We are pleased to advise that all League offices now have stocks. Chapters cover - 'Who Rules the World?', 'Illuminati', 'The Bilderbergers', 'United Nations - the New Babylon', and many more. Price: $7.00 posted.

School funding
The following letter, under this heading, appeared in The Australian (June 7th) over the name of Mr. Geo. R.M. Small. Mr. Small happens to be Metropolitan Correspondent and Liaison Officer of the body - "The Committee To Raise Educational Standards"; which body we know very well, and which we respect. The letter follows:
"Use of such a phrase as 'plundering the public purse' by Mr. R.Nilsen, President, Council for Defence of Government Schools, to describe grants to 'religious' schools (Letters 17/5), is to be deplored as a sensational utterance designed to detract attention from the facts. "Recently other writers have expressed concern with the poor literacy attainments of the State education system and the introduction of explicit sex education courses, etc. The result of this concern. is that an ever increasing number of parents are withdrawing children from government schools and are enrolling them in independent schools.
"Mr. Nilsen persists in ignoring the fact that we live in a democratic society designed to ensure equal rights for all citizens, with provision for the education of all children from funds contributed to the public purse by all citizens. "It would be inequitable for parents of children in independent schools to pay the full cost of educating their children, in addition to funding state education. Federal grants to independent schools do not suffice to cover costs, and many parents are making sacrifices to meet school fees; some mothers have taken part time work for this purpose.
"This is a situation which should not exist; more equitable funding would be achieved by adoption of the voucher system which would ensure both a more competitive and efficient education system and a more adequate return from the public purse."

Local Government

The Bairnsdale (Vic.) Council passed a motion to be submitted for inclusion on the agenda of the Annual Conference of the Gippsland Municipalities Association, which was held at Warragul on May 7th. (The motion was lost).
"Shire of Bairnsdale: "That as set out in Section 51, sub-section 13 of the Australian Constitution, the States have the power to set up and operate a State Bank, conducting business along the common practice of Banking business, including the issue of loan credits, therefore this Association urges the State Government to upgrade the State Savings Bank to the status of a Bank of credit issue. (This has already been done, but stealthily....On Target).
1). That it be empowered to grant loans to State Government Instrumentalities, Semi-Government Bodies, and Local Government Municipalities.
2). That the administrative costs of the issue of such credits be ascertained and that such costs be set as the ruling rate of interest charged on such loans."
Supporting Statement (prepared by Councillor H. Hotchkin)
"It is becoming more evident every day that the major problems facing society are problems associated with the money system (financial problems). "Overall Municipal debts are steadily on the increase and with rapidly rising interest rates we are going to be faced with the problem, do we cut back on the works programme, or do we substantially increase the rates? "Furthermore, Local Government is now expected to undertake the financing of projects that a few years ago was the responsibility of other organisations. It is imperative therefore, that we look for better and cheaper methods of financing.
What is Money?
"To understand the problem with which we are faced one has to know the simple facts in regard to the origin of our money supply. "Most people know that coins are produced at the Government Mint. Treasury notes by the Note Issue Department of the Reserve Bank. "These represent only about 5% of the money we do business with. The other ninety-five percent are by cheques drawn on bank credits. "These come into existence through the granting of loans by a bank, and have no more substance than are represented by figures in Bank ledgers. "Let us refer to the Encyclopedia Britannica 14th Edition - "Banking and Credit". "Banks create credit. It is a mistake to suppose that bank credit is created to any extent by payment of money into the banks. A loan made by a bank is a clear addition to the amount of money in the community" - end of quote.

"The question that has to be considered, therefore, is, if private banking corporations are in the business of manufacturing money, why is it that the Government, representing the people, of this State has to borrow from private sources, when it should be issuing its own credits? Does it, or does it not have that power?
The Australian Constitution
"The fact is that it does. Section 51 reads thus: - The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to: - and then it sets out a wide range of matters. We then come to sub-section 13. Quote: "Banking, other than State banking. State Banking extending beyond the limits of the State concerned, the incorporation of banks, and the issue of paper money.
"It is clear under the terms of the Constitution that the Government of Victoria has the power to set up and operate a banking institution...."