'DEMOCRACY', FROM THE TOP OF BOURKE STREET

"The overwhelming poll result on Saturday against amalgamation 'means nothing', according to a spokesman for the Minister of Local Government, Mr. Simmonds". - LaTrobe Valley Express, August 6th.

Mr. Simmonds is one of the "Socialist Left" Ministers in the Cain Victorian Government, and "Socialist Left" means Communist. It is a political euphemism for Communist, which word frightens many voters, as it should. The report has it, reliably, that a statement given by the Minister's press secretary conveys the information that the Poll on the amalgamation of the two Traralgon (Vic.) Shires, and the Local Government Boundaries Enquiry on the issue had now been superseded by a statewide enquiry on restructuring that could take months. Mr. Simmonds' press secretary said that "...the poll means nothing at all". The poll held on Saturday August 3rd was ordered by the Minister himself. The result of the poll against amalgamation of the two shires was 74%, but the Minister can still force amalgamation. The Cain Government will have to take the backlash; inevitable we believe, from outraged voters in Gippsland electorates.

The LaTrobe Valley Express has an editorial on the front page of its issue of August 6th, and we shall reprint this for the benefit of Local Government supporters throughout Australia:
"The extraordinary response of the Local Government Minister, Mr. Simmonds, to Saturday's overwhelming 'no' vote against Traralgon amalgamation leaves the Premier, Mr. Cain, with a choice. He can accept his Minister's point of view, thus tarnishing the image of his Government and every Labor politician, or he can demand Mr. Simmonds' resignation.
"It should be remembered that Mr. Simmonds himself ordered Saturday's poll only a few weeks ago, obviously expecting the five-to-one City weighting to carry the 'yes' vote and justify his insistence on Amalgamation. But the crushing 'no' vote left no doubt as to what people involved think of his proposed change. A prudent politician would accept this and bow out gracefully. "But not Mr. Simmonds. If his official spokesman accurately reflects the Minister's mood, Mr. Simmonds believes he knows far better than the people of Traralgon what is best for them. "
As one of the LaTrobe Valley's Labor men commented yesterday, if the Minister doesn't accept this vote, democracy is dead. If Mr. Cain believes otherwise, he should act immediately to assure Traralgon people that their democratic votes DO count."

There the matter rests. It's democracy versus the Socialist Left. No doubt our many supporters who vote in the Nunawading Province by-election on the 17th of August will keep this state of affairs in their minds.

FURTHER BOOK BANNING IN CANADA

Mr. Ron Gostick, National Director of the Canadian League of Rights, provides the following comments in the July 1985 issue of the Canadian Intelligence Service
Censorship and interference with freedom or speech seem to be a policy of the Progressive Conservative Federal Government. At least, they are acting as the willing agents of those interested in censorship and a totalitarian type of 'closed' society. Our own experiences with the Federal censorship Gestapo in recent months include these incidents.
"Jack Berstein, an American Jew, in 1967 emigrated to Israel, the Promised Land. Some six years later, and much wiser, he returned to the United States, completely disillusioned with conditions in the Zionist State, which he terms both Marxist and 'racist' - a land of terrorism and violence. In his book, The Life of an American Jew in Marxist, Racist, Israel, Berstein gives a short history of Zionism, admitting that he, himself, had been a victim of Zionist propaganda. He relates his own personal experiences and the conditions he found: racial persecution, violence and terrorism, 'using' visitors by way of 'screened' tours, etc. He also deals with religion in Israel, God's Chosen Myth, and the Judeo-Christian Hoax, the New York-Tel Aviv Triangle, the invasion of Lebanon, and a warning to America.

On June 20th we received notification from the Owen Sound branch of Customs that they had seized our shipment of the Berstein book, which they have classified as 'seditious under the Prohibitory Provisions of tariff item 99201-1'. "A few days ago, Customs' Windsor office seized and classified a shipment to us of 132 books, consisting of 5 titles - Occult Theocracy, You Gentiles, Secret Societies and Subversive Movements, The Thirteenth Tribe, and Red Fog Over America - as 'prohibited'. "No reason was given for this classification. Those familiar with some of these titles will be dumbfounded at this incredible action. For instance, The Thirteenth Tribe is a history of the Khazar stream of history, authored by the world famous Jewish writer, Arthur Koestler. It has been selling at Coles - but is banned when imported by Canadian Intelligence Publications.

"Last October, Customs seized a shipment of The Rulers of Russia, and The Nameless War, as 'immoral or indecent'. I appealed this seizure on January 15th, but my appeal was disallowed and I then had 60 days in which to challenge the seizure in court. Before this period expired the Customs' seizure practise was overturned in a Vancouver court case, so I asked that our shipment be released. After a further 3 months, the shipment was released to us a few days ago, but with a warning that new prohibitory regulations had been established and 'should you attempt to import material of a similar nature in the future, it may be prohibited under the term of the revised tariff item, 99201-1'.

The following are further remarks by Mr. Ron Gostick
'The Baloney (this is the Canadian nickname for Prime Minister Mulroney) Government feels that Canadians can't be trusted to select their own reading on history. We must be spoon fed only officially authorised versions. Nasty or embarrassing facts must be suppressed so that we will all arrive at the one approved viewpoint . . .Isn't it incredible that Canadians allow Big Brother bureaucrat, in best '1984' style to push them around and even dictate what views we are permitted to read or express. This is Canada I'm talking about, not the Soviet Union nor Cambodia. Our Canada - the home of the free. Isn't it astounding that a people who have battled Caesar for a thousand years for responsible government and fundamental freedoms, would so suddenly succumb to the heavy hand of totalitarian suppression and censorship, which tells us a certain view is immoral or indecent today, but O.K. after a court verdict tomorrow, only to become immoral or indecent again the next day because of some new bureaucratic decree - and thereby prohibited.
"We've just seen the latest Customs' list of banned books, compiled since the new Justice Ministry 'prohibitory' initiative in April. One thing is clear: any book or booklet which probes behind the scenes of our political sham and deception, is to be suppressed...we note in the June 29th issue of the Vancouver Sun, a warning from some foreign publisher that they cannot be held responsible for books shipped to clients in Canada or to prisons, because in both cases the incidence of censorship and seizure is high and there is no insurance against bureaucratic seizure and confiscation. Yes, in Canada, not the USSR:

Whitter laid down the challenge in these words

"Now, when our land to ruin's brink is verging,
In God's name, let us speak while there is time!
Now, when the padlocks for our lips are forging,
Silence is crime.

THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL FLAG POLL

"The Australian's reader poll on the question of a new national flag has produced an unprecedented response and an unequivocal result" - The Australian, August 10th.

The result of the poll, to the question - "Do we need a new flag?" -was a thundering NO. Dr. Rupert Goodman, the President of the Australian National Flag Association, said that this vote was in keeping with others around Australia. Dr. Rupert Goodman will be one of the Speakers at the League's National Seminar on Saturday October 5th. He will be speaking on the new assault on the Australian Flag as part of the attack on our Heritage. A referendum now on the Flag seems unlikely.
No less than 77% of Australians want NO CHANGE to our Flag, and this number MUST include many ethnic Australians. The comments of the organiser of the Ausflag 88 campaign are ridiculous; so we could not be bothered reprinting them. We suppose he has a job to do and must put the best face on things.

Sir Charles Court, former Premier of Western Australia, has taken Mr. Malcolm Fraser to task over his comments on South Africa. Quite rightly, he said that Malcolm Fraser wasn't all that successful at running his own country, so should not arrogate to himself the right to lay down the law to South Africa. Sir Charles Court also stressed that, whatever view one likes to take; South Africa is still superior to many of its neighbours.

MORE ON THE PROJECTED SOVIET DRYDOCK IN ALBANY (W.A.)

MORE FROM THE QUEENSLAND IMMIGRATION CONTROL ASSOCIATION (July 1985)

"...It is interesting to note that changes in immigration policy introduced on March 9th, 1966 and subsequently followed by successive Australian governments, have closely followed the method used to bring about 'reform' in South Africa recently - permission for blacks to reside in white residential areas, admission for Indians and coloureds to government, and legal inter-racial marriages. The method of introducing the reform was stated to a closed Conference in 1981 by Professor Samuel Huntington, of Harvard University. "The proposed reform is drafted in relative secrecy. It is revealed to a small group of political leaders whose support is essential for success. "It is dramatically unveiled, and political support exhorted. "Legislation is enacted quickly before opposition mounts.

"Support is provided by various newspaper editors and academic groups..."
(South Africa-America's Newest Colony - "News of the World", Vol. 12 Nos. 4/5) "The changes in the Immigration Act in Australia and Canada and the changes in policies in South Africa and the U.S.A. and Britain recall the words of Stalin - 'The aim of Socialism is not only to abolish the present division of mankind into small States, and to end all national isolation; not only to bring the nations closer together, but to merge them'. (World Government.... On Target) "There is also the well known saying of Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of Britain - 'We Socialists have allegiance to a world order, higher than loyalty to our country'. "How many of the numerous people who advance the cause of multiracialism (official designation - 'multiculturalism', to deceive the electorate) acted as the 'useful idiots' of Lenin? How many are acting from some deep Socialist, and not nationalist, conviction?"

MORE ON AUSFLAG

No.1 - "Ausflag: The Waste of Money". The following letter published in The Australian, August 12th, over the name of "D.M. Cameron, M.P., Member for Moreton, Qld." Mr. Cameron is a member of the Parliamentary Liberal Party:
"Ausflag 88, the group pressing for a new national flag, have benefited from $3,000 of the taxpayer's money. "It is bad enough that a private, minority pressure group should receive money from taxpayers who oppose a change to our national flag by more than two to one. "Worse still is that payment of $3,000 was made by the Office of Youth Affairs, which is part of Bob Hawke's own Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. This is what Hawke had to say on April 22 this year when asked for an assurance that there will not be any change to our flag:
'I am not presumptuous enough to answer for eternity. The Government does not have this item on the agenda and I do not see it emerging on the agenda.' Now we know that, for the Prime Minster at least, 'eternity' is in fact just four months. "This is how long it took the Prime Minister's Department to put the item on its agenda, to receive approval for payment of the money and to actually pay it. On an issue of such importance as the flag, this is a quite remarkably fast transition from the Government not even having the issue on its agenda to having handed over $3,000 in active support of changing the flag.
This is yet another example of the Hawke Government's wasteful expenditure and a perfect example of why a Prime Minister who places so much importance on integrity appears to have lost just that in the eyes of the electorate."

Ausflag: Most Dubious Cause
The following letter was published in the same issue of The Australian over the name of "Shirley Walters", Senator for Tasmania.
"I have received a media release entitled The Australian Flag Competition. Contacts named are Patti Mostyn Publicity and Ausflag 1988 Ltd. The front cover depicts an unfurled flag, blank except for a large question mark, conveying (to me at least) the impression that a decision to change the flag has already been made. "Inside, as well as being heavily strewn with emotive language of questionable validity, e.g. 'colonial British design", "defaced British ensign', the media release omits any mention of the historical, geographical and emotional significance of the Southern Cross and the Union Jack.
"Further errors of fact occur in the following: 'The Federal Government will be asked to conduct a referendum prior to 1988 (one similar to the national anthem referendum held by the Fraser Government in 1977).' "No national anthem referendum was held in 1977. In fact, a poll was held, at the same time as the referendum of 1977, asking Australians to state their preference for a national tune, not a national anthem. It's a pity that Patti Mostyn Publicity didn't choose to be more accurate in the information it distributed.
"In conclusion the media release says: 'It is important to note that although Ausflag will be using its best endeavours to ensure a referendum is held, it cannot guarantee that the Government will conduct such a referendum'. "As most Australians (between 60%-70%, according to national surveys) believe our present flag most suitable, it seems to me we taxpayers would object most strongly to our money being used for a referendum on the issue, and indeed, already object to Mr. Hawke having given a grant to this most dubious cause.