NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL PARTY TO ADOPT SWISS SYSTEM?

Eric Butler reports from Invercargill, New Zealand.
"On the day I arrived for my current tour of New Zealand the Annual Conference of the New Zealand National Party, meeting in Dunedin, overwhelmingly endorsed the principle of the Swiss System of Initiated Referendum and Recall. Mr. Merv Rusk, of the Hobson electorate, North New Zealand, in moving the motion in favour of the party adopting the Swiss system, stressed that the system was politically neutral, 'would effectively give the people a say in the political process, encourage interest and reduce apathy about government'. Mr. Rusk also said that one of the advantages of the system was that extremists and pressure groups could be challenged to prove their support.

"A press report says that 'New Zealand could undergo major changes in its constitutional system from next year', because of the successful resolution. Mr. Rusk recalled that New Zealand had initially moved to introduce the Swiss principle in 1901, but that it had been rejected by the Upper House and had remained completely forgotten until now. Mr. Rusk might have observed that the New Zealand League of Rights pioneered that campaign in favour of the Swiss system now being taken up by a number of groups.

"However, the grassroots National Party support for the Swiss system does not mean that it will be automatically introduced. The Conference resolution now must go before the National Party Caucus and Policy Committee. And then, of course, the National Party would be reliant upon gaining power next year at the New Zealand elections. But if the National Party policy makers have any political sense, they could make victory a certainty at the next elections by enthusiastically endorsing the concept, and campaigning on the slogan, 'We trust the people to have a say'.

"In spite of a slight easing of pressure on the economic front, there is no evidence that the change of Labor Party leadership has improved Labor's sagging electoral support. The nation is in the grip of a deep malaise and a widespread feeling of frustration. The mounting crime rate and social disintegration is causing deep concern, which is now going to increase with the appointment of the former Minister for Finance, Roger Douglas, as Minister for Police. The police are warning that the proposed cost cutting proposals are going to create an impossible situation for a police force already stretched to the limit because of rising crime and violence.

"If the New Zealand National Party wins the next New Zealand elections with a firm commitment to introduce the Swiss principle, this would be the first step in a major advance for its introduction. The next step would be the immediate introduction of the constitutional change. Once the change was made, the New Zealand electors would for the first time be in the position to take steps to have a say on the major issues concerning them.

"There is little doubt that powerful moves will be made to prevent the National Party caucus and policy makers from reflecting the decision of the Dunedin National Party Conference. There could be explosive developments if the clearly expressed views of the rank and file of the National Party are rejected. I anticipate gaining a clearer picture of the situation over the next two weeks. But the League of Rights actionists can congratulate themselves for what has been achieved so far."

HIDDEN COST OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

"The hidden cost of illegal immigration in Australia now exceeds $400 Million a year. The real extent of illegal immigration has begun to hit home to authorities with the uncertainty that is now facing the economy." - The Age (Melbourne), August 28th.

Mr. Bob Bottom, well-known investigative journalist, has examined the issue of illegal immigration and come up with some factual shockers. We reported in the last issue of On Target that there are around 80,000 illegal migrants (if they can be called that) now in Australia. Mr. Bottom mentions Immigration Department surveys, which disclose that some 70% of illegal migrants have jobs: jobs, which could be held by legal migrants, and/or indigenous Australians. Many of the remainder would be in receipt of Department of Social Security payments in one form or another.

All manner of social tensions are gradually accruing from illegal immigration; e.g. tensions in the trade union movement because of job "stealing", resentment among the ethnic communities because of this "queue jumping", or, more accurately, queue avoidance. There is the issue of health. We were warned by the late Sir Raphael Cilento, some 30-odd years ago, that with large immigration into Australia would come a variety of "new" strains of viruses, etc. Illegal immigrants bypass the normal strict health checks to which potential immigrants to our country must submit.

How do these "illegals" get into Australia? A variety of ways. Some jump ships; some come by light aircraft to our "Top End", bringing in drugs and taking out our supposedly "protected" fauna (birds, rare animals). Numbers of "businessmen" from Bangladesh have been picked up on the North West coast of Western Australia - landed from an Indonesian "fishing" boat. You name it; they get here.

Then there are the prostitutes. Some, apparently, are tricked into coming here (but not all). They are mainly from Thailand, and find their "level" in the brothels of the cities. Many have venereal disease (no health checks, again). AIDS is on the rampage in the red light district of Bangkok; some of the "victims" will get here; some are probably here already. This racket, says Mr. Bottom, is believed by Immigration officials to be linked to the Chinese Triads, the Chinese secret organisations that profit from crime and vice.

What about the "students"? Many enter Australia by way of student visas (temporary); mostly from Korea and China. Over 6,500 of these "students" are on record not to have returned to their homelands. These are just the ones known. How many more are there? Who knows?! The marriage racket? Yes, Australia is the only country to recognise a de facto as legitimate for permanent residency on the same basis as a spouse. Immigrants arriving on tourist visas can gain Australian citizenship and avoid deportation by "marrying" an Australian citizen (for a sum of money). In the (very) old days when there were recognised standards of conduct and generally observed social values, this practice was officially described as "going through a form of marriage". It's Rafferty's Rules now: anything goes.

BUT, there's a price to be paid, and our "payment", as a nation, will be exacted. God's Moral Law will apply, as ever. Well, we can see much trouble ahead for Australia. Some journalistic bright sparks in the mass media (well known columnists whose words tens of thousands read) have called for Australia to take the 3.5 million Chinese from Hong Kong! Let's take the lot, one said. NOW, he said. Don't wait. What will the political advocates of virtually unrestricted immigration into Australia be saying in a few years from now? How will they excuse themselves from their advocacy of, in fact, criminal damage to Australian society?

These very people are described, brilliantly, by Frenchman Jean Raspail in his literary earthquake, "The Camp of the Saints", which rocked France in 1973, but which book has been gradually and slowly "phased out" of common knowledge, by subversive forces, over the years. Read Raspail, and hear the terrified pollies, and the totally unprincipled newspapermen about you, here and now: yes, today. There are some copies still left. Price: $10.00 posted.

BRIEF COMMENTS

The Pilots' Strike! On paper, the Government should win this one, as Messrs. Hawke and Keating have the "big battalions" (the megabucks, of OUR money). Of course, the Government is backing, financially, the airlines. Hawke is desperate, he can't lose this one: the accord could come apart. The so-called Opposition is hooked; it has to go along with Hawke. It can't do otherwise. We can't say how the thing will end, as we go to press. There is not general public sympathy for the pilots, who are seen to be a highly privileged section of the labour force. It's costing Australia a packet and further price rises in the airlines industry are certain, as a result. All this does nothing to dispel the looming dark (economic) clouds that we can see swirling not all that far, in the distance.

Mr. Keating announced certain changes to tax collection in the Budget. Now companies have to pay 85% of their income tax within 15 days of the end of their financial year. Formerly, companies could spread tax payments in four installments over the year. Again, monthly payments of Pay As You Earn tax payments are now to be paid twice monthly. All this is GREAT STUFF for the banks! Paul Keating is their boy. Why? Because, Australian companies will have to borrow at least an extra $4.3 Billion next year to cover these advanced Tax Office payments. Companies will be hit, also, for the "internal" auditing necessary to comply with the Taxman's orders. It "makes more work", internally, for companies, and this will bite into profits. Keating is killing the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg.

Ian Macphee is at it again, roasting poor Professor Geoffrey Blainey. Not that we think Professor Blainey will lose any sleep over Macphee's hostility towards him. He accuses Professor Blainey of being a dreadful pariah, "an Anglo-Australian nationalist". How dreadful! Mr. Macphee had lost two pre-selection contests in five weeks before ceasing to be Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs (June). He also said that Professor Blainey is not trying to understand the "basic facts" of current immigration policy, and "misleading" people. We contend that Ian Macphee himself is out of touch with current attitudes on immigration, and this is the basic cause of his rejection by pre-selectors.

A NEW FEDERAL THREAT

SOUTH AFRICA POLICY REEKS OF HYPOCRISY

From The Age, August 21st: "David Philips (Cricket Tourists are Mercenaries, 14/8), Senator Evans (Evans raps Rugby Chiefs, 15/8) and other proponents of isolating South Africa should explain why we trade and play sport with Islamic countries which do not allow women, i.e. half their population, to play sport in public, let alone at the Olympic Games or other international events, or with China, which recently ran over with tanks and shot thousands of its students, and which for years has imposed compulsory abortions on its women, or with Fiji which does not allow its Indian population to hold freehold land, or with Burundi, where the ruling tribe has massacred large numbers of the rival clan.
"Our selective moral indignation in regard to South Africa reeks of hypocrisy.
"Senator Evans, in particular, should leave the management of rugby to rugby officials, and ensure that his own department functions efficiently. "During September and October I will be in the U.S. on a lecture tour and my hosts have sent me clippings of news items from U.S. papers about a sex party at the Australian Embassy in Washington involving prostitutes, call girls and an escort agency. What explanation do I offer about this flagrant waste of Australian taxpayers' money at our most important diplomatic mission? That boys will be boys?" (Babette Francis, National& Overseas Coordinator, Endeavour Forum)

A YEA. ACTIONIST has sent us a reply from her Member of Parliament (Vic.) in answer to her letter with respect to the (Vic.) Water Bill Amendment being introduced by the Cain Labor Government: "Thank you for your letter expressing concern regarding the Water Bill Amendment introduced into the Parliament by the Government. "There are a number of highly controversial sections of this Bill which the Opposition Liberal and National Parties will be strongly opposing. The Section that concerns us most is that Section which deems that all water running across any land is the property of the Crown. This could even include the water that you catch off your roof for your own domestic purposes.
"As you would be aware the law previously deemed that water becomes the property of the Crown when it enters a designated water course. This designation in the past has been reasonably clear and has allowed landholders access to water storage in farm dams or tanks beyond designated watercourses from all impediment. "We will be using our numbers in the Upper House to maintain that principle. Despite a number of weaknesses there is general acceptance in the water industry including the V.F.F. that much of the Bill is sensible and acceptable. We will therefore be amending the Bill where necessary but accepting the other good points that are put forward."

VISA REFUSAL