AN AGENDA FOR REVOLUTION

Media baron Rupert Murdoch makes no secret of the fact that he is a staunch internationalist. Obviously this philosophy has the backing of the international banks to which Murdoch is deeply in debt. As Murdoch now admits, by 1990 he was in deep trouble, and facing a demand that he start to liquidate his media empire. "I had to beg," Murdoch recalls. Eventually he was permitted to continue.

It is important to bear Murdoch's business background in mind in assessing what he and his media promote. He has recently on Australian television frankly admitted that he thinks the Monarchy is now "irrelevant" and that it is only a matter of time before it disappears. The Murdoch media promotes economic internationalism.

It is significant that Murdoch supports what is generally termed "economic rationalism". Consider the editorial in The Australian of October 21st, concerning the Federal Opposition's industrial relations policy, as revealed by John Howard. The editorial supports the reform because "It is a change that is fundamental to the successful internationalisation of our economy".

As long as it is insisted that the purpose of the production system is to provide "full employment" and to strive to "capture" export markets, those operating that system, whether management or rank and file workers, are at the mercy of an unrealistic policy. Numerous examples can readily be given of work practices, which are designed to try and ensure that workers do not lose their jobs. But these are effects, not causes.

As witnessed by what has happened in the United Kingdom, the policy of "economic rationalism" in the absence of a major change in the debt financial system, can only lead to revolution. The Major Government (U.K.) closed coalmines with little consideration of the social implications. The dismantling of the protection of Australian industries, forcing Australian workers to compete against much cheaper Asian labour, is taking Australia towards complete disaster. John Howard's work reforms offer no genuine solution to the nation's plight.

ACADEMICS HIT BACK AT 'ECONOMIC RATIONALISM'

The dismantling of the protection of all Australian industries is, as thoroughly exposed by Mr. Jeremy Lee in his devastating exposure of "The New World Order", a major feature of a programme to "internationalise" the Australian economy. Until recently, this programme has been the result of those academics in the Treasury, the Taxation Department and many of the Universities who endorse this programme, dominating much of the Australian political agenda. The "economic rationalists", as they are generally known, first dominated the thinking of Labor Governments starting with Gough Whitlam, and now have their champions inside the Liberal Party, the main exponent being Dr. John Hewson; The National Party simply trails along behind Hewson.

As the Australian crisis has deepened, a number of prominent academics started to express grave doubts about the anti-protection programme being supported basically by all the major political parties. Articles by John Carroll, a reader in Sociology at the LaTrobe University, Melbourne, and Gregory Clark, a Professor of Japanese Studies, Sophia University, Tokyo, were among the first to challenge what had become economic orthodoxy. Then Mr. Robert Manne, editor of the well-known cultural magazine, Quadrant, opened his pages to a discussion on the subject. All this was encouraging to those who had watched the destruction of Australian industries without some coherent opposition.

This type of opposition has now emerged with a well-produced book, Shutdown, in which for the first time a group of prominent academics present a wide-ranging case against the "economic rationalists". None of these can be dismissed as "right-wing extremists". Edited by John Carroll and Robert Manne, this work is packed with the type of information and arguments which are essential for those who wish to play a role in turning back the tide of disaster now openly threatening Australia.
Needless to say, this work of nearly 200 pages does not probe too deeply the basic financial causes of the present economic madness, but coming from a wide range of academics who span the political spectrum; it makes a most valuable contribution at the present time.

The League has obtained a limited supply of this work, which can be obtained from all League bookshops. Moderately priced at $16.50, or $18.00 posted, it would make an excellent Christmas present for any academic or friends concerned over economic matters.

DAVID IRVING BANNED FROM CANADA

By their intolerant and totalitarian attitude, Zionists continue to fan anti-Jewish sentiment. Zionist organisations have pressured the Canadian Government into preventing British historian David Irving from entering Canada. Irving was scheduled to conduct an extensive speaking tour, his topic being "The Dangers of Censorship in History". The Canadian Government has cited the possibility that Irving might commit a crime with his conviction now under appeal in Germany for "defaming the memory of the dead". This is an offence unknown to Canadian law.

Irving was fined by a German court for giving a lecture in which he said that since the collapse of the Soviet Union, evidence had become available confirming the view of those who had insisted that the mass gassing of Jews at Auschwitz was a gigantic hoax. It is legitimate for scholars and others to question the validity of traditional Christian history, even to raise doubts about whether Christ ever existed, but the "Jewish Holocaust", even if disputed by some prominent Jews, cannot be questioned, according to the Zionist totalitarians.

We are informed that Irving is appealing the Canadian decision and that if this appeal fails, provisions are being made for Irving to communicate with Canadian audiences. We can imagine Canadian halls being packed to see David Irving on wide screen telling Canadians what he has not been allowed to tell them in person. We have been informed by Irving's representatives in Australia that he plans to conduct a lecture tour in Australia early next year. We will inform readers when this tour is confirmed and give details.

UPPER HOUSE TO RESTRAIN 'NAKED EXECUTIVE POWER'

For many years the League has pressed for the re-introduction of an Upper House in the Parliaments of Queensland and New Zealand. In the League's submission to the enquiry into the Queensland electoral system, we suggested the re-introduction of the Queensland Legislative Council as a brake on the abuse of power by the Legislative Assembly. 'Even when Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen was Premier of Queensland, such a House of Review would have been extremely valuable, and could have perhaps prevented some of the "corruption" that the Fitzgerald Enquiry uncovered.

We now note that the restoration of Queensland's Upper House is exactly what is proposed by Sir Max Bingham, the retiring Chairman of the Queensland Criminal Justice Commission. Sir Max specifically called for an Upper House in order to control "the naked power of the executive". He pointed out that across the country, the proliferation of Royal Commissions and other high-level enquiries supported the view that the Parliamentary system throughout Australia had suffered by the dominance of Parliament by the executive.

WHEELS COMING OFF

In his criticism of burgeoning executive power, Sir Max is reported as having said (The Australian, 22/10/92): "Parliament doesn't really have much in the way of power these days and any intrusion on executive power is treated (by governments) as an attack. You've only got to read today's papers to get a glimpse of the problem through the W.A. Inc. report. It's a problem that has emerged out of what we used to call the Westminster system, and slowly the wheels are coming off that system because the roles of the executive and Parliament have changed..."

Sir Max pointed out that the Parliamentary committee system, which could be drawing attention to the excesses of the executive, just isn't working. Mechanisms need to be found to renovate the Parliamentary system, and reduce the potential for the abuse of power. Even in States with Upper Houses, Premiers like Brian Burke, Cain, Dowding, Bannon, Greiner, Wran, etc., have all manipulated Parliament.

In Queensland this could be minimised in two ways. The first way to minimise abuses of power is to reconstruct Upper Houses to operate independently of party power politics. For example, perhaps Legislative Councillors should serve without the prospect of superannuation payouts, and be ineligible to serve in the Executive (Cabinet).
The second useful mechanism, of course, is direct participation by the electorate, with the system of initiative and referendum. According to The Australian report, Queensland's Legislative Council was abolished in March, 1922, by the vote of the majority of Labor Councillors, in line with A.L.P. policy after the Theodore Labor Government appointed sufficient A.L.P. Councillors to ensure a Labor majority. Queenslanders were left without effective protection from the executive.

CHRISTIAN ALTERNATIVE MOVEMENT ON RURAL DISASTER

from Weekly Times, 21/9
The front page report (Weekly Times 26/8) in which the Federal Government plans the further reduction of the Australian farming community by another 25,000, reflects both the tragic and treacherous nature of current economic theory and practice. "A country which deliberately decimates its rural population has no future. "The very life and future of the country begins and ends there. "If we get the story wrong there we get it wrong everywhere, and the nation is headed for ruin. "The combination of irresponsible party politicians with equally irresponsible economists, Treasury officials, and bankers, is deathly.

"We have failed to produce a system of government making them responsible to the people of Australia, and between them they are producing absolute havoc. Unless we can restore responsible political servants who ensure both government and money, and become the servants of the people, our final destruction as a free, independent, and wealthy nation is certain. "It need not, and should not be. "The key mechanism is finance. Administered wrongly, it destroys homes, families, morale, morality and spirituality. "Administered rightly, it restores and enhances all those things.

"Post war Australia had a rural population of 350,000 farmers. "It now has 125,000 - with Mr. Simon Crean for the Government, Mr. Blight of the N.F.F., and various other prophets of doom accepting as inevitable a further reduction of 25,000. "In that time our national population has more than doubled. So should have our rural population. "Any financial policy which destroys the right of individuals to their property, or disallows them access to a proportion of the market commensurate with their ability, is a destructive policy.

"Since shortly after World War II under Liberal-National Governments we embarked on such policies. "Briefly those policies condoned banking and taxation which made inflation absolutely certain. "Such inflation produced the plethora of flat earth economists whose false advice held sway with the farming community, viz. 'Get bigger or get out'. "Under alternative banking-financial policies that advice could have been reversed, 'keep small, stay in, and expand the rural population'.

"The genesis of that policy, by no means the perfect solution - but headed in the right direction, was in the price-discount subsidy system which kept costs down and distributed purchasing-power. "The Liberal National Coalition dismantled that policy. "It could have been extended to eliminate the welfare state by the distribution of low-cost credit to every member of society. "This would be measured against the capacity of both primary and secondary industry.

"The marriage of economic finance policy with such teaching is the only way back. "The basic premise is that God has only one desire, to provide all our needs. "The roles of government and finance should be our humble and obedient servants under the authority of Jesus Christ." (Edward Rock, Chairman, Christian Alternative Movement, Simmons Court, Greensborough, Vic.)

PEOPLE MUST ALWAYS SAY WHO WILL REPRESENT THEM

from The Age, Melbourne, October 14th
The Kennett Government's proposal to have State Parliament, rather than the electors, fill casual vacancies highlights Victoria's vulnerability as the only Australian Parliament whose Constitution does not in any way limit the power of an absolute majority of both Houses to change it. That experienced Liberal Premier, Sir Charles Court, initiated Western Australia's constitutional provision that 'M.P's. to be directly elected by the people', which can be amended only by referendum. "Mr. Haddon Story cites Senate casual vacancies, but omits mentioning the different justification there - just one vacancy among the 12 Senate seats for a State could require a poll for the whole State. Also, the Federal Parliament does not nepotistically fill State Senators' seats - they are filled by the State Parliament.

"Tasmania abandoned by-election polls in 1918, but it still ensures that the decision on who fills casual vacancies is made directly by the voters who have lost their representative, and not by the party machine operators, or by the remaining M.P's., none of whom was elected by the voters who have lost their M.P.

"The Australian Democrat Senators unsuccessfully introduced an excellent bill to provide for such count backs by the Electoral Commission to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives. "Tasmania's count back system saves expense and voters' time, yet keeps each electorate in full charge of choosing the M.P. that speaks and votes for it in Parliament.

"An important extra benefit, disliked by party machines, is that Tasmania's system, soon to be adopted by the A.C.T. as the result of a referendum, prompts parties to stand more candidates in each electorate than they expect will be elected, giving the benefit that voters can choose within parties, as well as between them." (Geoffrey Goode, Beaumaris, Vic.)