The Press Tuesday, May 12, 1931. Government Without Responsibility.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20234, 12 May 1931, Page 8

The Press Tuesday, May 12, 1931. Government Without Responsibility.

It is reported to-day in a cable message from Melbourne that Mr Scullin has offered to convert the Federal Parliament into an Economic Conference in which " the whole of the problems "of Australia could be discussed " openly and frankly, and apart from " party considerations." This is an even more generous step constitutional ly than Mr Forbes's offer to Mr Coates, Mr Scullin is prepared to suspend the Standing Orders, to lay aside all Government business, to set up committees to " examine each specific " industry," and even, the message .seems to suggest, to allow the House to be invaded by private citizens. There is apparently very little that he is not prepared to do but govern and take Ihe consequences. He is the Prime Minister of Australia, but instead of behaving as a Prime Minister should, he asks to be permitted to remain in office while someone else shares the risk and does the work. That is the first thing that will strike everybody who reads the message thoughtfully. The second is that such proposals should follow and not precede an expression of opinion by the public. Mr ScuHiu assumes that he still represents public opinion; certainly that no one else represents it more faithfully. But he does not put the issue to the test. He asks the public, and the other members of the Legislature, to believe that if an election did take 'place the result would be the situation that now exists. It is Mr assumption, without Mr forbes's offer to surrender the rewards and privileges of office; and it is the very negation of representative government.

It is noteworthy that all these offers come from Governments in difficulties. In the case of Australia the difficulties have becrjL intensified by tho interference of rogues and adventurers not amenable in any way to public opinion. Half of the representatives of the public ip Parliament are subject to an estra-Pfirliamentary dictatorship whose general policy is to make someone else pay. This would sooner or later have brought disaster even if there had been jiq slump in export prices and' no depression throughout the rest of the world, But even in New Zealand, where we arc comparatively secure against thp political brigand, we are asked to suspend representative government on tbe ground that an emergency exists which representatives elected in the ordinary way will not be able to control. The answer of course is that they should at least be giv.en an opportunity to try. The Government has been promised the kind of assistance i$ requires in balancing the Budget. If it refuses assistance, the public will have to be given the chance to say who shall take up the burden the United Party has been found too feeble to carry. There is 110 case in the meantime for suspending the functions and ordinary procedure of Parliament.