CENSURE MOTION

Chronicle (Levin), 8 April 1948, Page 5

CENSURE MOTION

Received Wcde.esday, 10.80 p.ni. » CANtihtiiiA, Apiti 7. The I.eauer of tho Oppositiou. Mr. Menzies, today lmned in the House m j Uepresent ativcs a censure niotiuiil against the Government for "its l'ailurc to take eH'ective steps to ctirb tlie disruptive activities by Comnnuiists iiJ Australia. ' ' The motion is: "That in ihe opinion oi' tliis House, Communist a.-ti\ities in Australia are sulnersive. ConimuuistS ; in" Australia have tomeiued -.videspreao stoppages of eiunloyinwnt, sougiit 5. j weuKen tlie authonty or ihdustnai lav> i and mtlicted' uiisery aud loss iijion thousands of citizens. There is go".. reason to bdiieve that Austrahau ("on. , munisLs acl in tlie interests of a foreign; i events in Europe have , prov-ed th'ttp Communist minorities in countries o'utside the Soviet Puhoi an | orgauised so as to overtiirow by foivi majority ruie in those countrms. Tlu Govenimeut has failed to take any ade quate steps to attack Communist activi ties in Australia or p.event tho «m ployment of Coiiiamnists by ihe Cone monwealtli. " Mr. Alenzies said liis motion was necessary because, during the last fev montliSj the Cominunists ' position had not remained static and there was u» reason wliy the nolicjes of the Govern "tent or Oppbsitiou should remain static either. in the last few months two major industrial uplieavals notori ously fomented *iud encouraged bv the ^'ommunists, had occurred in Victoria and in Queensiand. The Australian Labour Party some timo ago establish ed an A.L.P. industrfal grouj) to liglit communism in the trade union move lnent. That group had its anuual coni'erence Kh ree days ago and adopteu a resolution which s'late'd tliat the Com munist Party aimed at tlie armed over throwing of Australia 's democratic govermuent and That the party V jioiicv was to set up a totalitariaii regime. Two years ago, during a foreigu afi'airs debate, Dr. Evatt said liis view was that the tSoviet ]>olicy was direeted to self-protection aud defenec against ' luture attack. Dr. Evatt 's slatenient on foreigu all'airs in AFarch sliowed conclusi vely that events Jiad.nioved so last and far, that liis opinion of tlie Hoi iet's bona iides had been completeh reversed, yet tliis change had no ell'ect whatever on tlie attituiie of the Government to the communist nienace in Australia. Thr.oughout Eastern Europe oue pattevn 'had been followed. Eastern European countries at some stage had had negligible Communist minorities yet later these njiiitant minorities had in eacli ease fcaken power by a sudden strolco. *