Forecast Of Early Moves By Federal Government

Chronicle (Levin), 14 December 1949, Page 5

Forecast Of Early Moves By Federal Government

Press Association)

(Per

Received Wednesday, 10.35 a.m. SYDNEY, Dec. 14. The Prime Minister-elect, Mr. Menzies, is expected to aniiounce his new-Cabinet cn Friday. The Cabinet will be sworn-in- on Monday and will hoid its first meeting immediately afterwards. One of the first aetions the new Government is likely to take is to repeal that portion of the Bank | nationalisation legislation which ' remains on the Statute Book foliowing the action of the High Court in disallowing certain important sections. A new Commonwealth Bank Board, responsible to the Government, will be established. Mr. Menzies and Mr. Fadden plan to reeast entirely the Labour Government 's free medicine and medical services schemes. The restoration of Federal Honours, marking the King's Birthday and New Year, Is expected — a practice which the Labour Government abandoned in 1945. It is strongly r.jggested that Mr. R. G. Casey will go overseas shortly to arrange the supply of enough petrol from sterling sources to allow the new "Government co implement quickly its election promise to end rationing. Some observers hint that the legislation passed- by the Labour Government to establish a Commonwealth shipping line may be *repealed and that ihe Menzies Government may make it permissible for ne'w ships for the Australian coastal trade to be built elsewhere thnn in Australia. The most important pending legislation from the industrial viewpoint, however, will be that banning the Communist Party and removing all Communists from public and union ofldce.