SEDITION BILL IN NEW SOUTH WALES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 14, 11 October 1918, Page 5

SEDITION BILL IN NEW SOUTH WALES

SECOND BEADING CARRIED. Sydney, October 10. . In the Legislative Assembly the Sedition Bill was read a second time by 31 votes to 28.—Press Assn.

Sneaking to the motion for leave to. introduce 'a Sedition Bill in the Legislative Assembly on August 28, the Premier (Mr. Holman) spoke for an hour. There was continuous hostile'interruption. Mr. Holman said that the Bill proposed no change in any way concerning the law of sedition. '.It created no new offence, and the present definition of sedition would remain unaltered. It was not a Bill directed against public activities or any political party or section. It was laid down that any person oonvioted of an offence enumerated' in tho schedule should be disqualified from being nominated as a candidate or from voting, or being elected as a member of Parliament or on a municipal council. That could apply only to offences committed after tho passing of the Bill. Any person who was a member of Parliament or of a municipal council and was convicted of an offeiiee should vacate his seat, and be incapable of being nominated or elected. The period of disqualification would extend from not less than, four years to seven jears. The law would have no ell'ect upon Federal elections, and would operate for the period of the war and six months afterwards, when it would automatically cease to operate. The object of the measure was to check the disloyalist and sedition-monger. Its purpose was not to attack a strike leader, political leader, or the leader of a class in any action taken against another class. The Government had excepted a class of offence which was undoubtedly a seditious offence but was a class of offence which was not connected specifically and inherently with the prosecution of tho war. Persons were entitled to express their opinions in favour of peace. Mr. Holman furthor explained that anyone found guilty of writing seditious words was included in the schedule. Tho Leader of tho Opposition (Mr. Storey) said that the Bill was panic legislation. Had the Act been in force when the Boer War was raging Mr. Holman would never have been in Parliament, nor would he have been out of prison yet. Even in England' no such legislation had' been passed. i