AUSTRALIAN ATTACK ON GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE TO COMMUNISTS

Grey River Argus, 8 April 1948, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN ATTACK ON GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE TO COMMUNISTS

(Rec. 11.30). CANBERRA, April 7. In the Federal House, Mr R. G. Menzies, Leader of the Opposition moved a motion of censure on the Government. He said this was necessary because, during the last few months, the Communist’s position in Australia had not remained static, and there was no reason why the policies of the Government or of the Opposition should remain static either. In the last few months,, he said, there had been two major industrial upheavals, which has notoriously been fomented and encouraged by the Communists. One had occurred in Victoria and the other in Queensland. The Australian Labour Party had some time ago established an A.L.P. Industrial Group to fight Communism in the Trade , Union movement. That group had its annual conference three days ago and the conference adopted a resolution which stated that the CommunistParty aimed at armed and overthrowing of Australia’s democratic Government and that the Communist Party’s policy was to set up a totalitarian regime. Two years ago. he said, during a foreign affairs debate in the House, Dr. Evatt (Attorney-General) had said that his view was that the Soviet policy was directed to self protection and to defence against future attack. Dr. Evatt’s statement on foreign affairs in March last, however showed conclusively that events had moved so fast and so fax’ that his opinion of the Soviet’s bone tides had been completely reversed. Yet this change had had no effect whatever on the attitude of the Government to the Communist menace in Australia. Mr Menzies said that throughout. Eastern Europe one pattern had been followed. The Eastern European countries had, at some stage, had only negligible Communist minorities. Yet, later, these militant minorities had, in each case, taken power by a sudden stroke.