AUSTRALIAN GOVT. TO DEAL INDIVIDUALLY WITH COMMUNISTS

Grey River Argus, 9 April 1948, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN GOVT. TO DEAL INDIVIDUALLY WITH COMMUNISTS

CANBERRA, April 8. The attitudes of Australian political leaders towarls the suppression of the Communist Party in Australia are being made clear in the debate on Mr Menzies’s motion of censure, which proceeded until late last nigiii and is bein- continued to-dtv. “When people talk about banning minorities, I remember that I have never known any minoritv in history that has not grown stronger by repressive action,” said- Mr Chifley. “Sometimes liberty is never more easilv lost than when you think you. are defending it. People will not finally accept brutal repressive action. The Leader of the Country Party, Mr Fadden, said if the Government did not. act against Communism it would allow the first step towards a coup in Australia, similar to those which had destroyed democracy in European countries since the war. The Communist Party had been preparing its members for revolution, by which it hoped to secure power, he added. In this it had been singularly unhampered by the Labour Government. Again and again, key unions as the Miners’. Federation the Waterside Workers’ Federation and the Ironworkers’ Union had instigated stoppages aimed at disrupting industry. The Communists lectured to cadets in the External Affairs Department, held positions in the Reconstruction Department and had wormed their way into the Council of Scientific and nidustrial Research. An assurance that the Government would deal with Communists individually, and not as a party, for any breach of the laws was given by the Attorney-General, Dr. nvatt, who said that when a Government introduced repressive legislation it. was driven from one step to the another until it had to eliminate those who opposed it. The Labour Party was strenuously opposed to the Communist doctrine, but did not believe in banning the party because “you do not eliminate people’s opinions bypassing a law.”. A serious feature of the debate, he said, was the wav in which rather indirectly it had related to Russia. “Sometimes in international affairs countries are guilty and deserve condemnation,” said Dr. Evatt, “but the stage may be reached where propaganda replaces argument, and replaces facts.” He feared that in some portions of Mr Menzie’s speech thta was the tendency. BRISBANE, April 8. Mr Edward J. Rowe, who has been in gaol since Friday for gross contempt in ordering the destruction of papers in a ballot, ordered by the Industrial Court, was freed by th? Court to-day. In a written statement Mr Rowe apologised to the court and gave an assurance that lie would not again interfere with its processes. He said he believed that the ballot, was an infringement of federal union policy. and that it was not being properly conducted. He ’|iw realised, however, thatthese questions were irrelevant.