PRICE CONTROL REFERENDUM IN AUSTRALIA

Grey River Argus, 31 May 1948, Page 5

PRICE CONTROL REFERENDUM IN AUSTRALIA

Big Majority for Negative Government Loses in Every State (Rec. 9.45) SYDNEY, May 30. With three-quarters (of the votes counted, it is apparent that the Commonwealth Government’s bid for permanent control of rents, prices and charges has been defeated by an overwhelming majority. Sweeping victories for the negative were recorded in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia .and Tasmania. The “no” vpters had a big early lead in West Australia. The figures up to the close of the week-end counting are as follows:— Australia Yes ■ 1,419,200 No 1,888,492 Majority for negative 469,292 Liberal Party leaders say they regard the result as a revolt against bureaucracy, rather than as a direct vote against the Government. A heavy defeat of the referendum in New South Wales was a severe blow to the- Federal Government. It is stated to have been confident of a decisive victory in this State. In New South Wales, only die-hard Labour seats such as Dailey. Cook, Darling:, East Sydney, West Sydney, Hunter and Newcastle returned affirmative votes, and even in these the majorities were slender. In the Labour-governed State of Queensland, the negative vote was unexpectedly strong. The No majority there reached easily the highest percentage, 67 —as against 43 for Yes. Tasmania gave the next most emphatic No vote. In South Australia seats, except one Labour-held seat, showed negative majorities. In Victoria five electorates held out in favour of the Government. Victoria’s Yes vote was proportionately the largest of all States. A striking feature of voting was that the electorates of both the Prime Minister and the DeputyPrime Minister turned the Government request, down. The only Minister’s electorate to return an affirmative vote is that of East Sydney, held by the Minister of External Territories, Hon. Mr Ward. To win the the Government needed a majority of voters throughout Australia, and an affirmative vote in four out of the six States. . The vital issue was contained in the warning by Mr J. B. Chifley, Prime Minister, that a negative vote would mean the end to subsidies and an increase in prices. Liberal Party speakers, before the referendum, claimed that the Prime Minister would not remove the subsidies. They said that to do so on such a pretext would be political suicide. Mr Chifley has so far declined to comment on the result. Mr R. G. Menzies (Opposition Leader) said: “It is the most uncompromising defeat that a Government has had in any referendum in our time.”