AN ELECTION DEADLOCK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24418, 2 October 1940, Page 6

AN ELECTION DEADLOCK

The political situation in Australia has developed, not unexpectedly, on lines that present a peculiar difficulty. The latest reports indicate -that while the Menzies Government may yet find itself able to command less than an effective majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate, there is an equal prospect of absolute deadlock resulting, with the Government and Labour parties holding the same number of seats in the Lower House and the Independents—of whom there may be three in the new Parliament — swinging the balance of power. Whatever the final result may be, it is obvious that no one party will be in a position to command the confidence of the House in the critical days that lie ahead, and it was inevitable that the demand for the sinking of party differences in the formation of a National Government should again be heard. Mr Menzies has, in fact, very promptly renewed the offer made by him at an earlier stage for the merging of parties in a National Government, by issuing an invitation to the other party leaders^—Mr Curtin, representing Federal Labour, Mr

Cameron, of the Country Party, and Mr Beasley, of non-Communist Labour—to meet him for a discussion of the means of ensuring stable government and the maintenance of the Commonwealth’s war effort. In July Mr Menzies had offered to give five or six seats in the Cabinet to representatives of Labour, his object being to secure political stability and the avoidance of a general election. That offer was rejected, principally, it must be assumed, for the reason that Labour thought itself capable of winning an election and thus of taking over, unaided, the responsibilities of government. Mr Curtin’s optimism has clearly not been justified in the result. He has succeeded in retaining his own seat only after a stiff fight, and on the strength of a soldiers’ vote undoubtedly influenced by his promises of liberal increases in pay and pensions. What is more, it was only an unexpectedly strong swing to Labour in New South Wales that deprived the Government of a working majority, for in the other five States the Administration more than held its own.

The question of immediate interest is that of the answer that will be made to Mr Menzies’ appeal for unity. The outcome of the voting being what it is, there should be a general recognition now that matters of party dispute are entirely out of place. The Labour leaders, in their own divided sphere, should indeed be the first to recognise that fact, for the reason that their deliberate forcing of an election, on issues largely calculated to divide the electors, has produced the present position of stalemate. Mr Menzies has declared that, in his view, the only way to prevent the disruption of the country’s allimportant war effort is by the formation of a National Government on a basis equitable to all parties. Mr Curtin’s retort is that if there is to be a sinking of political principles every party must sink them, and on that argument it ought to be possible to satisfy him. On the question of the vigorous prosecution of the war there is.no serious divergence of view between any of the major political groups in the Commonwealth. It is true that Mr Curtin is only a comparatively recent convert to the “ all-in ” war effort, but the point of importance is that he has aligned himself with Mr Menzies in recognising the necessity for prosecuting the war against the enemies of the Empire on a truly national and Imperial scale. If the Beasley group is still opposed to the sending of Australians to fight the Empire’s' battles overseas it is difficult to see what effective help it could give within the framework of a National Administration. But in the case of the main body of Federal Labour, led by Mr Curtin, there should be a willingness to compromise and to meet the members of the United Australia and Country Party groups at least half way in the negotiations which Mr Menzies is initiating. The point is that in Mr Menzies the Commonwealth has a leader of proved competence, who is still willing to take his place in a Cabinet alongside representatives of other political sections. There seems no other way out of; the present impasse than by the formation of a composite, Ministry. It may be believed, moreover, that such a solution would meet with the approval of the great mass of the electors.