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P.D., V o l 191 (15 May 1947), p.2460

7 Country Party policy ever since.

C. P.D., V o l 191 (15 May 1947), p.2460

Sun, Melbourne, 13 March 1948. Canberra Times, 12 Marcn 1948. 11

P a r t y p o l i c y was f o ll o w e d by t h e d e c i s i o n o f t h e V i c t o r i a n L i b e r a l - C o u n try P a r t y C a b in e t t o ap p ro v e l e g i s l a t i o n b a n n in g t h e Communist 12 P a r t y and o t n e r ’ s u b v e r s i v e o r g a n i s a t i o n s ' in V i c t o r i a . The L i b e r a l P r e m i e r , T .T . H ollw ay, a c t e d c a u t i o u s l y , s t a t i n g t h a t he d id n o t f a v o u r i t s im m ed iate i m p l e m e n t a t i o n , p a r t l y on t h e g ro u n d s t n a t

i t would be i n e f f e c t i v e u n l e s s t h e F e d e r a l Government had t a k e n s i m i l a r a c t i o n . At t h e b e g i n n in g o f 1949 M enzies announced t h a t t h e i s s u e o f b a n n in g t h e Communist P a r t y would f e a t u r e p r o m i n e n tl y i n

13 t h e L i b e r a l campaign a t t h e f o r th c o m in g F e d e r a l E l e c t i o n .

N on-Labor p a r l i a m e n t a r i a n s f r e q u e n t l y c h a r g e d t n a t t h e F e d e r a l Government was i n some m y s t e r i o u s way c o n t r o l l e d from 'Moscow1 in t h e p o s t- w a r p e r i o d . The i n t e n t i o n h e r e was c l e a r l y t o e n c o u ra g e t h e e l e c t o r s t o e q u a t e t h e Labor and t h e Communist P a r t i e s . To d r i v e t h e p o i n t home, su ch p o l i t i c i a n s o f t e n e x a g g e r a t e d t h e e x t e n t o f Communist s t r e n g t n and i n f l u e n c e . The p r i n c i p a l a d e p t s were C o u n try P a r t y

members J . P . A b b o tt and h . L . A nthony, L i b e r a l P a r t y members A.G. Cameron (who had l e f t t h e C o u n try P a r t y ; and E . J . t l a r r i s o n ( t n e P a r t y ' s Deputy L e a d e r ) , and t h e s o l e Lang L abor member, J . T . L an g . W.m. n u g h e s , s p e a k in g i n 1946, p u t t h i s p o i n t o f v ie w i n r e l a t i v e l y m i ld la n g u a g e :

HF“

Sun, M elb o u rn e, 15 A p r i l 1948. S ,M .11. , 19

January

1949, 21 J a n u a r y 1949. 13

T o -d a y , t h e Labour p a r t y i s c o n t r o l l e d t o a g r e a t d e g r e e by t h e t r a d e u n i o n s , and t n e y , i n t h e i r t u r n , a r e c o n t r o l l e d by t h e Communist e x e c u t i v e , w h ic n t a k e s i t s o r d e r s from M o s c o w .^

A nother L i b e r a l member, P .C . S p e n a e r , r e f e r r e d t o t h e F e d e r a l Govern- 15

ment a s 'The S o c i a l i s t - C o m m u n i s t P a r t y o f A u s t r a l i a ' . The

non-L ab or p a r t i e s a l s o a tte m p te d t o e q u a t e Communism w i t h F a s c is m , s i n c e t h e a n t i - F a s c i s t f e e l i n g e n g e n d e r e d d u r in g t h e war was s t i l l c o m p a r a t i v e l y 3 t r o n g . The annual c o n f e r e n c e o f t n e N .S .W . D i v i s i o n o f t h e L i b e r a l P a r t y in 1946 d e c l a r e d t h a t t h e Communist P a r t y was a

' F a s c i s t o r g a n i s a t i o n ' , whose aim was t o e s t a b l i s h a ' F a s c i s t t o t a l i - 16

t a n a n reg im e u n t e r R u ss ia n c o n t r o l . '

In a d d i t i o n non-Labor p a r l i a m e n t a r i a n s , both F e d e r a l and S t a t e , r e p e a t e d l y c la im e d t h a t l e f t - w i n g members o f t h e Labor P a r t y and e x -c o m m u n is ts were s e c r e t members o f t h e Communist P a r t y . In 194T Ü .P . A b bott a l l e g e d t h a t an ex-C om m unist, J . N . n a w l i n g , who

c o n t r i b u t e d a s e r i e s o f an ti-C o m m u n ist a r t i c l e s t o News-Weekly some 17

months a f t e r w a r d s , was s t i l l a Communist, and he a l s o s u g g e s t e d 18

t h a t Dr E . P . Dark, an A .L .P . member, was a Communist. J . f . Lang

14

C .P .D . , V o l . 186 (7 inarch 1 9 4 6 ) , p . 9 5 .

Io