By Moira Dynon B.Sc.
1959 Melbourne
Talk given by Moira Dynon at Sancta Sophia College, University of Sydney on 11 October 1959.
Moira delivered this paper at the 1959 Conference of the Loreto Federation of Australia. The Conference theme was AWARENESS AND PREPAREDNESS – AUSTRALIA 1959.
The Loreto Toorak Association wishes to congratulate the President and Executive Committee of the Loreto Federation of Australia on their choice of the Conference theme – Awareness and Preparedness – Australia 1959.
The motive of this Conference is to alert Australians to the very grave dangers of our times. It is only when we are fully aware of the nature of these dangers that we can fully appreciate the necessity to prepare ourselves to meet them.
One world wide danger which is of an all embracing nature and which is infiltrating into our Society is that of International Communism. The immortal Pope Leo XIII, in his Encyclical “Quod Apostoli Muneris” defined Communism as ‘The fatal plague which insinuates itself into the very marrow of human society only to bring about its ruin’.
Communism is extending its influence and control because of its militant organisation and because insufficient people take it seriously.
As Christians we believe in Religion, in the importance of the family as the basic unit of society and in the duty to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”. Communism teaches that there is no God, puts the State before the family and believes in a materialistic conception of life.
Communism is directed not only to the poor, the ignorant and the under-privileged but also to the wealthy, the intellectual and the idealist. Communism makes some very attractive promises to win the ignorant and even the intelligent peoples of those countries which are in the process of being subjugated or are intended for future domination. Communism promises to cure all the evils of the whole world; Communism professes it can do this by Science and a basic change in the economic system. With the advance of Science and with the increase in the population of the world, every movement has a greater opportunity to bring its influence to bear on our Australian way of life.
There is no doubt that International Communism seeks to dominate mankind. Lin‑Shao‑Chi, Chairman of Chinese National Peoples Congress, a leading member of the Politburo and Standing Committee of the Communist Party in China has said:-
“ What is the fundamental and common duty of us Communist party members? It is to establish Communism, to transform the present world into a Communist world. The cause of Communism has become a powerful invincible force throughout the world. There is not the slightest doubt that this force will continue to develop and advance, and will win final and complete victory”.
There is no doubt that International Communism is spreading its influence and domination throughout the world. Today almost 1000 million people are living under Communist domination – in other words more than a third of the world population is actually living under Communist control. In addition, Communist influence throughout the remainder of the world is vast and tremendous and advancing daily. In approaching my subject “The Political Scene” I propose to consider the position of our country and our people from the National point of view and from the International point of view.
INTERNATIONAL
Australia, populated mainly by people of English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh descent with the addition in the last decade of considerable migration from Europe, contains just over 10 million people. Australia with an area of just under 3 million square miles, has 3.3 persons to the square mile. Basically we are an island Nation – of western culture and to a large extent Christian but we are in the Asian area of the world, where countries have different religious beliefs and different cultures. The Asian area to which I refer includes Mainland China, Japan, Taiwan, Viet Nam, Korea, Thailand, The Philippines, India, Ceylon, Malaya, Singapore, Cambodia, Burma, Borneo, Indonesia and Sarawak and has a population of some 1,380 million. Most of these countries are to varying extents under‑developed, lacking capital and equipment and in many cases short of technical experts. We have been more aware of the existence of the under‑developed world since it came into being as an economic reality and a political force with the end of World War II and the chain reaction of independence which swept Europe’s former colonies. Vaguely, we are doing something about it. There is the foreign‑aid programme of the United States, the Colombo Plan and the technical assistance programme of the United Nations. There is also the Soviet Union with its long term loans and its massive teams of technical advisers.
And yet, all this dwindles to insignificance when it is compared to the dimensions of the problem … for two‑thirds of mankind is under‑developed and that is only a polite way of saying underfed, underhoused, undereducated and under productive.
The existence of these under‑developed countries, Australia’s near neighbours, in a world permeated by the doctrines and practice of International Communism, demands understanding and unity amongst the free uncommitted Nations to protect their Sovereignty and Freedom.
The new National spirit arising on top of the old Anti‑Colonialism together with a growing interest by the masses in the promises of better conditions is creating problems of a social and economic nature within each of these Asian countries. Communism thrives on problems, especially problems of a social and economic nature. Through subversion and infiltration and by the use of tempting promises and fear, the Communist machine is making the most of its opportunities to win over the poor and the starving, the dissatisfied as well as the intellectuals.
In all the countries of Asia, Communist subversion is a well‑recognised fact and is a cause of great concern to those countries which still aim to retain their independence. India is expanding her economy on a five year programme basis in a democratic way but has a long way to go to make her independence secure. She is carrying out her expansion in a democratic way in contrast to the totalitarian method adopted in China. Because India is developing her country and her people with proper regard for the freedom of the spirit, she is entitled to the full support of all free and uncommitted peoples. We must do all that we can to ensure that the development of India proceeds on the democratic basis desired by the Government and the people of India. If India can succeed in showing all Asia a method of development quite superior to the Chinese method then the lovers of freedom of the spirit will have won a great victory in South and South East Asia.
Japan with its 92 million people, being the fourth highly-industrialised country of the world, has relatively no armed forces. The Right Honourable R.G. Casey, Minister for External Affairs, said in March this year: “Japan and Australia are both situated in the Pacific area – one in the north and one in the south – and geography gives us many common problems. We are both members of the United Nations and adhere to the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter. We both value our National Freedom and have a strong interest in seeing preserved the independence of other Nations in the Pacific Ocean area and South-East Asia”.
In between India and Japan lies mainland China. Under its Government’s system of communes and repression, it is pushing ahead with the development of its natural resources and of its military might. We should remember that only 11 million people in Communist China are members of the Communist party – approximately one‑sixtieth of the population. China is a great power in Asia because of the comparative weakness of her neighbours, including demilitarised Japan. Communist China is having no small success in posing not only as a leader against Western Colonialism but as the leader in Asia of a system, which can tackle the planning problems of under‑developed areas and Communist cultural strategy should illustrate the importance of organisation. The success of Red propaganda rests upon organisation and not wholly on content. Organisation enables the devious use of real issues like land reform, nationalism, economic development and planning to hamper or prevent our own unorganised approaches from being either well thought out or effective. Perhaps the real power of the organisational weapon is illustrated by the ability of the Communist block to shrug off what should be the irreparable damage to their cause of such items as mass executions and countless millions of refugees or such events as Hungary, Korea, Tibet or the execution of Imre Nagy.
In the last few years what have we seen? The independence of some of the nations, which we have wished to see preserved, has disappeared as a result of Communist aggression and subversion in the Asian area of the world. Korea was attacked – the United Nations resisted and it was agreed to divide Korea into North and South. Just imagine, a country with the same people and culture divided into two separate countries whose Government’s outlooks are diametrically opposed! Indo‑China suffered through the onslaught of Communism and was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Tibet has recently been savagely attacked and the International Commission of Jurists reported in June 1959 that “There is a prima facie case that on the part of the Chinese there has been an attempt to destroy the national, ethical, racial and religious group of Tibetans as such by killing members of the group and by causing serious bodily and mental harm to members of the Group. These acts constitute the crime of Genocide under the Genocide Convention of the United Nations of 1948. Laos has been infiltrated and with assistance from North Vietnam this sparsely populated kingdom is being sorely tested. Recently Communist Chinese forces have taken over posts inside Indian territory on the Indian side of the McMahon Line. The immediate outcome of the crisis in Kerala may depend solely upon the organising ability of the opposing parties.
The Christian religion has been subjected to the most barbarous attack by the Chinese Communist regime. Before the advent of Communism in China, the Catholic Church was ruled by one Cardinal, Archbishop Tien of Peking, seventeen other Archbishops, seventy Bishops and 29 Priests, who were Apostolic Prefects or Administrators. By the end of 1958, 90 had been expelled; 5 had died of prison brutality; 7 were still in prison; 4 were in exile and 11 impeded in the exercise of their office. Of 2,500 Chinese born Catholic Priests working throughout China in 1949, at least 1,000 of them are now either in goal, in labour camps or have died of ill‑treatment. The only religions which are “free” in China are the new State controlled puppet religions which are simply “front organisations” for the Communist party.
Today in China, the Catholic Church appears to be facing its greatest schism since the Reformation. This diabolical method of dividing the Church within itself is aimed at the destruction of one of the bulwarks against Communism – the Catholic Church. Division of its opponents is one of the well‑tried techniques of the Communist plan. The fostering of division within the Church is a deadly weapon. Pope Pius XI said: “Those who make a practice of spreading dissension among Catholics assume a terrible responsibility before God and the Church”.
Europe
Following on the conclusions of World War II in the agreements at Yalta and Potsdam (seats of unhappy decision where the Western leaders and Russia met) we have witnessed the steady Communist domination of Eastern Europe and the serious infiltration in Western Europe. Today, Czechoslovakia, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Albania, Lithuania, Estonia, and East Germany are the satellites of the U.S.S.R. Also there are other satellites, for example sputniks, space satellites and the new automatic planetary station. The Soviet is making great claims with regard to the superiority of its technological achievements. We cannot deny the technological advances made by the Soviet but we do recoil in horror when we realise at what sacrifice these advances have been made – sacrifices of the people of the Soviet countries, bread queues, malnutrition, slave labour and regular purges and the subjection of all to a pattern supervised by the members of the Communist party. If in the West we were prepared to submit to these forms of inhumanity, we could have progressed faster technologically – but at what a cost?
Let us hope that the meeting this month between Mr. Khrushchev and Mr. Eisenhower will not entice the West into forgetting the lesson of Potsdam. Never again should we be prepared to trust words of Soviet leaders or to trust in agreements with them unless by deeds their good faith is clearly demonstrated. At the same time, we should be very wary of Communist fellow travellers, who are in positions of responsibility. Both our people and our leaders are targets and both are continually being bombarded with propaganda aimed to soften our resistance and divide us against ourselves. We must not lower our guard – the leopard does not change his spots and certainly not overnight.
The book “Must Night Fall” by Tufton Beamish illustrates the technique that the Communists used in Western Europe for obtaining control of the parliamentary machine, of the way it turned opinion against the Church leaders, promised land to the ‘land hungry’ and how it finally took over control. (In Hungary less than six per cent of the people were Communist at the time of the take over). In all of these countries church leaders have been attacked and imprisoned and property confiscated. The latest example of Soviet Communist technique was the bringing in of Soviet tanks and troops to crush the democratic rising of the Hungarian people.
In 1948, at the time of the dispute over Berlin when the Soviet closed all land, water and train routes into West Berlin, as they claimed they were entitled to do under the Potsdam agreement, U.S.A., France and the U.K., through the Berlin air lift, kept control of West Berlin from falling to the Communists. Ten years later in 1958 as a result of the public abhorrence of happenings in Hungary, the Communist cause in countries such as France and Italy suffered a temporary set back.
Today in Western Europe, the Christian Democratic parties are endeavouring to create conditions that will work against the success of the Communists in those countries and, at the same time, such organisations as N.A.T.O. serve to protect the West. But just as in the East, so in the West, tension is continually present and the obvious need is for great vigilance in all things and preparedness.
Obvious in a paper of this length it is impossible to discuss the effects on Australia of events in all countries of the world. For this reason, I do not propose to discuss the problems of South America, Africa and the Middle East except to say that the West’s access to the Middle East’s oil for the next twenty years is considered vital and at the time of the Suez crisis the blocking of the canal made rationing of petrol in England and Western Europe necessary again.
As regards Africa the situation is very intricate. It cannot be denied that the economic potential of Africa is enormous and the role that Africa will play in the future is a very important factor in world affairs. Here again, we have the similar problem as in Asia, of millions of people aiming to achieve National Sovereignty and their legitimate rights as human beings. In this setting, the Communists use their well‑known and well‑tried techniques of promises, terror, subversion and the use of “Front Organisations”. Revolt in Cuba, regicide in Baghdad or rioting in Beirut are only puffs of smoke from the same fire smouldering under Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Trade
Most nations to exist have to trade. The Communist regime has not been backward in realising the tremendous power to be wielded through its influence on international trade and has not been slow in using any financial power it has, and also the weapon of fear in order to bring its influence to bear.
Since the end of World War II the Soviet Union has become the owner of great capital abroad – a novel situation in Russian history. In his book on the Yalta conference, Edward Stettinus mentioned Stalin’s desire to diminish Germany’s productivity by 80 percent. This meant wholesale dismantling of German industry; in fact, dismantling industrial units and transporting equipment to Eastern Europe was the main Soviet method of obtaining reparations – at least in the early stages. This method, first publicly proposed by the Soviet economist, Eugen Varga, seemed far superior to the traditional methods of obtaining reparations. The result was a great disappointment, the gains of Russia’s economy from shipments of industrial equipment were small; the losses of the dismantled country were enormous, why kill the goose that was laying the golden eggs? Was it not more sensible to stop destruction and organise production abroad to meet the needs of the Soviet Union? Hundreds of shops and plants marked for dismantling could be allowed to continue in operation, only now the proprietor would be a foreign power. Industrial corporations “Mixed Companies” 50 percent Soviet and 50 percent the government of the satellite in question (sometimes 51 and 49 percent) became the universal form of Soviet economic activities abroad.
Accordingly, Industrial Corporations mushroomed all over Eastern Europe. Hungary “shared” her bauxite, oil, iron and steel, chemicals, electricity, railroads and aviation with the Soviet. These are the industries, which in Soviet parlance, constitute the “commanding heights” and which, according to Marxist concepts, secure political control over a country. Similarly, “mixed companies” operated in East Germany, Poland, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, China and North Korea.
This system of economic exploitation represents a vast tax paid to the Soviet Union by its satellites. No figures are available (I understand that they are a closely guarded secret) but every week ships and railway cars carry to the Soviet land the huge ‘surplus value’ produced by satellite peoples which must certainly amount to many thousands of millions of pounds a year. In addition the Soviet expects ‘interest’ on its loans.
Capital investment abroad is a reversal of Soviet policy and secrecy surrounds Russia’s role as a capital investor.
It is not difficult to understand how the Soviet with a stranglehold on the economy of a country is able to exercise its influence, take over political power and consolidate, even though there may be only relatively few communists in that particular country.
The economic onslaught on Japan when the threat was thrown out by China to the Japanese people at the time of the Election this year to change their Government or else, is an example of the political use that the communists make of the trade weapon. Of course, in this regard, we must remember that the survival of Japan, the maintenance of employment and the promotion of a reasonable living standard depends on her ability to sell her manufactures. She has to import the bulk of her raw materials. The Kishi Government (Conservative) was returned and the Communist Chinese blockade against Japanese goods still prevails.
In the under‑developed countries for example Burma and United Arab Republic the Soviet has negotiated long term contracts at nearly stable prices to buy rice and cotton respectively. The Soviet realises that these under‑developed countries rely mainly on their primary produce for their survival and any help which it proposes in this regard serves the Soviet politically and economically.
Also within the under‑developed countries, land reform is always a burning question. Glowing promises of land reform is the technique directed towards fostering discontent and showing the way towards an alleged better life for the needy and those who appear to have nothing to lose.
Australia does trade with Communist countries. It has been stated authoritatively that once our exports to Communist countries reach ten percent of our total exports, that we are laying ourselves open to the sudden cutting of that trade for political grounds. At present, our total exports to Communist countries are nowhere near ten percent of our total exports.
Economically in Australia the picture at the moment appears to be bright, but the future is by no means certain. Our exports of secondary industry are facing continuing and increasing competition and as our internal costs grow so much our opportunity for expanding our exports wither.
The Cold War
The Cold War has been an important Soviet weapon for many years. It can be described as saying one thing and doing another. The Soviet speaks constantly of peaceful co‑existence and of not interfering in the internal affairs of other States whilst at the same time inciting the peoples of other countries to revolt against their lawful Governments. The U.S.S.R. started the Cold War shortly after the end of World War II in 1945.
The Communist Terrorism that has existed for the last 12 years in different parts of the free world has without doubt been with the support of the major Communist Governments. The terrible example of Hungary in 1956 reflects the anomaly of “peaceful co‑existence” as a theory compared with the practice of violence and terrorism against helpless and unarmed populations.
On the existing evidence, it seems reasonable to assert that the Communist objectives in this Cold War are:-
- a) The attempt to get the Free World and the uncommitted countries to lower their guard by repeated professions of Peaceful co existence and
- b) The extension of Communist influence and eventual widespread domination by all means short of Nuclear War.
Other means towards these ends are – the promotion of tension, constant and violent radio propaganda directed to the democratic countries, military and economic aid, the employment of technicians as subversionary agents and the use in democratic countries of joint election tickets and the popular “front”.
Use of Front Organisations
Here we should recall the words of Pope Pius XI in his Encyclical Divine Redemptoris:-
“Aware of the universal desire for peace the leaders of Communism pretend to be the most zealous promoters and propagandists in the movement for world amity … Under various names which do not suggest Communism they establish organisations and periodicals with the sole purpose of carrying their ideas into quarters otherwise inaccessible … Without receding an inch from their subversive principles they invite Catholics to collaborate with them in the realm of so‑called humanitarianism and charity; and at times even make proposals which are in perfect harmony with the Christian spirit and the doctrine of the Church. Elsewhere they carry their hypocrisy so far as to encourage the belief that Communism in countries where faith and culture are more strongly entrenched, will assume another and much milder form.”
In passing, time permits me only to mention two “Front” organisations – The Congress for Disarmament and International Co‑operation, which was organized by the so‑called World Peace Council in Stockholm in July 1958. A study of publications issued by the so‑called World Peace Council over a long period discloses not a single instance of deviation from a line of uncritical support of the activities of Communist Governments and in particular of those of the Soviet Union.
Recently the Rt. Hon. R.G. Casey reiterated his warning to the Australian people that those who consider associating themselves in any way with the Australian and New Zealand Congress for International Co‑Operation and Disarmament (whose parent body is the so‑called World Peace Council) that they enquire closely into the motives behind it.
Also Communists permeate into cultural and other Associations originally founded for good motives. In this field of Communist infiltration, it is more important to the Communist cause to have secret Communists, a few of quality and importance rather than many in number.
The Democratic world would be foolish in the extreme to believe that we are dealing with other than an implacable enemy dedicated to our destruction. There is no more dangerous term than “conciliation” when we are grappling with the Communist threat of expansion and their aim of subjugation of the free and uncommitted world.
We must appreciate the global nature of the conflict. There is a common identity of interest and there must be a global sense of responsibility. For all in this part of the world it is important that our friends in Europe should be aware of the threat which is presented by Communist China and that we for our part should appreciate the particular pre‑occupations of Western Europe and how our interests interlock in the vital area of the middle East.
We must develop our own new dimensions of Cold War. We must be willing to exploit the weakness of the enemy. We have put little sustained or systematic drive into such efforts. The Free World marshalled their greatest scientists and gave them practically unlimited funds to develop the atom bomb for hot war. Can we not do the same thing to fight a Cold War which is just as deadly?
U.S.A.
The entire free world looks to help that U.S.A. can give. U.S.A. with her size, population, her affinity to the peoples of the Commonwealth, her natural resources, her enormous industrial power, her scientific developments and her resolve to combat the menace of International Communism in the world and to help wherever it may rear its head. Today, the shores of U.S.A. are menaced on all sides. Today, the American Government realises that its role is to preserve peace without appeasement and thus retain the ability to protect herself and those of her friends whom she can. Considerable tax burdens are imposed on the people of the U.S.in order that she can carry out effectively a humanitarian and protective role. We hope that this generous people will have the moral fibre to bring to success its most difficult task.
In the world as it is, a matter of the highest importance is the relationship between the British and the Americans. Allied to this is the necessity for close continuous consultation between N.A.T.O., S.E.A.T.O. and Baghdad Pact organisations. We need the maintenance of armed strength and the elimination of any differences in political attitudes towards situations in Europe, the Pacific, South East Asia and the Middle East.
NATIONAL
Today Australia finds itself on the threshold of a vast expansion. Foreign investment and immigration have greatly assisted our development. More than one million migrants in the last ten years have not only increased our population but have made a wonderful contribution to our industrial capacity. In our internal development there have been great advances made in mineral research, wool, irrigation, water power development. (e.g. Snowy Project), atomic development and in the development of northern Australian regions.
Despite all this, we still lack adequate population, capital, oil and water. If we are to remain a free and independent Nation it would seem axiomatic that we need a greater population, more citizens of higher quality who are prepared to participate fully in the life of our communities in our land to build here a truly Christian democracy. Without this population and quality of our citizenship, without capital, oil and water and without the practical assistance of strong friends who are dedicated, as we should be, to justice, all the efforts of those who now see the necessity of action will be fruitless.
Political System
Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Since 1901 we have had a constitution based on the Federal system of Government. The Federal Government has two houses – the House of Representatives based approximately on population representation and the Senate, based on equal Senate representation. In modern times, the working of the Federal system has been beset with difficult problems involving Government responsibilities and finance as between the Federal Parliament and the States. The political parties with representatives in the Federal sphere are the Liberal Party of Australia, Australian Labour Party, Australian Country Party and the Democratic Labour Party. The policies of these parties vary on matters of considerable importance, e.g. fiscal policy, socialisation against free enterprise, and foreign policy. With regard to the differences in foreign policy, it is a most profound tragedy for the Australian people that there is such a deep divergence on such a matter where there should be unity. The people of Australia have become more and more confused by this state of affairs.
The position at the moment in the Federal sphere is that the Liberal and the Country Party coalition has held a predominance in the parliament for the last ten years by reason, amongst other things, of the respected standing of the Prime Minster, favourable seasons in Australia, economic policy and by reason of the deep division in the Labour ranks with regards to the means of combating Communism. There does not appear to be an all round understanding of the meaning of the aims and actions of Communists in our midst and the dangers which threaten us at home and from abroad. The present political impasse and the rather buoyant nature of the present political impasse and the rather buoyant nature of the economy, far from alerting the whole population to the menace of Communism, is further lulling the voters for the major parties. There is evidence not only of apathy but of concerted pressure in the parties which is concentrating political power in the hands of fewer and fewer of the people. Unfortunately also, the same trend is likewise apparent in business and in industry. We have here a democracy founded on the British tradition of respect for the Throne, respect for law and order and respect for the rights of the individual. But, it is questionable whether our educational system and our neglect to encourage the protection of the family are creating a society which is ill‑informed and less able to stand up for its rights against the ever‑increasing power of Government and economic monopolistic control. The family is also being imperilled by proposed extension of grounds for divorce (with particular reference to the 5 year separation clause). We need to remember and impress it wherever we go that the health of the State depends on the strength of its families and the future of the nation depends on the quality of our citizens.
Trade Unions
Responsible Trade unions and employers associations together with the Arbitration Court have given us a period of comparative industrial peace and so long as respect for the human dignity of man is recognised in all dealings with regard to industry, peace should continue. Peace in industry depends on goodwill and the recognition of the dignity of man. It is the duty of employers and employees to promote human relations in industry. Further, we have to give some consideration to the state of Trade Unionism in Australia and its possible effect not only on its members and the community but on the policies of the Australian Labour Party.
Since 1955 the increase of Communists or Communist sympathisers in the Trade Unions has meant the increase in the influence of the Communist Party within the Labour Party because the Unions concerned are affiliated to the Australian Labour Party and at its conferences determine its policies, elect its Executive and in a number of cases select its Parliamentary representatives.
One of the principal means by which the Communist Party’s power is being built within the Trade Unions, within the Australian Labour Party and through that within the Nation, is through the Unity tickets. The unity ticket is vital to the Communists in the Unions since they would be defeated if forced to stand on their own tickets. The oft repeated statement that whoever controls the Trade Unions controls the Labour Party arises from the fact that approximately 300 of the 400 delegates to the Annual conference of the Victorian A.L.P. (the supreme body in the State) come from affiliated unions. Less than 100 (¼) of the delegates to the A.L.P. Conference come from the party itself so that even if the whole of the political party was anti-communist, the party could be committed to pro‑communist policies by the union delegates.
For the last 4 years the policy of the A.L.P. has been against unity tickets and the party leaders have declared their opposition to the practice. Nevertheless, A.L.P. members have continued to stand on unity tickets. The unity campaign is designed to give the Communist Party tremendous industrial and political power and is simply one example of the technique which is being employed throughout the world.
It is necessary for all Trade Unionists to understand the position as it is. It is a well known fact that every Trade Union leader today is being overwhelmed by Communist literature and material that is being flown to this country from countries from behind the Iron Curtain, e.g. Czechoslovakia. This material must be examined, assessed and evaluated by responsible Trade Union leaders in order that they can be in full knowledge of all the facts.
All problems concerning Trade Unionists, including the problem of Communism within the Trade Unions, should be solved by the Trade Unionists themselves within the Trade Union Movement. It seems to me that they would resent, and quite rightly so, any outside interference. So much has been won for the Trade Unionists in this country, that it is for the same Trade Unionists today to make sure that they are in possession of all the facts before they make decisions, which could lead through Communist infiltration to the undermining of democracy within this country and lead to the loss of the benefits which they have fought for so long and to their loss of freedom.
It should be of very grave concern to all thinking citizens of Australia that the transport unions and some of the unions in heavy industries are under strong Communist influence. Control of vital industries by groups dedicated to the cause of International communism presents the nations of the world with a problem of great magnitude. It is at least something that we recognise that this situation exists. We should pray that all people of goodwill will work together in an endeavour to change this situation.
Defence
In the role of defence our budget Estimates and Expenditure in the current year are approximately 12 percent of the National Revenue.
Our expenditure may appear to be in normal times, a reasonable percentage. In view of our demands for development, immigration and social services, it is alleged to be all that we can afford to spend.
We should contrast our defence appropriation with that in South Korea where the defence vote is 40 percent of the National Revenue.
Korea, of course, has suffered the terrible agony of invasion by Communist forces and with communism right at her door in North Korea she has no alternative but to keep in arms. This must be a heavy strain on not only the resources but on the people themselves.
When we speak of £200,000,000 for the armed services, we need to remember that this is only one part of our defence plan.
Australia is a member of the United Nations Organisation, a partner in the Treaties – S.E.A.T.O. and A.N.Z.U.S., a member of the Colombo Plan, a member of the Economic Commission for Asia and The Far East (E.C.A.F.E.), and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
In addition, the Australian Chapter of the Asian People’s Anti‑Communist League works on a “people’s” level. This League continues to grow and is carrying out useful anti‑communist work as well as standing as a symbol of resistance – particularly Asian resistance – to communism.
Finally, migration itself is one of our chief weapons of defence.
Immigration
In the last 14 years, under our Immigration Plan, which is based on the numbers which we can obtain and assimilate, we have received over 1,400,000 migrants, approximately just under one half from the United Kingdom and just over one half from Europe.
Last year our Federal Government made a statement that the main objective of our immigration policy is to strengthen Australia’s economic and defence capacity through population building. At the end of the war in 1945, the Hon. Arthur Calwell, the Minister for Immigration, believed that we should get more people into Australian and get them fairly quickly as a security. He had the support of the Leader of the Opposition, the present Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, who declared that upon the possibility of our receiving substantial migration to Australia during the next 30 years depended the preservation of Australia’s independence. Migrants have made an invaluable contribution to the development of this country. Amongst the European migrants who have come to Australia there are many who have had direct contact with Communists and have suffered under them. They are hard working, have brought many new ideas, and have contributed greatly to the development of the essential industries of Australia. They have contributed greatly to our cultural and scientific development.
Although we should be striving for more and more migrants, today we are up against the fact that the United Kingdom is not anxious to see its trained men and women emigrating. So far as Europe is concerned the economies of those countries are such that people seem happy to stay where they are. In the short term future the magnet of Europe is likely to be just as strong as it is today because these countries have not yet achieved any substantial increase in their working population and they will not easily encourage their young people to quit their own countries for overseas. Strategically they do not want it to happen, economically it is difficult to see any reason why they should do so, and nationally, of course, no country commits, as it were, National “Hari‑Kari”. In the short term future, we are going to have to compete with a scarce labour market in Western Europe. It is true that there are still very substantial reserves of under‑employed labour in Southern and Eastern Europe, but it must be remembered that in a great many of these countries the trend is towards a very rapidly falling birth rate for e.g. Italy has a birth rate of less than 19 per 1,000 making it now one of the lowest birth rate countries in Western Europe.
Just as the rate of increase of the working age groups have been contracting in Europe as a whole, the rate of increase of the working age groups is expanding enormously in Asia. Whereas we in Australia have about 27 percent of our population under 15 years of age, and that is a pattern fairly typical of the Western world generally, Asian countries, like China, India and Indonesia, have more like 40 percent of their population under the age of 15. The falling infant mortality plus medical science is bringing about a population revolution in Asia. Therefore, there is practically no limit to the manpower resources of Asia.
I am not suggesting that we should open our doors to unlimited immigration from Asia. That would be inviting national suicide and would be contrary to our overall migration policy.
So long as we remain a free country we shall be governed in our thinking by the numbers of people that we can assimilate.
More thought should be given to allowing to migrate to this country Asian people who express the desire to come here and who could contribute to our way of life and to our security, and who could be assimilated.
As the late Sir Ian Clunies Ross said in a speech made to the 8th Australian Citizenship Convention in 1957: “So it is, I am convinced, we can do even greater things in the future than we have done in the past. Just as posterity – not only our posterity here in Australia but throughout the world – will look upon this present immigration programme as something that has added to the dignity and stature of man, so too, I believe, will it acclaim new features of it, developed in five or ten years time, as more noteworthy still. Then it may be we shall live up to our conviction that there can be no discrimination on the basis of race or colour or creed, and become a beacon of hope to the world in its approach to these problems”.
CONCLUSION
Now to sum up with these eight points:
- The people of Australia rest insecure on the fringe of Asia. Our Government and our people must work to foster friendship, understanding and good fellowship with the peoples of Asian countries, and gain respect of all peoples of goodwill regardless of race, colour and creed.
- International Communism in Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East, North and South America and Australasia is continuing to make progress.
- Our people, on the whole, are ignorant of the nature and the menace of Communism, many are apathetic, and most are not prepared and do not know what to do.
- We must continue our friendship with tried and trusted allies. We must not be deceived by sweet talk of so‑called Peaceful Co‑existence. True peace must always be our aim, but we must realise that a temporary arrangement based on appeasement can do more harm than good. In truth, some conferences at top levels, today are hardly more than a comic relief for the people.
- We must be fearless in putting forward our views on all things relevant to the welfare of the community in which we live.
- Education – a broad education to make people aware of Communism and helping them to deal with it, is absolutely necessary.
- We must fight the deadly Cold War with all our might and all the time. We have put too little sustained drive into countering the effect of Communism at home and abroad.
- We must have unity of purpose within the Church and with all peoples of goodwill. We must earnestly pray for guidance and strength to meet the challenge of our times.
What can we, the members of the Loreto Federation of Australia, do? As His Holiness, Pope Pius XII said in October 1945:-
“Every woman, without exception, is under an obligation – a strict obligation of conscience, mind you! – not to remain aloof; every woman must go into action, each in her own way, and join in stemming the tides which threaten to engulf the home, in fighting the doctrines which undermine the foundations, in preparing, organising and completing its restoration”.
To carry out this Papal admonition and to fulfil our responsibilities to our fellow citizens we need to have:-
- Knowledge Knowledge of the true nature and menace of International Communism.
- Perseverance We must be tireless and unrelenting in our efforts.
- Faith Faith in Church, country and family.
- Dedication Dedication to the cause of protecting our Church, country and family by fighting International Communism wherever it rears its head and by promoting a truly Christian society based on justice and charity.
Last month His Eminence Cardinal Agagianian, when speaking at the Y.C.W. – N.C.G.M. National Conference in Canberra said:-
“Your major task, here at home, is to build a new youth, to build a new Australia, an Australia Christian, God‑loving and free … Australia will thus become a Christian beacon shining here in the South Pacific, a national showing to those young nations of Asia the supreme value of Christian love, justice, truth and peace”.
Because of the aims and methods of International Communism, our Church is undergoing great trials and persecution in many parts of the world. Let us not despair but remember:
“THOU ART PETER AND UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH … AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT”.