AK's Australian Election Series - 1973

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Paul Hasluck's states' rights campaign seemed to have different effects around Australia - Victoria and Queensland received it relatively warmly, Labor losing a significant number of seats in both states, while in the rest of Australia, Labor minimised its losses significantly, in the case of New South Wales, and in the other states and territories, Labor did not lose any seats, although the Liberals gained back Boothby in southern Adelaide, which was offset by Labor winning the new seat of Hawker in the west of the city. Despite the fairly low number of seat gains, the Coalition did fairly well to gain 7.76% of the national two-party preferred vote. The new Australia Party managed to win a seat in the Senate, leader Gordon Barton winning one seat in New South Wales, and the DLP lost their Victorian Senator, while narrowly holding their Tasmanian Senator. On the back of the worst combined Communist result since the June 1955 House-only election, the Communist Party was reduced to a mere two seats, the worst since the Communist Party-in all but name, aka State Labor's result of 1948.

Summary of 1970 election:

House of Representatives
Labor – 77 (-10)
Liberal – 28 (+11)
Country – 17 (+2)
Communist – 2 (-2)

Senate
1967: 18 Labor, 7 Liberal, 2 Country, 2 Democratic Labor, 1 Communist
1970: 13 Labor, 11 Liberal,  2 Country,  1 Democratic Labor, 1 Communist, 1 Marxist-Leninist Communist, 1 Australia Party
Total: 31 Labor, 18 Liberal,  4 Country, 3 Democratic Labor, 2 Communist, 1 Australia Party, 1 Marxist-Leninist Communist

Two-party preferred vote: 56.03-43.97

In the new Parliament, Labor had a bare majority of 2 in the Senate, 31 seats, compared to the 29 held by other parties, a mere 22 of which were Coalition held. Following the Liberal Party's modest gains at the 1970 election, none of which were his home state of Western Australia, Paul Hasluck was challenged as Liberal Party leader by 1968 nominee, and moderate faction member, John Gorton, who narrowly lost to Hasluck back in 1968. Backed by returning MPs such as Billy Snedden, Gorton managed to topple Hasluck by a fairly small margin of 26-21. Potential leader William McMahon, after failing to re-gain his seat of Lowe in New South Wales, retired from politics shortly after the 1970 election. John McEwen also stood down from politics at this time, he was replaced as Country leader by Doug Anthony, who McEwen defeated for the leadership back in 1967.

Entering the new decade, the Communist Parties, which had split back in the mid-1960s, decided to re-merge after the dismal 1970 result, the combined parties would be led by Victorian Senator, and former Marxist-Leninist Communist Leader, Ted Hill. Meanwhile, PM Whitlam was eager to get underway with his second term in office, and a bill to establish legal aid, with an office in each state and territory capital, was promptly passed by the end of August 1970. New South Australian Premier, Don Dunstan, who became Premier shortly after the re-election of federal Labor, welcomed the introduction, along with the Whitlam Government’s agenda in general.

Before 1970 was out, Immigration Minister Al Grassby introduced legislation that would remove the last traces of the White Australia Policy, which had been dismantled for the most part under the Harrison and Holt governments. This was supported by almost all federal MPs in both houses, although a couple of Country MPs opposed the changes, as did Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. The changes reduced the duration a migrant had to reside in Australia prior to obtaining citizenship, from five to three years, along with the abolition of all programs and rules preferring any ethnic group, regarding migration to Australia. In addition, Aboriginal people no longer had to seek permission to travel overseas

The 15th of October, 1970 saw the Westgate Bridge, which had been under construction for two years, suffered a collapse when a 112m span fell 50m into the water below. 35 construction workers died, and the collapse and subsequent explosion could be heard 20km away. Victorian Premier, Sir Henry Bolte, immediately called a Royal Commission, although rejected the Whitlam Government’s monetary compensation offer. The Royal Commission revealed poor structural design and unusual construction methods to be the causes of the collapse, and after a revision of the blueprint, and hiring a new contractor, construction re-commenced in 1972, the bridge opening in 1978.

1971 saw the voting age officially lowered to 18, effective not only at the next federal election, due in 1973, but to any by-election prior. This followed the New South Welsh government, under Premier Bob Askin, lower the voting age for state elections the preceding year. No fault divorce was also introduced in 1971, both pieces of legislation passing both house easily, although a prominent number of Liberal and Country MPs opposed the divorce law amendment.

A mid-1971 tour from the South African national rugby team, the Springboks, caused severe national division, particularly amongst students on the left, who protested the first two matches, held in Perth and Adelaide. Larger protests occurred outside the Melbourne and Sydney matches, in which police were set up outside the stadiums to hold back the protestors. When the Springboks came to Brisbane, however, the situation went from bad to dire – Premier Bjelke-Petersen declared a month long state of emergency while the Springboks were in the nation, in the lead up and in the aftermath of the match to be played at Brisbane. This move by Bjelke-Petersen was frowned on my almost all federal MPs, including federal Country leader Doug Anthony. PM Whitlam subsequently introduced legislation banning racially segregated sporting teams from touring Australia, and the Springboks would not tour Australia again for a considerable period of time.

Around this point in time, talks began between Country leader Doug Anthony and DLP leader Jack Little, about a possible merger of the two parties. Anthony suggested the merger, given the relative poor performance of the DLP, and some of the shared values between the two parties, namely social conservatism, and although to differing extents, protectionism in trade. To keep the party’s rural image, it was decided to rename the Country Party, the merged party would be called the National Country Party, to signify a move away from exclusively being a rural party. The parties officially merged in late 1971, although some DLP members weren’t too keen about the merger, most were satisfied about the move. Around the same time as the merger, Neville Bonner was appointed to the Senate as Liberal Senator from Queensland, replacing Dame Annabelle Rankin, becoming Australia’s first Aboriginal Senator.

Along with virtually all of the reforms enacted into law during the Whitlam Government’s first term having come into force by now, and the continuing infrastructure programs ongoing throughout the decade, early 1972 saw two significant national milestones occur. Firstly, the conversion of all TV stations in Australia to full-time colour on the 1st of February. Secondly, in the first sitting of Parliament after the 1971/72 summer recess, legislation to abolish the death penalty for federal crimes was passed. All states would abolish the death penalty by the mid-1980s. Not long after US President Richard Nixon visited China in February 1972, PM Whitlam visited himself, meeting Mao Zedong in a move that would assist Sino-Australian relations. While condemned by some in the Liberal and National Country Parties, particularly the latter, the result of Whitlam’s visit was full relations with China, although relations with Taiwan were weakened.

1972 also witnessed a decentralization policy, regarding population growth, tested, with the development of regional city Albury-Wodonga, on the border of New South Wales and Victoria. This was initiated to disencourage urban sprawl on the edges of the major cities. In other reforms, tobacco products had to have warnings on them from April 1972, informing smokers and tobacco users that tobacco is a health hazard, and a minimum 10% of radio airplay had to be dedicated to Australian musicians from the start of July 1972, with FM radio introduced the following year.

Late 1972 saw Australia’s first aircraft hijacking, on Ansett Airlines Flight 232, when Miloslav Hrabinec, originally from Czechoslovakia, held up the flight from Adelaide to Alice Springs, as the plane was about to land at its destination. Hrabinec demanded he be flown 1000 miles into the desert, although after the pilot managed to land the plane at its original destination, Hrabinec demanded a light aircraft and pilot to fly said aircraft, threatening to shoot passengers. Police constable Paul Sandeman posed as a navigator, and although he was shot, other police officers managed to catch Hrabinec, who then shot himself. Constable Sandeman was subsequently awarded the Queen’s Medal for Bravery.

Entering 1973, and Australia’s first casino, the Wrest Point Hotel Casino, opened its doors in Hobart on the 10th of February, having been allowed by the state government back in the late 1960s. Papua New Guinea was granted self-government one month later, in a lead up to what would eventually become full independence.

Party platforms in the next post.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

An election has been called for the 19th of May, 1973.

Party platforms at this election:

Labor Party – Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Labor are running on their track record in office, covering notably the introduction of legal aid, lowering the voting age to 18, building relations with China, Promises for a third Whitlam Government term include plans for Aboriginal land rights reform, more infrastructure works and further developments, and granting Papua New Guinea full independence.

Liberal Party – Opposition Leader John Gorton and the Liberal Party have deviated somewhat from the platform the Hasluck Liberals presented in 1970, with a more centralist approach to federal-state affairs. Aside from this, the Liberals are continuing to adhere their liberal traditions, such as small government and low taxes, and a reform to Medibank, namely the option of buying private health insurance as opposed to paying the levy, which would be increased slightly.

National Country Party – Doug Anthony and the National Country Party are running on a nationwide campaign, as opposed to the wholly rural campaigns the Country Party ran for the past half-century. While maintaining the old Country Party’s positions and values, namely their commitment to rural Australia, social conservatism, support for mining, and agriculture tariffs, the NCP, as it is commonly abbreviated, is also targeting outer suburban electorates, especially the DLP’s former voters. This is evident by the NCP supporting religious schools, stemming from the old DLP policy of support for Catholic schools.

Communist Party – Ted Hill and the Communists believe Australia should “be more like China”, following the foundations of Sino-Australian relations in the past term of government, and believes PM Whitlam is nowhere near radical enough.

Australia Party – Gordon Barton and the Australia Party are once again campaigning as a centralist alternative to both Labor and the Coalition. In a situation where the Australia Party has the balance of power in the Senate, Barton has stated that neither side can take his votes on legislation for granted.

Voting is open for 3 days, as usual.

Me: Liberal.

[DC Al Fine]

National Country

[H. Ross Peron]

Labour

[BaconBacon96]

Labor.

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

Labor.

[Cranberry]

Labor.

[Dr. Cynic]

Labor, as usual.

[ElectionsGuy]

Liberal

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Bump.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Final bump before the poll closes in just under 12 hours.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Voting is now closed, thank you all again for your participation.