All three referenda were passed with supermajorities of between 68 and 85%, which ensured all Australians could vote in referenda, the days of House-only federal elections, of which two occurred in the 1950s, were over, and local government bodies could apply for federal monetary assistance respectively. Despite this success of the referenda, the economic outlook for Australia remained bleak, and was going to become bleaker - by the start of financial year 1974/75, which also marked the metrification of Australia's road signs, inflation had reached 14%, and unemployment, which had stayed under 3% since the early 1960s recession, began to rise, by July 1974 it had reached 4.25%. Despite this, the government proceeded with lowering tariffs by 20% in June 1974, and announced they would not be cutting or delaying any government programs.
In July 1974, former SA Premier Steele Hall, who had been elected as a Liberal Senator in South Australia the previous year, announced he was joining the Australia Party, and would run for Senate at the next federal election. Hall, who was in the moderate wing of the SA Liberals, and who supported abolishing the old gerrymander in SA state politics, had enough of what he called the "extremes", and decided to join the Australia Party, believing fellow moderate Australians needed a strong voice. Current Australia Party leader, Gordon Barton, stepped aside as leader to pave way for Hall, Barton felt he could connect with the people better than he could. October of 1974 would see Bankcard launched, Bankcard being the very first credit card introduced into the Australian market.
Late 1974 saw two very notable events, firstly in early December, Rex Connor, the Minerals and Energy Minister, wanted to borrow money to fund ongoing infrastructure programs, such as a natural gas pipeline, and upgrades to interstate railways. The rationale for the loan was because the government's reserves were becoming low by this point in time, although Connor bypassed the Loan Council, the avenue through which Australian governments must pursue in order to take out loans. Connor contacted Tirath Khemlani, a Pakistani-born employee at commodity trader Dalamal and Sons, based in London, to secure the loan. Much of early 1975 consisted of correspondence about the loan, which continued through May of that year, although the loan, which was for three billion dollars, never eventuated. PM Whitlam subsequently banned Connor from all loan-related activities in May 1975, and then tried to obtain the loan through a US bank. Secondly, Cyclone Tracy ravaged Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974, killing 71 people, and leaving over 80% of Darwin's 47,000 inhabitants homeless, with many moving to Adelaide and Sydney, never to return to the Top End. PM Whitlam was criticised by the Opposition, and some in the Labor caucus, for his brief visit back to Australia, while on a tour of Europe, in the wake of Cyclone Tracy.
Another disaster struck Australia in January 1975, when an ore carrier crashed into Hobart’s Tasman bridge, sinking the bridge, and killing 12 people. This essentially divided Hobart, and the eastern suburbs of Hobart soon feel into deprivation – crime rose 41%, and the Tasman Bridge, funded with federal funds, did not re-open until late in 1977. Government funded radio station 2JJ, or Double J, took to the airwaves the same month in Sydney, and helped Australian bands and signers gain more exposure. Internationally during this period, the conflict in Vietnam, which Australia had withdrawn from back in 1970, ended with the Fall of Saigon on the 25th of April, 1975.
July 1975 saw the formation of Australia Post and Telecom, Australia’s provider of postal services and phone services respectively, from the Postmaster-General’s Department. It was also decided at this point in time to hold a convention on changing the national anthem, from this late 1975 convention, a referendum question would be held in conjunction with the next election, and four choices, the incumbent national anthem God Save the Queen, Advance Australia Fair, Song of Australia and Waltzing Matilda, would be offered to Australian voters. In the event no song achieved a majority as per the conditions of a referendum, a runoff between the top two highest polling songs would be held.
Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia on the 16th of September, 1975, and three months later, on the 7th of December, Indonesian forces, supported by Australia, the US and the UK, invaded East Timor, which was formerly a Portuguese colony since the start of the 18th century. Sadly, five journalists from Australia perished two months prior from Indonesian troops, who had already moved into the area. Back home, a new libertarian party, the Progress Party, was founded by John Singleton, for those who were after a radical free-market alternative to even the Liberal Party.
By the end of 1975, the Loans Affair had been publicized in the media, Khemlani himself had been interviewed by the Australian media that October about the loan, which was never secured. The economy wasn’t getting any better either – while inflation had peaked at 18% in April of 1975, before dropping sharply to a still high 12% in September, it was back up to 14% by the end of 1975. Unemployment had also hit 5%, the worst since the end of the 1930s. Entering 1976, and tobacco advertising was banned on TV and radio in Australia, effective from the 1st of March. Random alcohol breath testing was commenced by the Victorian government around the same time, in a move to combat intoxicated driving. Around this period, the Opposition were critical of the Government’s low intake of South Vietnamese refugees, believing they should be taking in more from the now-fully communist Vietnam.
An election and referendum question have been called for the 12th of June, 1976.
Party platforms at this election:
Labor Party – Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Labor are once again running on their track record in office, stating that they "made the right decisions, in the midst of a bleak climate", when Whitlam was describing keeping government spending high after the energy crisis and global economic downturn, starting in 1973. Labor's campaign slogan for the 1976 election is "Don't Let Australia Down".
Liberal Party – Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser and the Liberal Party are running on a platform promising to get Australia out of its stagflation misery, on policies that will ease the burden on all Australians, and on a pro-responsibility platform, including criticism of the Loans Affair, a pledge to cut taxes and shrink the size of government, and a pledge to amend Medibank to offer the option of buying health insurance through the government The Liberal Party's campaign slogan for the 1976 election is "Turn On The Lights, Australia".
National Country Party – Doug Anthony and the National Country Party are running on a platform that would assist agriculture, after its mid 1970s slump, by keeping markets relatively open, so exports of Australian agricultural products could rise, along with raising tariffs on agricultural products, to discourage imports. The usual NCP platform of social conservatism, anti-socialism and pro-rural development remains more or less the same as in years gone by. The NCP's slogan for the 1976 election is "Keep Australia's Backbone Running".
Communist Party – Ted Hill and the Communists are once again pitching themselves as the hard-left alternative to the Labor Party, with a similar manifesto as in years gone by. The Communist slogan for 1976 is "The Real Working Australian's Choice".
Australia Party – Steele Hall and the Australia Party, are once again running on an overall centrist platform, for those turned off by the Whitlam Government's growth in the size of the Commonwealth Government, but consider Fraser and the Liberals too far to the right. The Australia Party under Hall has relatively progressive social views, and is closer to the Liberals than Labor overall on economic issues. Hall has re-stated that neither major party can rely unanimously on its support in the Senate, and their role in the balance of power over the past three years has been a benefit to Australian democracy. "An Alternate Voice" is the Australia Party's 1976 slogan.
Progress Party John Singleton and the Progress Party are running as a staunch anti-socialist and free market party, and unlike the other parties, do not have a national party HQ, reflecting the Progress Party's staunch states' rights stance. The Progress Party's slogan is "Free Australia From Big Government".
Referendum question:
“Which song do you support using as Australia’s national anthem?”
A – God Save the Queen (current national anthem) –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN9EC3Gy6NkB – Advance Australia Fair –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rErvPnd-2EC – Waltzing Matilda –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwvazMc5EfED – Song of Australia –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FfQ8x-Wv8wVoting is open for 72 hours as per usual.
Me:
Liberal, although I could just as easily have voted
Progress.
National Anthem Vote - A (God Save the Queen)
Poll
