WHAT PROGRESS, MR. FRASER?

Like a cracked record, Prime Minister Fraser last weekend repeated his story about the "progress" Australia has made over the five years under his Government. In announcing a "tough options" Budget next month, Mr. Fraser is engaging in a game of psychological warfare. By conditioning people to believe the worst, it is hoped that the Budget will not look too bad when presented, thus creating a sense of relief.

Mr. Fraser's address followed the Cabinet's first week of pre-Budget discussions. Governments, of course, do not produce anything. When they do attempt to engage in economic or commercial activities, they are hopelessly inefficient and try to protect themselves from competition. Government by its very nature is restrictive.

A much wiser man than the Australian Prime Minister, the famous British historian, Thomas Henry Buckle, wrote in 1867: "No great political improvements, no great reform, either legislative or executive, has ever originated in any country by its rulers. The first suggestions of such steps have been by bold and able thinkers, who discern the abuse, denounce it, and point out how it can be remedied... At length, if circumstances are favourable, the pressure becomes so strong, that the government is obliged to give way; and the reform being accomplished, the people are expected to admire the wisdom of their rulers, by whom all this has been done... The world has been made familiar with the great truth, that one main condition of the prosperity of the people is that its rulers shall have little power...."

Contrary to promises made before both the 1975 and 1977 Federal elections, the Fraser Government has increased its power over the individual by continuing the financial policies it took over from the Whitlam Government. Taxation has been increased. In spite of firm assurances that unemployment would be reduced, it has increased to a record Post Second World War level. Young Australians have born the heaviest brunt of an unemployment, which has crippled tens of thousands of young lives, encouraging some to turn to crime and drugs. The high inflation rate of the Whitlam era has been forced down by imposing recession conditions, which have wrecked many business organisations. Does Mr. Fraser regard the increased bankruptcy rate over recent years as a measurement of the progress he is talking about?

As we have constantly pointed out, the inflation rate could not be held down even at the destructive level of 6 or 7 percent, without producing a violent electoral backlash. And so the inflation rate is now rising again and will remain high under the Government's present financial policies.
Before gullible electors get carried away with glittering promises of how the Government has planned for a big development boom of resources, they should ask what happened about the promised foreign investments promised before the 1977 elections.
The essence of what the Fraser Government promises is that Australia's vast natural resources should be handed over to development by foreign and international organisations. The financial credit for any essential development could easily be made available within Australia. But the Fraser Government is a supporter of The New International Economic Order and does not support the only basis for genuine national independence - economic national independence.

If the rest of the world sank beneath the sea, 15 million Australians would be able to use their vast resources to provide themselves with a new Civilisation. There would be no foreign markets, including Communist China and the Soviet Union, with the result that production would be geared to meeting the requirements of Australians. Less effort would be required. And as there would be nowhere to obtain "foreign capital", Australians would be forced to make their own financial credit available for any developmental projects. They would come to grips with reality.

A Prime Minister, who keeps calling for greater production, even if it turns Australia into a mined quarry, at a time when the requirements for civilised living are available in abundance, clearly is out of touch with reality. Replacing Mr. Fraser with Mr. Hayden would not resolve the basic problem Australians must solve. What is required is a change in present finance economic policies so that Australians can buy what they can so easily produce, with taxation drastically reduced, for a start, and inflation eliminated. Such changes require enough electors to stop playing the deadly party game and insist that they will only allocate their political power to those candidates who give them signed pledges before elections.

AN AUSTRALIAN TOWER OF BABEL

In spite of having broken major election promises, Prime Minister Fraser is determined to keep one promise, to establish ethnic radio and television stations. The fact that the Government is so insistent that ethnic and television stations be established as soon as possible is of itself a warning of far reaching implications. The Government cynically believes that by at least establishing the promised services, it can gain the ethnic vote at the coming Federal Elections. Should this happen future elections will be increasingly dominated by attempted manipulation of ethnic minorities who have been encouraged not to integrate into the main stream of Australian life.

If the advocates of multiculturalism have their way, Australia will be turned into a modern Tower of Babel. Already there are ominous indications of the shape of things to come. Melbourne Greeks protested last week against a refusal by the Trustees of the Shrine of Remembrance to permit them to lay a wreath commemorating a Greek military victory against the Turks. Already there is conflict concerning how the proposed ethnic radio and television programmes are to be controlled and conducted. The dangerous fragmentation of Australia is already under way.

There is no country in the world where multiculturalism has been successful, whether in a small country like Belgian, where there are constant clashes between French and Flemish speaking Belgians, or in a large country like the United States, where a dozen or more different ethnic minorities, including the Negroes, all offer to support political candidates - at a price. It is the minority groups, which have made it increasingly difficult for the United States to pursue a coherent foreign policy in the best long-term interests of the nation. Zionist influence was strongly against American involvement in Vietnam, but insists that the U.S.A. be prepared to back Israel at all costs, even if this antagonises the whole Moslem world. President Carter's blind eye towards Soviet aggression in Africa, with Cubans as the main instrument, was the result, at least in part, of his dependence on the Negro vote.

The future stability and security of Australia depends upon building upon the foundations, which have been built over nearly 200 years. Now is the time to let Mr. Fraser and his colleagues know, that fragmentation will not be tolerated. Mr. Fraser should be asked why he insists upon keeping only one pre-election promise while breaking others.

WATERSHIP DOWN-UNDER

Jeremy Lee reports from Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand:
"New Zealanders have been staggered to find frozen rabbits, imported from Mainland China, now selling in supermarkets. Rabbits have plagued New Zealand through the years almost as much as Australia. The usual noxious pest boards and rabbit inspectors abound in rural New Zealand, and regular eradication programmes are undertaken. But the resilient rabbit seems to survive all such attacks, and given a moment's respite, its widely famed breeding achievements increase population levels dramatically.

A controversy has broken out over the use of poison, and there is now a massive government programme to stop farmers shooting rabbits. Planes have been used to spot New Zealand rabbit hunters, apparently due to the fear that poisoned rabbits may end up in supermarkets for human consumption! This ridiculous paradox of conflicting policies has allowed the communists to establish an export to New Zealand of a product which is a serious worry in New Zealand because of its over abundance!

Letters to the papers have expressed outrage, bewilderment and humour. Some have, asked whether a "world rabbit board" will be established as part of the Common Fund - incidentally now finalised at the European Summit conference earlier this month. It is rumoured that Chinese "wabbits" have "wong" ears, and are slit eyed, in keeping with the thoughts of "Mao-tse-Tun".
The British sense of humour, as rich in New Zealand as elsewhere, is cashing in on the issue; nevertheless, there is an underlying frustration and disgust at the fact that such nonsensical things are happening!

The high standard of meetings continues, with a good meeting last night here in sub-arctic Southland. I am hoping to get the chance of seeing New Zealand's considerable oil shale deposits today, before heading north for Ranfurly tomorrow."

BRIEF COMMENTS

British Prime Minister Thatcher's ugly reception from 4,000 demonstrators in Wales, suffering a massive unemployment, which is worsening under Mrs. Thatcher's restrictive credit policies, recalls the worst days of the Great Depression. Mrs. Thatcher claims to be opposing Communism but she and her principal financial adviser Sir Keith Joseph, are pushing the desperate British into the arms of the waiting Marxists.

The first whites have been murdered in "independent" Zimbabwe. General Walls is taking long service leave and not returning to his post. Violence between the Mugabe and Nkomo forces is getting worse.

A Canadian Actionist has sent us a copy of the Canadian "Enterprise" which is issued quarterly, in Canada, with "The New Times" (The New Times is the League's monthly journal of political-economy: subscription $7.00 yearly). The last chapter of this Canadian issue of "Enterprise" - Is There An Energy Crisis? is entitled, "Captive Government", and we are pleased to reproduce this:
"Alongside the giant monopoly, now transnational in its power and scope is big government - a seething mass of anonymous bureaucrats in departments and on committees, on which the elected side of government has about as much influence as a grasshopper on an elephant. This combination is so impotent that it serves the monopolist by responding, amoeba-like, to his manipulation, and at the same time paralysing any chance of initiative and competition by the most incredible impost of progressive taxation ever seen in human history. Bad King John never did so well!
"The first reaction of the individual concerned about any problem is to take it to his local association, his party, his producer organisation, and have a resolution passed demanding that 'the government do something'. This way, the battle is lost before it's started!
Of the 2% of such resolutions, which filter through to 'the government - most are pigeon holed and forgotten on the way: they usually end up in the hands of a 'committee'. Of all the ghastly symbols of a collapsing society, the 'committee' is the worst. It is honour-bound to make an inconclusive conclusion after a minimum of at least five years! It is an amorphous shield behind which politicians shelter when the going gets a little rough.
"Unless the individual can do something himself, there's not much hope. There is now enough information available to set hundreds of backyard efforts going in many parts of Canada. If we can exchange news as to what happens - any short cuts, advances, setbacks, the combined initiative of the commonsense Canadian should be enough to take us through despite the bureaucratic barriers and establishment inertia.
"Above all, any attempt to tax new sources of energy should be fiercely resisted, and let us not lessen any resolve to do what we can to break the artificial energy crisis which is being used to compromise our country and freedom."