secret plan Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme

NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard 30 November 2005
My question is to the Premier. Given the secret negotiations between his Government, the Victorian Government and the Commonwealth Government, when does he plan to tell the people of New South Wales about his secret plan to privatise the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme?

Secret Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act 1997

Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act 1997

"..the future belongs to freedom.."

President Delivers Commencement Address at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York - May 27, 2006
President Truman made clear that the Cold War was an ideological struggle between tyranny and freedom.
Today, at the start of a new century, we are again engaged in a war unlike any our nation has fought before and like Americans in Truman's day, we are laying the foundations for victory.
While there are real differences between today's war and the Cold War, there are also many important similarities. Like the Cold War, we are fighting the followers of a murderous ideology that despises freedom, crushes all dissent, has territorial ambitions, and pursues totalitarian aims.
When President Truman spoke here for the 150th anniversary of West Point, he told the Class of 1952: "We can't have lasting peace unless we work actively and vigorously to bring about conditions of freedom and justice in the world."
I have confidence in the final outcome of this struggle, because I know the character and determination of the men and women gathered before me. We see that character and determination in a cadet named Patrick Dowdell.
A few weeks ago, Patrick's mom, RoseEllen, attended another graduation ceremony at the New York City Fire Academy, where her other son, James, followed his father's footsteps as one of New York's Bravest. And today, RoseEllen is with us to see Patrick join the ranks of America's bravest, as an officer in the United States Army.

Cronulla 2006 - MOMEA

Community is paying for inaction
May 29, 2006
Winter came early to Cronulla and its chill is spreading, writes Paul Sheehan.

Marxism failed says Communist son

Mark Aarons: Marxist leaders have failed
29 May 2006
"The crisis in East Timor is a dangerous watershed for the world's youngest nation. Although distressing in its violence and bloodshed, Timorese democracy can survive. But the country's leadership must take stock of the upheaval's causes and remove the stultifying control of political, civic and economic life by Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri's dominant faction within Fretilin, which won 57 per cent of the vote at the country's first election."

Mark Aarons
He is the son of Laurie Aarons.
Laurie Aarons

Timor 1942 - 2006

Remembering 1942 - The battles on Timor, 20-23 February, 1942 - Sparrow Force to Timor - On Timor the garrison was given the code-name Sparrow Force. Sparrow Force was to defend the island and protect the airfield at Penfui. The Force was confronted by a particularly complex problem as it did not have the resources to deploy to all of the possible sites at which an invader might land. Its task was further complicated by the political division of the island. The western half of the island was part of the Netherlands East Indies, an ally of Australia, but the eastern half and an enclave at Ocussi on the north coast were territories of neutral Portugal. Portugal was opposed to the stationing of Dutch or Australian troops as it felt that this was unnecessarily provocative toward the Japanese.

How the conflict has unfolded May 27, 2006
Nearly 600 heavily-armed soldiers were sacked from East Timor's army, the F-FDTL, at the beginning of this month after going on strike. They took their weapons and set up camp in the hills.
Most are born in the western areas of Timor. They complain of discrimination at the hands of eastern-born officers. Their probably-justified complaints have largely been ignored by the Timorese Government.
Riots broke out and law and order deteriorated. The 600 soldiers launched sporadic raids on the capital Dili. They are led by Alfredo Alves Reinado, an officer born on the western side of Timor, who has done some training in Australia.

gay-friendly child care?

Council going gaily overboard
May 27, 2006
If their perverse crusade to promote the gay lifestyle to toddlers succeeds, they'll be out of business in a generation.

"Chain mail pants with a missing link"

Knight In rusty armour
(M. Leander / C. Mills)
Peter & Gordon
How they still got married
And had twins
They came in tins
Every suit of armour ever made
Has a kink
Chain mail pants with a missing link

Bruce Springsteen and America’s Most Successful Communist - Pete Seeger

At BBC we read

Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Columbia) It's doubtful that any Bruce Springsteen fan ever expected they'd buy an album on which The Boss sings that primary school favourite ''Froggie Went a Courtin'''. Yet, on this lively new album, he covers the amphibian sing-along as well as 12 other tunes popularised by the American folk legend, Pete Seeger.

While earlier: Wednesday, December 28, 2005

America’s Most Successful Communist - Pete Seeger
America’s Most Successful Communist by Howard Husock One figure stands out in this enterprise: the now-86-year-old singer, songwriter, “folk music legend,” and onetime party stalwart, Pete Seeger. Given his decisive influence on the political direction of popular music, Seeger may have been the most effective American communist ever.

'Retired' politically incorrect term

'Retired' a dirty word by the middle of next decade - May 25, 2006 - Bernard Salt

messiah madness on both sides of politics

Labor needs a message more than a messiah
Talk of a 'great white hope' is symptomatic of a damaging policy deficit in the ALP, writes Janet Albrechtsen
May 24, 2006
Of course, history is littered with messiah madness on both sides of politics.

iceman "..I never asked the rabbits'.

"Dr Stephen Allnutt told the court today that he believed the drug methamphetamine, also known as ice, had triggered a psychotic episode in Brendan Francis McMahon, who he saw a month after the August 2005 arrest. "Brendan Francis McMahon said to me, 'I wonder if I made a mistake because I never asked the rabbits'. Dr Allnutt said that methamphetamine was a very powerful drug which could cause psychosis."

"..growing public awareness terrible truth among us.."

Keith Windschuttle: Manhood whitewashed
"Traditional Aboriginal society was always harsh on women. Few people today are aware of how recent a phenomenon the remote communities are. The brainchild of the policy was Labor's long-term adviser H.C. "Nugget" Coombs, whose manifesto was the book Aboriginal Autonomy."

"..hate and prejudice by the ABC.."

P. P. McGuinness: New ABC Tory chief won't rock the boat
May 23, 2006
"Why the tolerance of the Howard haters? Why does McDonald, one of the PM's closest friends, not get upset by this? Simply because he knows, as Joh Bjelke-Petersen knew in his day, that every hyperbolic outpouring of hate and prejudice by the ABC is votes in the ballot box for the Coalition side."

"Christian country towns backbone of US strength"

Christian country towns backbone of US strength - Cardinal George Pell

"ill effects of welfare accepted even by romantics"

No more empty rhetoric, please
By Michael Duffy
May 20, 2006
"The ill effects of welfare have become grudgingly accepted even by romantics since Noel Pearson gave his famous "welfare poison" speech some years ago."

Fred Hollows - Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Conference March 1992

Fred Hollows
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frederick Cossom (Fred) Hollows, (April 9, 1929 – February 10, 1993) was born in Dunedin, New Zealand and became a world famous ophthalmologist, particularly for his work in restoring eyesight for countless thousands of Aborigines in Australia and people in many other countries.

Not everyone in the Australian community regarded Hollows as a hero. Most notably, he antagonised a vocal section of the gay community with his comments on the Government’s national AIDS strategy. The controversy unfolded in March 1992, when Hollows spoke at the Alice Springs National Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Conference. His approach to this topic was straight to the point. Hollows argued that some areas of the AIDS campaign were being inadequately dealt with. According to The Australian’s Martin Thomas, Hollows stated that some homosexuals were “recklessly spreading the virus”.27 Therefore, the safe sex campaign was an inadequate way of dealing with the issue. To contain the disease, Hollows argued that promiscuity needed to be addressed.28 Hollows observed the spread of AIDS in contemporary African communities and he was concerned that AIDS would spread as vehemently through Aboriginal communities. Clearly Hollows infuriated some sections of the community with his comments, but it was apparent that his participation did not cause widespread condemnation.
hollows.org
27 M Thomas, “AIDS—Who Really Is At Risk?”,
The Australian, 7–8/03/92, p 21.
28 F Hollows, “In Defence of Containment”,
The Australian, 7–8/03/92, p 21.

"indigenous violence tut-tutted forgotten"

A culture of violence that must change
Not for the first time are we outraged by violence in indigenous communities, writes Miranda Devine. May 18, 2006

"...passed the point of "peak labour"

"After a fit of peak, bosses could face labour woes"
A new era of employee recruitment and retention is upon us, and even baby boomers might be asked to stay on after 65, writes demographer Bernard Salt - May 18, 2006

Kim Mole Rat Kovco Defence?

Nelson 'must take responsibility'
From: AAP
May 18, 2006
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson must take responsibility for the latest bungle surrounding the death of Private Jake Kovco, Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said today.
Kim Beazley
He was Minister for Defence,
with a seat in Cabinet, 1984-90.

Did Kim leave a mole rat in Defence?

"Da Vinci Code jeering laughter"

Cannes Critics Cold On 'Da Vinci'
(AP)

"Gay Talese is learning"

Talese's memoir details his writing travails
Life on the American road these days is filled with irritations, distractions, disappointments. Even a celebrity writer is not immune, as Gay Talese is learning. It has taken three phone calls to arrange some afternoon room service at Seattle's tony Alexis Hotel and all he is requesting is "some fresh fruit and a large cappuccino ... can you make one of those?"

Old man says younger man should retire

We read:

PM should go out on top - Murdoch
From: AAP
May 17, 2006
Media boss Rupert Murdoch says it might be time for Prime Minister John Howard to resign - while he's at the top of his game.
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KCSG, (born 11 March 1931)
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939)

"terrorism-is-a-genuine-threat"

"Terrorism part of a bigger picture - May 16, 2006 - The new division in politics hinges on differing views of Islamic fundamentalism," writes Gerard Henderson.
"Prophesy is a fool's preoccupation. Yet the evidence suggests the terrorism-is-a-genuine-threat view is prevailing among voters in large parts of the West."

Sunburn Spring surprise

Sunburn risk higher in Spring: research

Tony Ward "ham v kangaroo" Croc Dundee

Tony Ward, television personality, 1924-2006
"Tony Ward was Australian television's original action star and an inaugural reporter on two national current affairs programs. Crawford Productions, planning a new James Bond-style action series, chose him in 1967 for his good looks and air of savoir faire for the title role of Hunter. He made appearances in Sons and Daughters and played a villain in an episode of Skippy - which he described as "ham v kangaroo". One of his achievements was the discovery of Paul Hogan - in a report about the riggers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge - leading to Hogan's appointment as resident comedian on A Current Affair."

ABC levy - Sealed Set Scheme

I note in:

SMH 15 May 2006 - The Guide May 15-21, 2006 - "Funds for Aunty are easy as buy" says Greg Hassell "In last week's budget the ABC received $30 million over three years to invest in local drama. But how about a levy on every new tv, set top box and video recorder sold?"

Previous attempt:

"The Sealed Set Scheme
The radio manufacturing industry in Australia, led by George Fisk of AWA, lobbied the Government for the introduction of radio broadcasting in these early years. In May 1923 the Government finally called a conference of the main players. This led to the sealed set regulations where stations could be licensed to broadcast and then sell sets to 'listeners-in'. The receiving device would be set to receive only that station. 2FC in Sydney was the first to be licensed on 1st July 1923 but its opponent 2SB ( later to be called 2BL ) was first to go to air officially starting on 23rd November that year. 3AR and 3LO went to air on 26th January and 13th October 1924 in Melbourne. However the sealed set scheme wasn't taken to by listeners, only 1400 people took out sealed set licences in the first 6 months of 1924. It was quite easy to avoid the licence fee by building your own set or modifying one you'd bought to receive more than one station."

"strong support of the liberty agenda"

Australian leader opens tour of D.C. May 14, 2006
President Bush joined Australian Prime Minister John Howard for a little tree-planting..at the Australian ambassador's residence at dusk Sunday for the ceremonial planting of two trees, an American Elm and a Southern Magnolia, taken from the White House compound to demonstrate the strong ties between the two nations.
Bush thanked Howard for his "strong support of the liberty agenda" and "deep desire for the world to be a peaceful place."

Sydney water waste

"New water plan will leave Sydney high and dry
May 15, 2006
The answers to the city's water shortage are obvious but the Government refuses to see them, writes Charles Essery.
In the real world, Sydney has 18 months of water supply remaining, yet we continue to waste more water through our ocean outfalls and stormwater discharges than would meet all our needs."

A quick search on the Internet reveals that “without rivers or a rainy season and no fresh water lakes, Bermuda depends on the weather for water.”
So a little island in the Atlantic can handle a water shortage but Sydney cannot.

"Barnabas took him"

The Acts of the Apostles
9:26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
9:27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

2CH COMMENTS 14th May 2006
1. 9 am - Fire Destroys an old church
In the early hours of last Wednesday morning, fire destroyed the well-known Anglican Church, St Barnabas Broadway. It stood on the corner of Parramatta Road on Broadway, right next door to the old Grace Bros building.
This church is part of the history of the city of Sydney. Talk back radio on the day of the fire showed how many people had memories, either their own or members of their family, of the way their lives had been touched by the ministry of St Barnabas.
There has always been a lively ministry there for the student population who live in the area, and before that, in times of depression such as the 1890s or the 1920s and 30s, many people down on their luck, often jobless and homeless, were given friendship and a helping hand to make a new start, or just something to keep them warm and less hungry.
But last week the church’s minsters and their bishop made some statements to the media that are a real reminder of what is at the heart and focus of Christian ministry. They grieved for the loss of their fine old church, but they pointed out that a church is not just a building, it is much more the people who gather there - they gather together to grow their relationship with God, and their relationships with each other. The Church is about new life and renewal, so the building may go - for a time - but the church itself will always remain - as the sign on the noticeboard said the day after the fire, for Eternity!

Greenpeace cull

Losses lead to Greenpeace job cuts

Goodbye Sailor

Tahs sack Wendell Sailor
May 13, 2006

brainless protest

Australian shot in Israel during protest

"..tribal allegiances might shift.."

Bernard Salt May 11, 2006
"Marketers have to tune in to the tribe vibe
The coolest way modern marketers describe the Australian nation is by tribe: identify an individual's tribe and then unlock the dark and pagan forces that determine their consumer behaviour. But regardless of which market segment is targeted, most Australian businesses should really be shoring up their options by making friends with all tribes. You never know how tribal allegiances might shift over the medium term."

Cameras"are only good for the coroner's court."

Cameras 'won't stop terror attack'
From: AAP By Paul Carter
May 10, 2006
NSW will spend $2.9 million installing more cameras on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Anzac Bridge, but anti-terrorism experts say they won't prevent a terrorist attack.

Pacific lost generation

Downer warns of lost Pacific generation
Wednesday May 10 19:31 AEST ©AAP 2006
Launching the report Pacific 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for Growth, Mr Downer said it warned that without an improved economic outlook, the future of the Pacific region was bleak.

Sophie’s Mum

Sophie’s Mum: how my faith’s been bolstered
By Damir Govorcin
14 May, 2006

Family Tax Benefit

Beazley squeezed in battle for the middle
Dennis Shanahan, Politicial editor
May 10, 2006

"So don't blame politicians for your tax bills."

Our pathetic addiction to big government
Janet Albrechtsen
May 10, 2006

Reading Lyrics anthology of songs WSJ review

As Scott at powerlineblog says "Wall Street Journal's articles are accesssible online to nonsubsribers through tomorrow in honor of WSJ.com's tenth anniversary "One of the best book reviews the Wall Street Journal has ever run is a review by songwriter extraordinaire Jimmy Webb of a compendium of song lyrics selected by Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball. In the review, Webb notes the difficulty of placing words to music. In a well-written song, the words seem magically to flow right out of the melody. Webb powerfully testifies to the difficulty involved in creating this magic. Below is an excerpt of the review, which ran in the Journal in February 2001 under the heading "Singing the praises of song": Along comes "Reading Lyrics" (Pantheon, 706 pages, $39.50), an anthology of songs, to give the lie to the emperor's new groove."

"...but no one's for freeing Tibet."

Mark Steyn: New coalition of willing needed in Darfur
Hollywood stars are naive to expect the UN to stop the bloodbath in Sudan
May 08, 2006
Mark Steyn is a regular contributor to The Australian's opinion page.

"cities are unique to shape economies" Jane Jacobs

As Martin Wolf in the Financial Times tells us:

"Over the past week the world has learnt of the death of two luminaries: Harvard's J.K. Galbraith, born in Canada, and Jane Jacobs, who ended her life there.
Canada did rather well out of the exchange. Galbraith was, indeed, a brilliant writer and polemicist, but Jacobs was a self-educated intellectual of astonishing originality." "Forget countries and, still more, the country-side. Look at cities, instead. These are, as they have always been, the engines of human advance."

Battle of Coral Sea May 4 1942 - May 8 1942

5 May 1942 Battle of Coral Sea begins This was the first naval engagement fought by aircraft alone. Although neither side won a clear victory, the Japanese were forced to try and capture Port Moresby in a ground campaign, rather than by sea as they had hoped.
May 4 1942 - Battle of Coral Sea, first carrier vs. carrier battle, begins
May 7 1942 - Carrier aircraft sink Japanese carrier Shoho during Battle of Coral Sea
May 8 1942 - Battle of the Coral Sea ends with Japanese retiring from area

"..vital American role in securing victory."

Coral Sea more vital than Kokoda - Piers Akerman - May 7, 2006
"This weekend marks the anniversary of the first of those most critical battles, the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 7-8)Next month will see the anniversary of the Battle of Midway (June 4-7)"

"...criminals with enough legal clout."

When the court overlooks a family's sentence of grief - Miranda Devine - May 7, 2006 -The latest in a series of taxpayer-funded legal manoeuvres comes from Edward Esho, 30, convicted in 2000 of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Constable David Carty in a fit of insane, unprovoked violence in a Fairfield car park in 1997 have been so trivial as to make a joke of every police officer's job. You might ask what is the point of having a parole authority if its decision can be second-guessed by criminals with enough legal clout. As Lorraine Carty said: "How do we appeal our sentence of grief?"

"green activists serious threats environment"

"Beware the big green political monster - Michael Duffy - May 6, 2006 - Last week saw the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. nvironmental groups continue to use this as part of their irrational campaign against nuclear energy. In truth, Chernobyl was caused by communist managerial incompetence, not nuclear technology. It's strange that so many of the positions now advocated by green activists actually pose serious threats to the environment."

Scott Crossfield died April 19

Test Pilot Scott Crossfield Dies in Crash
Staff and agencies 01 May, 2006
NTSB: Crossfield's Plane Broke Up in Storm
Friday April 28, 2006 3:16 AM
ATLANTA (AP) - The wreckage of famed test pilot Scott Crossfield's single-engine plane indicates it broke apart during a severe thunderstorm, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
Crossfield, who in the early 1950s was the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound, died April 19 while en route from Prattville, Ala., to his home in Manassas, Va., in his Cessna 210A.
The 84-year-old pilot was the only person aboard when the plane crashed into mountainous terrain in northern Georgia.

"Islam is not a tolerant religion"

Koran invokes violence, says Pell
[news.com.au ] Source: AAP May 05, 2006
Dr Pell's speech was delivered in the United States on February 4 but only appeared on the archdiocese's website titled Islam and Western Democracies on Wednesday.

Jane Jacobs 1916-2006

Jane Jacobs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jane Jacobs, OC , O.Ont (May 4, 1916 – April 25, 2006) was an American-born Canadian writer and activist. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States. The book has been credited with reaching beyond planning issues to influence the spirit of the times.

"Moussaoui al-Qaeda wannabe deserves to rot in jail"

Carie Lemack, whose mother Judy Larocque died on American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the World Trade Centre, said her mother didn't believe in the death penalty and would have been glad that Moussaoui was sentenced to life. "This man was an al-Qaeda wannabe who could never put together the 9/11 attacks. He's a wannabe who deserves to rot in jail," Lemack said.

"Left arts public broadcaster Fairfax press"

Peter Coleman: Happy anniversary - May 04, 2006
"How two leading intellectual institutions - the Centre for Independent Studies and Quadrant magazine - are turning the tide of opinion in Australia's culture wars - The Left still controls the commanding heights of Australian culture - from the arts and universities to the public broadcaster and the Fairfax press - but its command is crumbling. Thank Quadrant and the CIS for turning the tide."
Peter Coleman, a former federal and state Liberal MP, was editor of Quadrant magazine for 20 years.

"values have shifted 180 degrees"

"Where there's smoke, there's ire in politically correct times"
Bernard Salt
"Anyone, or any ethnic, social or interest group, could fall foul of our supposedly tolerant and politically correct society."
Bernard Salt is a partner with KPMG

"Muslim cannot commit to Australia goodbye"

Abdullah Saeed: The chance to shine in values exam
Australian Muslims should support a citizenship test - May 03, 2006
Finally, for those very few Muslims who believe they cannot function as Muslims because of Australian citizenship commitments, a test would be helpful, as it would say from the outset exactly what sort of values we as Australians espouse and what citizens need to commit to Australia. If any Muslim cannot cope with this, it may well be time to say goodbye.
For Muslims in Australia, a citizenship test should be a welcome development, quite in line with Muslim understanding, both past and present, of entering into a contract with a welcoming country and its people.
Abdullah Saeed is director of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam at the University of Melbourne.

"knowledge deficit liberal values"

Open market on democratic ideals - What's so wrong with encouraging immigrants to speak English and understand liberal values? asks Janet Albrechtsen May 03, 2006
It's that kind of knowledge deficit that needs correcting if the West is to defend itself in the battle of ideas.

Soldiers fatally wounded

Shortly afterwards, on 2 July 1917, Major General William Holmes was escorting the New South Wales Premier, William Holman, near the battlefield when a German shell burst alongside and fatally wounded Major General William Holmes.

On 15 May 1915 a sniper's bullet severed Major General William Throsby Bridges femoral artery and he died three days later on board a hospital ship.

"Australian soldiers in the Easter Rising 1916"

Journal: Called to arms: Australian soldiers in the Easter Rising 1916 - Jeff Kildea

"...peace of Europe ...Germany's future intentions."

6 Memorandum prepared for Delegation to Imperial Conference
Extracts n.d. [after 9 February 1937]
Generally speaking the peace of Europe today is centred around Germany's future intentions. Her rearmament programme does not give any indication whether her intentions are peaceful or warlike.

"...charities which bleat about parental rights.."

Help the needy, not own causes - May 02, 2006
"So-called charities which bleat about parental rights should make the neglected kids their priority and leave the politicking to others."

"Journalists are not required to make such decisions"

Never put your head in a paper tiger's mouth - May 2, 2006 - History has taught us that revolutionaries should be taken seriously, writes Gerard Henderson. The elected politicians of the day had to make a decision whether to resist German aggression or not. Journalists are not required to make such decisions. Gerard Henderson is executive director of the Sydney Institute.

"Galbraith - ideas, however misconceived"

P. P. McGuinness: Galbraith a giant of style, not substance - John Kenneth Galbraith was an eloquent writer but he never really understood economics
- May 02, 2006 - His greatest quality was his eloquence and his ability to turn a catchy phrase. Few have not heard of "the affluent society", and he is remembered also for the concept of countervailing power, the argument that corporate power is offset in modern society by other interest groups. He was very quotable, but often quotes attributed to him were not his or at least were not original. Thus the aphorism, "What's the difference between capitalism and communism? Under capitalism man exploits man, under communism it's the other way around", was a bitter joke in the old Soviet Russian days, like many others.
Galbraith's influence continues in the universities, mainly outside the economics faculties, other than among adherents of institutional economics. But he is remembered with affection as a great journalist of ideas, however misconceived, and the best stylist in the economics field since Keynes.
P.P. McGuinness, a former editor of The Australian Financial Review, is editor of Quadrant magazine.

Left Wurth less pacifism and isolationism

Alexander Downer: Labor has a history of blind pacifism
New evidence shows John Curtin was an appeaser, says our Foreign Minister - May 02, 2006 - Bob Wurth's new book, Saving Australia: Curtin's Secret Peace with Japan, confirms what some of us have argued for some time: that until he became prime minister in 1941, John Curtin was not prepared to confront tyrannical regimes. This has been the pattern of Labor leaders since World War I. The Labor Party has continued the Curtin policy of pacifism and isolationism to this day. It clings to the vain hope that by shrinking and hiding Australia may avoid the firing line of tyrannical regimes and terrorists. Curtin did fulfil his responsibilities (and partly redeemed his reputation) once he became prime minister in October 1941. After two years of atrocities in Europe and the outbreak of global warfare, he accepted the role that history had delivered to him. He steeled his resolve and abandoned his pacifism to provide the nation with solid wartime leadership. The Labor tradition and philosophy, however, remains firmly built on the pacifism, isolationism and weakness that characterised most of Curtin's political life.

"Nothing short of war can put back the clock.."

Following is text of reference to Austria in speech by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs [Viscount Halifax] in House of Lords on 16th March 1938:-

'I confess that I can see no good to be gained at this juncture for the League or for any of the great purposes the League represents by bringing this matter before the League Tribunal. Nothing short of war can put back the clock and States Members of the League are not prepared to go to war on this issue. Those facts I suggest must be perfectly squarely faced and the conclusion that I reach is that the League though it has a perfect legal right to interest itself in the question cannot conceivably do anything at this moment which would compel Nazi Germany to turn back from the course on which she has now embarked. His Majesty's Government are therefore bound to recognise that the Austrian State has now been abolished as an international entity and is in process of being entirely absorbed into the German Reich and that is happening indeed without waiting for the plebiscite the result of which, in view of the circumstances in which it is going to be held, is a foregone conclusion.'