[Editor: These items, regarding John Curtin and the White Australia Policy, are extracts from the “Political roundabout” section (by Edgar Holt), published in Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, NSW), 5 December 1943.]
Political roundabout
Bricks
White Australia
¶ John Curtin’s enemies picked up every brick they could get their hands on as Federal A.L.P. Conference day drew closer.
Rabble-rouser No. 1 was Jack (“Greater-than-Lenin”) Lang.
Having vilified the P.M. over the Duke of Gloucester’s appointment, he turned this week to the White Australia policy, tried cunningly to get at Curtin through wiry little Lloyd Ross, senior research officer of the Department of Post-War Reconstruction.
Ross had told a World Fellowship luncheon that the White Australia policy should be re-stated, so that it would not be an insult to the rest of the world.
This week Lang built up Ross as “the dominant brain” in the Curtin Government’s Reconstruction Department.
After converting Ross into a brain-truster, Lang said: “The Prime Minister has failed to give any assurance that the Government will stand firm on the White Australia policy.”
Curtin’s friends read this as a politically vicious distortion of the P.M.’s latest comments on Australia’s traditional immigration policy.
Plain enough
Curtin never uses the phrase “White Australia.”
Nor does it appear in the Alien Immigration Restriction Act, which is now incorporated in the Immigration Act, 1901-35.
Curtin construes the Act as economic protection for Australia, not as a policy of racial discrimination.
He has said plainly that the Ministerial and departmental committees now looking over Australia’s post-war migration problems are not reviewing the Alien Immigration Restriction Act.
He has pointed out that the only attack on Australia’s “traditional immigration policy” arose out of Japan’s aggression in the Pacific.
“I know of no other attack on this policy,” says the P.M. Lang now protests that Curtin’s statement is “evasive.”
The Big Fella’s line is to persuade Labor rank-and-file that the P.M. is recklessly abandoning Labor policy planks.
Source:
Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, NSW), 5 December 1943, p. 8 [the Sunday Telegraph was the Sunday edition of The Daily Telegraph]
Editor’s notes:
Act = an Act of parliament, a law (in its written form, a law is called a “statute”)
See: 1) “Act of parliament”, Wikipedia
2) “Statute”, Wikipedia
Alien Immigration Restriction Act = the Immigration Restriction Act [see: Immigration Restriction Act]
A.L.P. = (abbreviation) Australian Labor Party
The Big Fella = [see: Jack Lang]
brain-truster = someone who is a clever, intelligent, knowledgeable, or smart; someone who is part of a “brains trust” [see: brains trust]
brains trust = a group of knowledgeable people or experts who discuss topics in a public forum (such as on radio or television); a group of experts who give advice to the government; a group of friends or acquaintances (especially ones who are considered to be knowledgeable) who give advice
Edgar Holt = Edgar George Holt (1904-1988), a journalist, public relations officer, and poet; he was born in Burnley (Lancashire, England) in 1904, came to Australia with his family in 1916, and died in Potts Point (Sydney, NSW) in 1988
See: 1) Bridget Griffen-Foley, “Edgar George Holt (1904–1988)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “Edgar George Holt”, Wikipedia
Immigration Restriction Act = an Australian law passed in 1901, a key intention of which was to stop non-white immigration into Australia
See: “Immigration Restriction Act 1901”, Wikipedia
Jack Lang = John Thomas Lang (1876-1975), known as “Jack”, also known as “The Big Fella”, real estate agent and politician; he was Premier of New South Wales 1925-1927 and 1930-1932; he was born in Sydney (NSW) in 1876, and died in Auburn (Sydney, NSW) in 1975
See: 1) Bede Nairn, “John Thomas (Jack) Lang (1876–1975)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “Jack Lang (Australian politician)”, Wikipedia
John Curtin = John Curtin (1885-1945), journalist, trade union leader, Labor Party politician, and Prime Minister of Australia (1941-1945); he was born in Creswick (Vic.) in 1885, led Australia as Prime Minister for several years during the Second World War, and died (whilst serving as PM) in Canberra (ACT) in 1945
See: 1) Geoffrey Serle, “John Curtin (1885–1945)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography
2) “John Curtin”, Wikipedia
Lang = [see: Jack Lang]
line = line of argument, position, stance
P.M. = (abbreviation) Prime Minister
traditional immigration policy = (in the context of Australia) the White Australia Policy
Leave a Reply