The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1940. AUSTRALIA'S POLITICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 205, 29 August 1940, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1940. AUSTRALIA'S POLITICS.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that reeds resistance, For the future in '.he distance, And the good that we can do.

Despite the war, Australia for the next three weeks will have to endure an election campaign, and polling will take place on September 21 unless an exceedingly grave national emergency develops. Apart from the war—if anything , can be apart from the war —the circumstances of the election are much a≤ usual. The non-Labour parties are in power, but their coalition is not happy, though in the next three week.?, no doubt, there will be impressive public affirmations of unity, amity and willingness to let bygones be bygones. As usual, too, the Labour party, bidding for power, is weakened by dissensions in the "key" State of New South Wales, where there are three factions which dislike one another as heartily as they may be supposed to dislike Adolf Hitler. And though the Government may be rejected— though that is unlikely— it will retain control of the Senate until July 30, 1941, so that even if the party led by Mr. Ciirtin should be elected it would not have the same free hand that the Labour party in New Zealand enjoyed upon taking power in 1935.

There has been in Australia a strong public demand for the formation of a national Government, but there is little to suggest that this demand will be satisfied either before the election or after it. The Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, desires such a Government, but the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Curtin, while co-operating unofficially, has rejected all specific proposals. The principal difference in war policy between the present Government and the Labour party is that Labour is irrevocably opposed to conscription and is more concerned with the direct defence of Australian territory than with its indirect defence through . aiding Britain in Europe, or the Near East. But the fact which should dominate all other considerations —namely, that Australia, like. New Zealand, is engaged in a struggle for. national existence, and therefore requires , at its political centre a Parliament pledged to form and support a national all-party Government— seems to have been purposely ignored by Mr. Gortin in his policy speech opening the campaign. He wants a better administration, and thinks his party can provide it. But party Government will not bring the British Commonwealth through this war. That was realised in Britain, under the threat of disaster. That similar circumstances have not arisen in Australia or New Zealand is merely our good fortune, upon which neither country shoull continue to rely.