COMMUNISTS IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume C, Issue 29671, 15 November 1961, Page 23

COMMUNISTS IN AUSTRALIA

“More Danger From Liberals”

The Liberal Party was a far greater danger to Australia than the Communist Party, said Mr F. O’Sullivan, New South Wales president of the Australian Building Workers’ Union, in Christchurch yesterday. “My very word, it is,” said Mr O’Sullivan. ‘The Liberals represent monopoly interests.” He said the 22,000-strong New South Wales branch of his union was about equally divided among the Australian Labour Party, the Communist Party, and non-party members. The seven-man executive had three A.L.P. men, three Communists and one non-party member. “But the parties have no say in the trade union movement,” said Mr O’Sullivan. "We are opposed to the domination of the movement by any political party. “We regard the Communist Party as being a workingclass political party, and at election time our union members are told that if they vote for the AL.P. or the Communist Party they should give their preferences to the other. “I have never heard the Communists put up any proposal that was auti-working-class," Mr O'Sullivan said. Mr O’Sullivan is a former member of the central executive of the Australian Labour Party. He is here as a fraternal delegate to the annual conference of the New Zealand Carpenters' and Joiners' Union in Wellington next week. “I will address the conference about the economic conditions in Australia,” he said, “and about the growth of piece-work, the very serious position of the low apprenticeship intake, our aims on the improvement of award conditions, and our views on world peace.”