‘Defy Draft’ Call In Aust.

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32324, 16 June 1970, Page 17

‘Defy Draft’ Call In Aust.

(N.Z. Press Association — Copyright; MELBOURNE, June 15. The Victorian state conference of the Australian Labour Party has called on all young Australians to defy the country’s national service laws.

Laying themselves open to possible prosecution under the Crimes Act. The 420 delegates at the conference passed a resolution condemning national service and inviting conscripts to disobey the draft to fight in “a dirty war in Vietnam.” At the same time, uproar broke out at the New South Wales State conference of the party in Sydney over an unsuccessful left-wing move for the expunging of the court records of all prosecutions over opposition to the Vietnam war. After a resolution to this effect had been narrowly defeated, Left-wingers shouted and stamped their feet for nearly 10 minutes in an unsuccessful bid for another vote on their proposal. The Left-wing Victorian A.L.P. executive could face heavy fines and imprisonment as a result of the Melbourne resolution, which declared that conscription in any form was a violation of individual rights and had no place in Labour Party doctrine. It also expressed its warm approval of draft-avoiders, and called for the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam, the repeal of the National Service Act, the release of conscientious objec-

tors now in prison, and the dropping of further national service prosecutions. Later, conference delegates signed a declaration: “We sign this document, having been made fully aware of our contravention of the Crimes Act.” The conference resolution and the declaration are seen as a deliberate challenge to the Federal Government to take action against the delegates. The Minister of Labour and National Service (Mr Snedden) said last night: “I am not prepartd to comment until I see the resolution.”