Coalition of hate, says Whitlam

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33512, 18 April 1974, Page 13

Coalition of hate, says Whitlam

.V Z P A Reuter—Copyright

CANBERRA

The Australian Prime Minister (Mr Whitlam). on Tuesday night described the political parties opposing him in the General Election on May 18 as “a coalition of hate which offers no cedible policies.”

i In a radio and television broadcast. Mr Whitlam said: “The same men, the same attitudes that you so firmly rejected in 1972, are united in only one thing—hatred. There is no other word for' it—hatred for the Whitlam Government and, indeed, hatred and contempt for the people who elected us.” The Prime Minister said that he had been forced to ask the Governor-General (Sir Paul Hasluck) to dissolve ' Parliament less than halfway through his three-year perm because the Liberal ■ Party, the Country Party, land the Democratic Labour Party, which dominated the Senate, had defeated the (Government on 42 of 43 (occasions when votes were; (taken in the Upper House. 1

Mr Whitlam went on: “It was clear that the three Opposition parties were never prepared to give our Government a fair go, a chance to carry out the programme you endorsed. “The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Senator Reginald Withers') let the cat out of the bag well and truly last Wednesday, when he. stated that Opposition in the Senate embarked on a course some 12 months ago to bring about a House of Representative election.” i Mr Whitlam, who said that it was a basic principle of

democracy that control over people’s money must lie firmly in “the people’s House,” urged the country’s six million voters to elect “a fresh Parliament, a contem-i porary Parliament, a Parlia-i ment which will reflect the wishes of the Australian i people in 1974, a Parliament i which no longer will be| dominated by the men of yes- : terday.” Mr Whitlam said that at the General Election the! people would also vote on! four referenda on proposed! changes in the Constitution! which had also been opposed' by the Senate.