Key elections in Aust.

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33874, 20 June 1975, Page 13

Key elections in Aust.

ty Z P A. Staff Correspondent) SYDNEY, June 19. National issues will be to the fore in Australia’s two forthcoming elections, the Federal byelection for the Tasmanian seat of Bass, and the South Australian state election. Critics in Canberra believe that the results of the two elections may well bring about a General Election, quite soon if Labour does well, and next year if the Liberals score. The Bass election, on June 28. has been caused by the resignation from Parliament of the former Minister of Defence, Mr Lance Barnard. who will now become an Ambassador. South Australia’s Premier (Mr Donald Dunstan) has called the state election for July 12 because the State Upi>er House has refused to pass a bill which would hand South Australian Railways over to the Federal Government.

i The Prime Minister (Mr Whitlam) and the Leader of ) the Opposition (Mr John Ji Fraser) have both been cam- ; I paigning hard in the Bass . electorate, partly because Labour has a majority of only five in the House of •. Representatives, and this , will be reduced if Bass is . i lost. Both parties have acknowledged that the Bass result ? will give a good indication a;of national feeling. Mr Whit- > lam has said: “It is true that i, the Bass election has a natS|ional significance. The quesetion for the Bass electors — as for the people of Austrai lia — is whether the proi gramme of reform and re- - newal initiated by this Govrernment is to continue in a - positive and planned way.” ? Mr Fraser has challenged Labour to fight the by-elec--tion on national issues. )l It is too early for anyone i|to see the path the parties e will take in the South Aus- - tralian campaign, but critics bin Adelaide are saying, -i I today that there is no way if that Federal issues can be (kept out ef the election. 1

Even the railways ques-| tion is a national one: Mr I Whitlam has been strongly) hinting this week that all 1 states should hand over their railways to a unified Federal control of trains if they want bigger and better financial grants from Canberra. Mr Whitlam would welcome the chance to call a General Election on winning terms, for he has a small majority in the Lower House and can be beaten in the Senate, where Labour has) only 28 seats to the Opposi-i tion’s 30, two Independents] having the balance of power.l

For his part, Mr Fraser) has said that he will not use) the Senate majority to force: an early election, but sub-' stantial wins in Bass and South Australia might well see him under strong party pressure to change his stand next year. The Liberals need a 4 per cent swing to win Bass, and latest estimates give them a ! good chance of doing so. Mr Dunstan is tipped today to retain power ini ‘South Australia.