Aust. National Party wants boycott end

Press, 15 August 1984, Page 25

Aust. National Party wants boycott end

NZPA-AAP Canberra The Australian National Party has revealed its battle strategy for the next Federal election—but not all issues have complete support from within and outside the party. The Federal Council of the National Party has carried a resolution calling for an end to all Australian sports boycotts of South Africa—a position directly at odds with the Liberal Party and official Coalition policy. The decision gave notice that the Nationals would be developing and promoting electorally more independent and conservative policies on a range of controversial issues.

The Federal leader, Mr lan Sinclair, told the council he was starting his party’s campaign for the next Federal election “as of now”.

He said the party would fight on issues such as the United States alliance, defence, free enterprise, opposition to new taxes such as death duties, promotion of rural and mining industries and. retirement incomes.

Another issue would be protection of the family as the basic structure of society—including the need to clamp down on pornography—“overseas travel for M.P-s’ boyfriends and girlfriends,” payment of benefits for homosexual partners of A.B.C. employees and the standing of marriage. Other policy areas the National Party would go on the attack on would be Medicare, independent school funding, the ’’pattern of migration” and Aboriginal land rights. Queensland National Party president, Sir Robert Sparkes, was behind the call to end sports boycotts of South Africa, saying there was a “tremendous amount of humbug and hypocrisy” on the issue.

He said the only practical approach was to transcend politics in sport by having sports contacts with all nations so as to be able to influence internal political systems through closer relations.

In other moves: © Mr Sinclair warned that the world’s security ar-

rangements would be threatened if Australia were, to close United States bases such as Pine Gap and North West Cape. He said the joint bases played a vital role in maintaining the nuclear balance and monitoring nuclear testing and armsiimitation compliance. ® A hard line resolution on Aboriginal land rights was replaced by a more open position providing for continuing policy development on the issue by the party’s Parliamentary wing. The stronger resolution, moved by the West Australian branch, opposed the present system of land rights in the strongest terms and said all future land rights titles to Aboriginals should be on an “equal basis” to those granted to other Australians.

However Sir Robert successfully moved for development of policy on land rights and sacred sites by the relevent National Party frontbencher — deputy National Party leader, Mr Ralph Hunt—in collaboration with state branches in the lead up to the Federal election.