POWER REQUIRED

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 26, 30 July 1940, Page 8

POWER REQUIRED

LENGTHENING OF TERM

AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT

MAY BE NECESSARY

(By Trans-Tasman Air Mail, from - "The Post's" Representative,)

SYDNEY, July 26.

The prolongation of the Federal! Parliament beyond its present eonsti-i tutional term, about the end of next November, has become a controversial subject, and developments this week resulted in the Prime Minister, Mr.; Menzies, declaring that the elections would be held when due "unless circumstances make it impossible or dangerous to Australia's war effort to have an election campaign."- It is believed that Mr. Menzies had in mind a Nazi invasion of England when he men- j tioned "circumstances. 1' The life of Parliament can be prolonged only by Act of the British Parliament or by a referendum in Aus-j tralia. The latter course would be impracticable, and its result problematical. The British Parliament would act only on ,a constitutional request by the Australian Parliament. Thus Parliament will decide its own fate. The vote in Parliament would be difficult to forecast. The major Government party, the United. Australia Party, - would unitedly follow its leader, Mr. Menzies. The Country Party would be divided on the issue, and its present leader and deputyleader, Mr. Cameron and Mr. Thorby. are both opposed to extending the life of the present Parliament. The Labour Party is unanimously opposed to postponement or abandonment of the 4 elections. The issue threatened to cause a Cabinet crisis early this week. Mr. Cameron stated that, failing the formation of a National Government-—an unlikely contingency—he would oppose postponing. This statement was violently challenged in the Cabinet not only by Mr. Menzies, but also by two Country Party Ministers, because it had been made soon after, and in direct conflict with, a decision by the Cabinet to ask the two Government parties to agree to a petition to Britain for authority to make the postponement. The Counry Party Ministers opposed to their leader based their view on the fact that events abroad are so charged with embarrassing possibilities. that it would be highly inadvisable to hold an election. POSITION CLARIFIED. A statement by Mr. Menzies on the Government's attitude cleared the air somewhat. He said that the Government thought that the elections should be held at due date unless circumstances made this imposisble or dangerous to the war effort. Parliament would decide when circumstances entered such a phase. But it was essential that the Government should possess the necessary powers, and under the Constitution it did not now have them. If the Government did not have them, Parliament would simply be unable to postpone the elections. If such power was obtained it would not mean an automatic extension of the life of Parliament; it would simply mean that Parliament itself would decide the matter in the light of war circumstances. Strong opposition to the Government's plan is expected from the Labour Party, which fears that it would place a powerful weapon in the Government's hands. The Country Party will probably be seriously divided on the issue, so the situation contains elements dangerous to the Cabinet's stability. i