AN AUSTRALIAN WAR COUNCIL

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 99, 23 October 1940, Page 8

AN AUSTRALIAN WAR COUNCIL

After long and so far fruitless allparty negotiations to form a National Government, the Australian political parties have agreed to form an allparty Australian War Council, the powers of which have not been defined at time of writing. The application of the adjective "advisory" to the Council, by radio speakers, seems to suggest that the Council will not have executive powers. But, even if it is thus limited, the Australian War Council will be in a position to arrive at all-party decisions, and these decisions must have weight even though their execution depends on a party Cabinet. Even at its lowest value, an Australian W.ar Council, improvised in such circumstances, should prove useful in carrying on the war. While party politicians dispute, the soldier carries on; and the Australian War Council should, at the very least, prove to be a carry-on contrivance, keeping all-party step with the soldier, even though co-opera-ition of parti.es in a National Govern-

merit be not attained. Whether the improvised Australian War Council will now be regarded as a reason for going slow on the all-party negotiations for a National Government, or whether—as we hope—the degree of co-operation required by the Council will promote the higher degree of co-operation required by a National Government, remains to be seen. The representation on the Council will be four members from the parties that support the Menzies Government (United Australia and Country Parties) and four members from the Labour Parties (the Curtin! Party, which has three representa-j tives, and the Beasley Party, which j has one). Mr. Menzies, Prime Minister, will preside. If an all-party body can decide what the soldier j needs, cannot all-party wisdom also decide the thornier questions of the finance and taxation involved?