LIBERALS' POSITION

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 52, 30 August 1945, Page 7

LIBERALS' POSITION

WEAK IN AUSTRALIA

(Special P.A. Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, August 29,

Plain talk from the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. R. G. Menzies, about the Liberal Party's present unpopularity marked the party's Federal council meeting in Sydney. Mr. Menzies said that the party's political vicissitudes and its recent electoral history had only to be considered to see that it was "not yet in a position to say that we command the support of a majority of the people of Australia. The problem of dealing . effectively with policy and publicity was of outstanding importance in the struggle ahead, added Mr. Menzies. # There was slowly developing a volume of dissatisfaction with the Federal Labour Government. The next twelve months might see a great acceleration of that development, because the Government would not be able to rely on the inevitable pressure of war to solve its problems. The Liberal Party must define its attitude towards questions such as international affairs, defence, employment, employer-employee relationships, social security, and rural needs. "If we could go out to the people with six or eight considered statements on, say, six or eight live issues we would be able to satisfy the minds of hundreds of thousands of people who are still sceptical about us though they want to be with us." Mr. Menzies revealed his disappointment that a candidate of outstanding qualifications and with a war background had failed to wrest the Fremantle seat from the Government (the Liberal Party candidate in the Fremantle by-election, Mr. Cleland, a returned soldier, received only onefourth of the votes recorded by soldiers) .

Mr. Menzies said there was no doubt that the clever propaganda of the Government had played an important part in the result. He accused the Government of using Army publications for party propaganda, and said' that the Liberal Party must immediately build up a propaganda machine just, as farreaching and efficient as that being used by the Government.