PREMIER SEEKS NEW ELECTION IN VICTORIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 June 1950, Page 5

PREMIER SEEKS NEW ELECTION IN VICTORIA

MELBOURNE, This Day (Rec. 1.10 p. m .)—Mr T. Hollway, Premier of Victoria, in a last bid by the Government for survival in the lace of defeat by the Country Party, backed by Labour, will ask the Senate Governor, Sir Dallas Brooks, to dissolve Parliament. It the Governor agrees, Victoria will have another election in a few weeks. - , The last elections were held ten weeks -ago. Mr Hollway’s decision followed a 11-l»our stonewall by Mr Hollway’s Liberal-Country Party Government against a motion of no-confidence by the Country Party leader, Mr J. G. McDonald.

The grounds for Mr Hollway’s appeal to the Governor were revealed during the debate, when Mr Hollway said: “The Country Party represents 10 per cent of the voters of the State, yet it is linking up, by a discreditable manoeuvre, with what it cnce claimed to be its traditional enemy. Tins strategy was planned in Canberra by Mr A. A. Calwell with the idea of driving a wedge between the Liberal Party and the Country Party in the Federal Parliament.” Mr Hollway intends to tell the Governor that it would be unreasonable for the Country Party, with 13 members, against the 27 mustered by Mr Hollway’s Government, to take control. Meanwhile, many unions are violently attacking Labour’s collaboration with the Country Party. Thirtysix unions have expressed disapprov-' al of the manoeuvre and the militants are meeting this week-end to discuss action.