FEDERAL ELECTIONS

Grey River Argus, 18 May 1943, Page 2

FEDERAL ELECTIONS

Twenty-seven Parties DATE MAY BE FIXED THIS WEEK.

(Special to N.Z. Press Assn.) (Rec. 7.30) SYDNEY, May 1/. The date of Australia’s next feueral elections may be decided at a Cabinet meeting this week. The possibility of early polling continues to be widely discussed. Already the staggering total of twenty-seven political parties, excluding independents have advanced claims on tne electors’ support. Whether all groups will nominate candidates is doubtful. Several, however, are certain to do so. Australia now. claims the world’s record for the number of political parties in proportion to population. Before the war, France’s forty parties among twenty-live million electors wa’s the highest figure recorded, but Australia’s twenty-seven Federal parties have only four and a half million electors to whom they! can appeal. “Every little group that has oeen hurt by the war is forming a party to look after its interests,” explains a Federal parliamentarian. Eight of these parties claim to devote themselves mainly to the interests of exservicemen. Two aim to secure greater parliamentary representation for women. Only: one is primarily concerned with monetary reform. Sixteen of the new parties are under a year old. Most of these have come to light in the past four months. Among them is a middle class party formed for the protection of , the “forgotten man” of politics. This party was founded at meetings convened by the Australian Bank urficia'lst Association. Several other parties direct their main appeals to the middle class, while the former Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, who leads a break-away group ot seventeen United Australia Party members, also declared himself champion of the cause of “great sober and dynamic' middle class.” One of the most publicised of the new political groups is, the “One partv for Australia party,” sponsored by Mr. A. W. Anderson, known as “Australia’s sausage king,” founder of a meat business with a turnover of £1.000,000. Mr. Anderson wants to eliminate “immoral direct. taxation of food.” His party seeks to recall members who do not satisfy their electors, the election of Cabinet Ministers by open ballot in Parliament and the establishment of an annual national holiday t 0 be called “Family Day,” when politicians, press the pulpit would extol the virtues of family; life. But despite al] new groups, the Australian Labour Party and the joint Opposition of the United Australia Party and the- United Country Party will almost certainly be the only” serious contestants for government office. Heavy election mortality is expected among newcomers, most of whom will not survive the polls, but political correspondents regard it as certain some ex-servicemen's parties will weld together into an eventually . powerful political force. Mr. Curtin recently returned from a trip through Victoria, South Australia. and Western Australia, and reports that he received on Labour nrospects in those States may be a factor iii influencing the Selection of the polling date.