The Times WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1940. The Australian Elections

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 227, 25 September 1940, Page 6

The Times WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1940. The Australian Elections

The results of the Australian Commonwealth elections held on Saturday last are now sufficiently apparent for comment to be made thereon. To us a salient feature is that the record of a Labour Administration in this Dominion of New Zealand for the five years past has not proved an attraction to Australians to follow suit.

As evidence of this, contemplate the fact that Australia has had its equivalent of a National Government in power for some eight years, including those of the depression’s severity. That Labour has been out of power so long would have provided every prospect of its being now returned simply on the laws of political chance—the turnover of “ins” and “outs ’ from the effluxion of time.

How different have been the results. The parties went to the xooll in strengths of Government 42, Opposition 32. At latest returns the strength is as 39 to 30, with five seats in doubt and there is a fair prospect of the Government being returned with its majority reduced by only one. In the Senate elections, where the Opposition had a great tactical advantage, it was thought a majority would be inevitably secured by Labour, yet even here the Government has apparently gained a majority of 19 to 17 seats.

Loth sides suffered from complications in this election, which saw the competition of 338 candidates for 74 seats; an average of almost five per electorate, with in some cases as many as seven candidates appealing. There were three official parties, the two Government being the United Australia Party and the Country Party (which in combination equal the National Party in New Zealand) and the Labour Party (official Federal). Additional were several Labour factions, many independents and unendorsed (or independent) U.A.P. and C.P. candidates. It is not to be wondered at that informal votes were a very high percentage of those polled. The Opposition suffered considerably from its faction fighting; which will be seen in New Zealand’s next election, according to Mr. J. A. Lee’s plans. Even more it suffered the loss of public support owing to its indefinite, indeed rather halfhearted, attitude to the war effort. The Government parties, however, suffered equally from two further influences. The attacks of the Sydney press designed to extend New South Wales’ influence, had apparently much the same effect in Australia as did our ill-fated Democrat Party’s 1935 New Zealand campaign. In both oases there'was a common failure to achieve the objective and in each great indirect aid was furnished Labour. Fully as serious to Mr. Menzies, the Prime Minister, was the loss of three of his ablest Ministerial supporters in the air-liner disaster of a few months ago. Thus considered, party advantages and disadvantages about cancelled out, leaving the election results to be viewed as a clear enough decision on the part of the people of Australia.

Morally, the Prime Minister gained a great victory. He appears to have gained the largest individual vote in all Australia. Conversely, his Opposition counterpart, Mr. Curtin, the Federal Labour leader, appears to have lost his seat in Fremantle. Only in New South Wales did Labour gain. In the other five States it suffered the loss of popular support. This is to be noted especially in Queensland, where Labour has ruled the Stat'e’s affairs for over a decade. The election is of Empire interest, indeed of world interest, as the verdict given is an endorsement for an all-in war policy as opposed to Australian Labour’s rather detached attitude. Of especial interest to New Zealand is the fact that this election precedes our own by just one year. And it has been held at one of the gravest periods imaginable in the Empire’s history. There is, therefore, seemingly almost no possibility whatsoever of our General Election being deferred. What will be the people’s verdict here in the spring of 1941?