Uproarious Scenes in Federal Parliament

Northern Advocate, 17 March 1944, Page 3

Uproarious Scenes in Federal Parliament

(Rec. 2 p.m.) CANBERRA, This Day. Uproarious scenes in the Federal House of Representatives last night culminated in Opposition members three times walking out of the chamber in a body. The disorder occurred during a debate in committee on the Wider Powers Bill.

Earlier, the second reading of the Bill had been passed by 55 votes to 10, 10 Opposition members and one Independent voting with the Government.

The first trouble occurred when the temporary chairman of committees (Mr. Martens) called to order the Deputy Leader of the Country Party (Mr. McEwen). Mr. McEwen walked out of the chamber, followed by other Opposition, members.

The Prime Minister (Mi*. Curtin) was then brought into the chamber and had a hurried conference with Mr. Martens, after which Mr. McEwen and the Opposition members came back into the House. Following two later incidents, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Menzies) said in committee: “In all my Parliamentary experience I have never seen such contempt shown for the right of a minority as we have witnessed tonight.” He added that it had been an “amazing exhibition of majority strongarm methods.” It must have been the supreme irony of political history that so soon as the Opposition had made the only protest available to it by walking out, the Attorney-General (Dr. Evatt) proceeded to move amendments to the constitution to guarantee freedom of speech and expression.