“Australia Closer To Fascism Than Any Other British Country"

Northern Advocate, 27 April 1944, Page 5

“Australia Closer To Fascism Than Any Other British Country"

(Special) SYDNEY, This Day Actions to determine the validity of the Commonwealth censorship regulations will be heard in Sydney this week. Frosecutions by the Com-j monwealth against certain newspaperj executives will come before a magis-j trate in the Federal Court of Petty! Sessions today. The Chief Justice ofj the High Court (Sir John Latham) yesterday refused the newspaper application that today's cases should be heard by the Full Court. The application was made on the grounds that the hearing raised issues involving interpretation of the Constitution. The Chief Justice ruled that the law should take its normal course. If the parties were dissatisfied with the decision made by the Court of Petty Sessions, then action could be taken to appeal. The censorship controversy continues to figure prominently in the news. The "Sydney Morning Herald” says: “Profound political issues going to the heart of democratic government have been raised by the recent suppression of newspapers and on these issues, as distinct from legal questions, it is imperative that the public should know where Cabinet, and not merely Mr Calwell, stands.” The paper points out that Mr Calwell, on Cabinet seniority, 19th of 19 Federal Cabinet members, has alone been vocal cn the present crisis. Without A Parallel “Tire suppression of the newspapers was an act without parallel in a British or any other free country in modern times.” declares “The Sydney Morning Herald.” editorially. “The spirit which animated this act, apart from the legality or otherwise of what was done by the censorship authorities, should be deeply pondered by the Australian people. “It is their liberties which are in jeopardy It is on them that the evil results of the loss of Press freedom would recoil. Once the Press can be muzzled, the way is clear for official abuses to flourish, uncriticised and unchecked, for maladministration to escape censure, and for political weakness to go unreproved. “The Press censorship crisis does not stand alone. It must be viewed against a background of petty tyrannies and usurpations of popular rights, so serious in their cumulative effect as to cause an eminent constitutional lawyer to declare recently that ‘Australia is getting closer to Fascism than anv part of the i Eritisli Empire has ever got.”*