AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18214, 7 November 1922, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

MR. DOOLEY'S FORECAST.

ELECTORAL "REFORM" FAILS.

Discussing the Federal elections, which •will be held on December 16, Mr. J. Dooley, the former Labour Premier of New South Wales, said yesterday that itwas rather difficult to prognosticate the result, but it appeared that four parties would he represented in the new Parliament—National, Labour, Liberal, ant! Country. The old Liberal Party had re vived in Victoria and South Australia. Ik the latter State the great body of the Nationalist* had changed over to Liberalism. It was considered by those best ablo to judge that Labour would be the strongest party in the Parliament, but that; it would not be strong enough to form a Government. Consequently it was probable there would be another coalition of the anti-Labour forces, and who the leader would be was in the lap of the gods.

Mr. Dooley said the action of the Liberals in deserting the National Party was similar to that of the British Conservatives in "sacking" Mr. Lloyd George. Times of stress having passed, the men who did the work were no longer wanted. ,

Labour had gone through very trying times in Australia on account of so many members leaving the party, and there had been a certain amount of internal friction in New South Wales, but it was now going ahead again, and in three years' time it was hoped that Labour would again be governing the Commonwealth in at least three of the States. The defeat of Labour in New South Wales he attributed to the election having been fought on the sectarian issue. The charges of favouritism for Roman Catholics having been found to be false, a revulsion of feeling had taken place. Another factor was proportional representation, which had proved far from satisfactory.

"We' were defeated by a very narrow margin, that is when you consider the small number of votes it would have taken to allow candidates to remain in for additional counts, which would have given them the seat," said Mr. Dooley. "To have given Labour five more seats would probably not have taken more than 2000 votes. I particularly desired that the election should be fought on a clean, straight-out issue, platform to platform, and policy to policy. On this basis Labour would have had a majority of at least 10, and probably 12."

Proportional representation worked out splendidly on paper, and possibly it might be successful in countries of Bmall territory, but not where there were large electorates'of up to 120,000 square miles.