CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23671, 1 December 1938, Page 7

CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS

AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH PROPOSALS FOR STRENGTHENING '*. (From Our Own Correspondent) SYDNEY, Nov. 24. ; A referendum at which the people will be asked to give the Commonwealth much wider powers in many directions is likely to be held next year. Indicating this, the Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons) said the Commonwealth was determined to press forward promptly with a non-party appeal lor additional powers. Earlier in the day the AttorneyGeneral (Mr R( G. Menzies) had announced in the House of Representatives that a special session of the Federal Parliament would be held early next year to consider constitutional reforms. The announcement was cheered on both Sides of the House. : The constitutional session. was suggested by Mr Scullin, a former Labour Prime Minister, who said that sooner or later Australians would be forced to adopt a unified system of government, and the people should be given an opportunity to decide whether Australia was to be ruled by one sovereign Parliament. Australia was ruled in a great measure, not by a majority of electors, but by a majority of six judges on the High Court Bench. i "Reform of the parliamentary machine is imperative," Mr Scullin said. "After 58 years of experience of the Federal system of government, surely no thinking man is satisfied with the results. The need for constitutional reforms grows more urgent day by day. Legislation passed by this Parliament has been declared invalid —not on the merits of the proposals, but upon technical grounds that they were outside the written Constitution. On larger economic and financial matters, various methods had been resorted to in an attempt to overcome constitutional restraints. With a population of 7,000,000, we have seven sovereign Parliaments, seven Governors, seven overseas representatives, seven separate taxing authorities, seven railway departments, seven Public Works Departments, seven police forces, and so on. Duplication and overlapping cause unnecessary delay and excessive cost, and bring ridicule upon J>arliamentary system. Sooner or ater Australians will have to adopt a unified system of government, similar to Britain, South Africa, and New Zealand." Mr Menzies, announcing a few days later a decision to hold a constitutional session, described the " fantastic division " of powers between Commonwealth and States and said that " because of the ridiculous limitation on the powers of the Commonwealth," vital national problems could not be solved. Referring to reluctance oi! the people in the past to amend the Constitution, Mr Menzies said that the States were sovereign bodies, and that any proposal to increase Commonwealth power was a sort of sacrilegious attack upon that sovereignty. " Most of us, including myself, have made this error at some time or other," he said. "Sovereignty is exercised by the people as a whole, and it is for them to say whether certain powers should pass from the State to the Commonwealth." Mr Menzies said that in the past insufficient time had been allowed for educational campaigns preceding referendums on constitutional amendments. Too often they were regarded as being purely party matters. The last referendum on aviation powers had been defeated because it was made a party matter. Serious obstacles will have to be overcome if the powers of the Commonwealth Parliament are to be extended. Two courses are open. The States can agree to delegate powers they now possess to the Commonwealth, or a referendum may be held to alter the Constitution. The Prime Minister, Mr Lyons, believes that a sound general principle would be that the Commonwealth should deal with problems which are truly national. The constitutional session of the Federal Parliament will consider ways in which Commonwealth powers could be extended.