“BRISBANE LINE”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25238, 29 May 1943, Page 5

“BRISBANE LINE”

AUSTRALIAN STRATEGY DISCLOSURE DEPLORED (N.Z.P.A. Special Aust. Correspondent) tßec. 11.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, May 28. “The ‘Brisbane Line’-, was dictated by hard facts. Major-general Sir Iven Mackay had to plan against invasion with forces infinitely smaller than we now have. The A.I.F. was abroad, and there was not a single fighter plane in the country. Our home army consisted of only a half-trained and mod-erately-equipped militia. We could not count on early assistance from the United States or Britain.” ’ This editorial comment is made in the Sydney Daily Telegraph on the revelation that the t‘ Brisbane Line strategy,” providing as a last resort , for the abandonment of Northern Australia to the Japanese '' invader, had been recommended by General Sir Iven Mackay as Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces. The plan was formulated two months after Mr Curtin took office as Prime Minister, and was rejected by the Labour Government. According to political commentators, attempts have been made to manu- • facture an election issue out of the “ Brisbane Line ” strategy. The Sydney Morning Herald, in* an editorial, places the blame for this at the door of the Federal Minister of Labour, Mr E. J. Ward, who first disclosed the existence of the line. The alleged inference was that Labour’s predecessors in office had been pre- v pared to “abandon the greater pari of Northern Australia to the, Japanest without firing a shot.” The Leader of the Federal Opposition, Mr A. W. Fadden, has now released correspondence from the Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, indicating that General Mackay, who was appointed to office by the Menzies Government, submitted the plan to the, Curtin Government at the outbreak >of the war with Japan. In rejecting this submission the Labour Government took steps to defend the whole continent. Included in these steps were the recall of the A.I.F. divisions abroad, the appointment of General MacArthur as \ Commander-in-Chief of the South-west Pacific area and representation for despatch to the area of naval, land, and air forces. ! Expressing regret that the existence of the “ Brisbane Line ” should have been revealed, the Sydney Morning Herald says: “ This plan, together with any other strategical projects which may have been drawn up at that desperate period, ought to have been kept a rigid secret until the time came to open the archives after the end of the war.” The paper describes ’ its premature publication as a “ shameless” attempt to exploit party politics. Mr Ward’s revelation of the line, made * several months 'ago, is termed “a bombshell effort to show that the Men-zies-Fadden regimes had been recreant . to their trusts, which has turned out * to be nothing but the. dampest of damp squibs.” Holding that General Mackay’s conception of the “Brisbane Line” plan (the defensive line ran from Brisbane through a point just north of Adelaide) was justified, the Sydney Daily Telegraph says that “ The vital part of Australia was the south-east corner of the continent, containing all pur coal and heavy industries. If we held Queensland and lost the south-east we /were defeated; if we lost Queehsland and held the south-east we could fight on.”