AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27567, 8 December 1950, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE

National Service Measure GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION CRITICS Rec. 11 p.m. CANBERRA, Dec. 7. In the Federal Senate today during the debate on the National Service Bill Senator G. J. Rankin (Country Party), a Gallipoli veteran and a majorgeneral in the last war, attacked the Opposition for seeking to delay the Bill and delivered trenchant criticism against the Bill itself. “The proposal in the Bill is too little and too late,” he said. “I have been told that the chiefs of staff said it was not possible to introduce this scheme sooner. If I had been in charge I would have changed the chiefs of staff that day.”— (Government applause.) “ I would have j?ut someone in who was able to do"che work.” The Opposition Leader, Senator W. P. Ashley: You are lining yourself up with “ Joe ” Gullett. Senator Rankin: I am in very good company. The Government Whip, Mr H. B. Gullett, who attacked the Defence Ministry in the House of Representatives last night on defence‘unpreparedness, is receiving much support outside the House from younger members of the Liberal Party, many of whom, like himself, are ex-servicemen. Observers say the situation is assuming the aspect of a party revolt. Opening the debate in the House of Representatives on votes for defence services totalling more than £133,000,000, Mr Gullett said the Government’s defence measures were totally inadequate in view of the world situation. Each day there was another grave warning by the Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, or by the Minister of External Affairs, Mr P. C. Spender, but the pedple who believed they might have to rely on Australia’s defences for survival could take very little comfort from the position. “ Ships are deteriorating daily in Australian ports,” he added, “and the air force has not the ground crews to maintain the small section of the’front line aircraft that we have.” Mr F. M. Daly (Lab.): The Government ought to resign. Mr Gullett continued: “There is not a unit of the citizens’ military force militia which is up to strength. The great majority are not even up to 30 per cent., and some are completely valueless. The Government does not deny this situation. At present it is engaged in an almost desperate effort to attract troops to these forces, but the drive has every indication of being a complete failure. Young men do not believe the Government is absolutely earnest as to the necessity of maintaining a decent standard of defence.” Mr Gullett said that militia volunteers should receive their pay free of tax. He criticised the national training scheme as pathetically inadequate, and added: “ The numbers involved are not even as large as the reserve for the volunteer bush fire brigade. With one exception, there is not in Cabinet one who has had first-hand experience of the requirements of modern warfare, and not one who would be called up to defend the country if another war broke out.” The Minister of Defence, Mr P. A. Mcßride, in reply, charged that the Labour Party had crippled the recruiting drive because of its lack of support. “ Our plans were based on the best advice available, and on assumptions accepted in Great Britain and the United States,” he said. “When in Australia, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field-marshal Sir William Slim, expressed his satisfaction with them. It is a poor pretext for any member of the House to criticise the plans because of recent developments in Korea.”