AUSTRALIA "FED UP."

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15895, 21 January 1924, Page 6

AUSTRALIA "FED UP."

IMPRESSIONS OF MR PARR. EVILS OF THREE-PARTY SYSTEM. "Everybody, down to the man in the street, is fed up; men of good judgment are asking whether representative government under such condition., is worth while." In these terms, the Minister of Justice and Education, Hon C. J. Parr, summed up the r ;mpressions, in response to a request for his opinion on the political outlook of Australia, with especial regard to the three States he has just visited —Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.

"Polities are rather cfhaotic in Australia " said Mr Parr. "There is hardly a Government, either Federal or State, which has a majority of its own behind it. The three-party system has proved a real curse to Australia, just as it seems likely to be the bane of Great Britain. Strong legislation and resolute administration aire very difficult under the present circumstances. Country Party Controls Situation. "In New South Wales, Sir George Fuller's Government has only 39 supporters in a House of 90 members; Labour has 34 or 35, and the Farmers' or Progressive Party the balance. The Fuller party is, cf course, the largest, but ■it is quite powerless unless the Country Party votes with it. In other words, the Country Party absolutely controls the political situation —the Fuller Government stays in or goes out at its whim. In a recent test division on the Estimates, the Country Party joined with the Labour Party and voted the Government out. The following week, alarmed at its action, and at the certainty of an immediate general election, should it persist, the Country Party calmly reversed its vote and kept the Fuller. Government in o.fflce. Such a position obviously creates complete insecurity of Government'and administration that is bad for the body politic "In Victoria, the Country Party ha» amalgamated with the Government Party, and has secured three seats in the Ministry- Consequently Victoria seems to be efficiently governed. "In Queensland, (lie same internal dissension among moderate men contributes largely to the success of Mr Theodore's Labour Government. Unenies/tionably the three-party system spells insecurity and inefficiency in Government. Worse still, it has most materially depreciated Parliamentary institutions in the public view. Is It Worth While? "There is the very striking fact that everybody, down to the man in the street, seems 'fed up' with Parliamentary Government. Men of good judgment seriously ask whether representative government, under such conditions is really worth while. They argue' that Parliament can function only where there are two parties, one in Opposition, with strongly-inarked principles and. policy.

"The trouble m Australia is that the farmers are building up separate political parties. I was unable to discover what advantage the farmers of New South Wales had gained by having a separate party. They hav:i obtained no legislation specially favourable to their interests c-r their in dustry, and they seem no better oft than before; rather arc they worse off, because their existence as a party is regarded by other interests as a challenge. By hiving themselves off as an independent political party they have merely made the position of the moderate forces in politics quite insecure, and have played into this hands of the Labour-Socialists, who are not disple&sed to see the split.

"The moral is obvious. This farming community in New Zcalend will do well to ponder the experience of New South Wales, in particular, before launching into the creation of a separate political organisation. Political chaos has been the only result so far achieved by such a course."