Another Minister

Passes !

Australian Pacific Territories Suffer in General Election

AS was forecast in this journal in Sep tember, the effect of the Australian general election is that there is to be a new Commonwealth Government, and a new Minister in charge of Aus tralia’s Pacific Territories.

Mr. Howard Nock, who has been Mini ster for Territories for several months, was one of the unfortunates who held a “borderline” seat in N.S.W., and he was defeated by Labour in the swing of N.S.W. public opinion against the Menzies Gov ernment.

The Territories will be sorry to lose Mr.

Nock. He frankly admitted that he did not know much about the tropical terri tories, but he applied himself to his duties in a very conscientious and thorough manner, no detail being too small for his personal attention.

Mr. Nock was the fifth Minister for Territories within three years. Now, the territories will make the acquaintance of still another Minister.

As we have repeatedly pointed out, it is a shocking thing that these unfortun ate communities should be treated in this way. There are five territories—New Guinea, Papua, Northern Territory, Nauru and Norfolk Island. As all of them except Northern Territory are without Parliamentary representation, and as the political appointees who fill the positions of Administrators are little more than rubber stamps for Canberra, it is of im portance that the Commonwealth Mini ster in charge of them should be a highly capable man, with a good working knowledge of the peculiar conditions of tropical administration. But, as a rule, the post of Territories Minister is re garded as of little consequence, and gen erally is thrown to some Assistant Mini ster who is merely cutting his admini strative teeth, Lt.-Colonel Phillip Harper, formerly District Medical Officer at Lautoka, Fiji, is at present on active service with a British medical unit in the Middle East.

His son, Gerald, who was born in Fiji has a commission in the R.A.F.