May Have Wide Back ground
pp. 7-8 · Read in the full issue
Mr. Spender's New Guinea Plans May Have Wide Back ground
FHE energy and vision displayed by f- the Australian Minister, Mr.
Spender, in statements during his nspection of Papua and New Guinea, uggest that, when he makes his remised announcement in the Aus ralian Parliament on policy in elation to Pacific Territories gener lly. some interesting developments lay be indicated.
Australia’s intentions regarding apua-New Guinea, as an Adminis rative task, are outlined in an rticle elsewhere, describing Mr. pendens visit to the Territories, ut behind all this there probably is bigger plan, of significance to all ie Pacific Territories eastward of ew Guinea.
Australia seems destined to play a gger and bigger part in South acme affairs. In the world-wide eolqgical struggle that is develop g, probably will be Australia’s sponsibility to impose a barrier be /een the thousand million people in sia, now in a ferment of nationalism id Communism, and the score of lands communities to the eastward, no have modelled their national life cording to patterns brought to them " Western Democracy.
The proudest achievement of the uted Nations up to date is the ;struction of that model of colonial ministration, the Netherlands
Indies. In its place the United Nations has given us the calamitous “United States of Indonesia”—which already are disunited and in process of col lapse, and likely to become a happy hunting-ground of Asiatic Com munism. Under the Dutch regime, the Netherlands Indies would have been a barrier between Asia and Australia. Under the new regime, Indonesia brings aggressive Asiatic nationalism to the very doors of Australia—a menace to our peace and security which will become greater as it becomes more Red.
TT is not surprising, therefore, that A the new Australian anti-Com munist Government should see, in New Guinea, something more than a problem of administration. New Guinea, as was shown in the Pacific war, is an essential part of the defen sive arc of Islands which Australia must hold as a part of her defences.
That arc starts in Timor, north-west of Australia, and extends through Dutch New Guinea, Australian New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville, the British Solomon Islands and the New Hebrides, to New Caledonia; and if defence of Aus tralia is a primary consideration in Australian policy in relation to the Pacific Islands, then Australia must have a voice in the administration, not only of Eastern New Guinea and
the Bismarck Archipelago, but also of most of the other Islands named.
A political struggle is developing over the future control of western New Guinea. The Dutch hold it, and the Dutch want to retain it. The Indonesians covet it and, apparently, are prepared to fight the Dutch for it.
It should be held by the Dutch; but, failing that, it must be controlled by Australia, for Australia’s safety. A realist Australian Government can take no other view.
A question is arising, also, in re lation to Timor and the future use of those little groups of islands (Tenimbar, Aroe, and Kai) which lie in between Dutch New Guinea and the Australian coast. Australia can not, with equanimity, witness the development of those places as Indo nesian strongposts—they are far too close to her northern coasts. Some of the most destructive Japanese air raids on Australia’s northern ports in 1942 came from Jap bases in the Aroe and Tenimbar Islands and in Timor.
MR. SPENDER is a man of vision and lively imagination. It is not to be supposed that he is blind to these considerations and implica tions. There is probably more than a little significance in the fact that, having completed his New Guinea tour at Rabaul, he returned to Aus tralia through the Solomons, New Hebrides and New Caledonia Islands —all vital eastern links in the islands chain that is of so much im portance in any scheme of Australian defence.
Some statement from the Austra
lian Prime Minister, or from his Minister for External Affairs and Territories, dealing with the fore going matters, may be expected within the next month or two. It will be of interest to all communities in the South Pacific. Australia, alone, can not be expected to hold back the masses of Asia, if ever we should come to World War III; but Aus tralia’s preparations, in making pro vision for defence, and in co operating with the United States and the Western Democracies in a plan for the protection of the Pacific generally, are of great importance to all of us.