P-NG Tax

Mr. Hasluck's Friends Rally [?]ange Black-Out P-NG Tax [?]ellion News

all the remarkable features of he Tax Rebellion in Papua and tew Guinea, in July and August, is more noteworthy and leant—than the treatment of übject by the Australian news ’s and Parliament, to late August, the following s had occurred —and were

5t totally ignored by the news

’s: he resentment of the great majority •ritorians of their treatment by the ,lian Territories Minister (Mr. Has had reached boiling point. This was strated in strongly-worded resolu by public meetings all over the »ry. fhe Legislative Council was unani r (unanimously, because the official •rs have no free choice and do not -they vote as instructed by the iment) against the procedures d by the Minister.

'o demonstrate their strong feeling, tree elected members resigned in a Tom the Council. fhen the Council went stubbornly on the Hasluck procedure (rushing the on Bills into operation without ite preparation or notice to tax ), the Taxpayers’ Association ap to the Territory’s Supreme Court, t challenge to the validity of the 11 set-up. ’hen the Supreme Court rejected the ktion, the Taxpayers’ Associations I the matter to the High Court of lia, with a further challenge to the y of the Papua and New Guinea mder which the P-NG Administra carried on.

Fhen the Administration—still stub pursuing the Hasluck policy—pro to fill the vacant places on Legco ;ans of by-elections, the organised yers retaliated by nominating can s pledged to resign, if they were 1 to the Council. atever the merits of this spec

ir struggle between Territories

ter and Territory Taxpayers, ituation was packed with in and drama, and on that nt should have been rated by ewspapers as first-class news.

"This Curious Picture"

en the dispute reached the Court, and it became clear that, e challenge to the Papua and Guinea Act succeeded, Terri- Administration could go into J, the situation called for at the size of headings the news rs customarily reserve for slum bers and Hollywood divorces.

But, no! Most of these develop ments were scarcely mentioned by the Australian newspapers, and none of them was explained.

The later ones—the struggle over the by-elections, and the reference to the High Court (so seriously re garded that it ca 11 ed for the Full Bench) —were not given one prominent line.

Outstanding in this curious pic ture, was the attitude of The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Herald, apparently following some defined policy or instruction, “played down” the New Guinea Tax Rebellion right from the beginning —either placing the story away out of sight, or ignoring it altogether; and the two Sydney evening papers, obedient minor units of the Fairfax

group, did likewise.

Australian observers, and especi ally those with some knowledge of the newspaper business, were greatly puzzled by this determined black out of the New Guinea news by Australia’s newspaper monopolies The wonder apparently extended to New Guinea. This cheeky little para graph appeared in South Pacific Post, published in Port Moresby: “By the way, ever wonder why ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’ patted the Terri tory tax issue out of sight? Paul’s good mates with the general manager.’’

Whether this is so or not, we do not know. Mr. Paul Hasluck was at one time a leader-writer on the lead ing West Australian newspaper, and would have friends, presumably, in the newspaper world. (Over,

e Sydney Daily Telegraph arly ignored the Tax Rebellion, ugh the Telegraph normally ydney’s keenest purveyor of , and especially background ere appears to be no explana other than a ganging-up be a high newspaper executives high Territory executives, who

have certain things—including lines of political thinking—in common.

Parliament is Bored Equally remarkable —and equally damnable, in its relation to public affairs and good government—is the way in which the New Guinea situation has been ignored in the Australian Parliament by rank-and file members.

It was supposed that, as soon as Parliament met early in August, Minister Hasluck would meet a bombardment of questions concern ing his lamentable mis-handling of affairs in the Territory.

Not one well-informed question was asked.

The Tax Rebellion was not even mentioned until late in the Budget debate, when Messrs. Wheeler and McColm (two members of a little group of back-bench Liberals, who are about the only men who show any life or intelligence in that

grossly overfed, overpaid and un informed Parliament) set abou Minister Hasluck in a way that mad ; that martinet bellow. (See repor. elsewhere).

But it achieved nothing. The great majority of members appeared un interested, and the Ministers merely bored.

Mr. Hasluck himself, it seems, could not care less. He still is safe in the Inner Cabinet under the pro tection of Dictator Menzies —on whom apparently he models himself.

Usually the People, in some de gree, look to the Press for protection against an arrogant or incompetent Parliament. That is thought to be inherent in our Western system.

There~appears to be no such pro tection for the people of New Guinea; and the way in which this fact has been disclosed throws a peculiar light upon at least some sections of the Australian Press. (See Editorial Commentary.)