The Sydney Morning Herald, January 27, 1975, p. 2.

A new political party, which describes itself as “representing the only new political philosophy since Karl Marx,” was officially formed at the weekend.

The party, which has a free-enterprise, laissez-faire philosophy, sees “government” as the villain.

Its president, South Australian Dr John Whiting, explained yesterday: “If the Government laid off the backs of Australians, we could be the richest country in the world. Governments can bankrupt and destroy us.”

The other four directors of the Workers’ Party — it has essentially a corporate structure — are Duncan Yuille, former secretary of the General Practitioners’ Society, Mr R. Howard, a mechanical engineer, Mr R. Barros, a Sydney lawyer, and the party’s economist, Mr Mark Tier, author of the pamphlet, Understanding Inflation.

The West Australian mining millionaire, Mr Lang Hancock, was the guest of honour at the party’s inaugural dinner at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday night but he has declined to join, saying he would be “too much lead in the saddle.”

He said: “I have a lot of enemies and I think I would do the party more harm than good by becoming involved.”

The party is also supported by Mr John Singleton, whose advertising agency produced the anti-Labor television commercials in the last Federal elections.

It plans to have candidates in the next elections but will concentrate primarily on the House of Representatives.

According to Dr Whiting, who admits to having voted for the Country Party at the last elections, the new party’s platform is “radical, in the true sense of the word.”

It wants government eventually reduced to controlling armed forces, police and courts. This would mean no taxes (“legalised coercion and robbery”), no tariffs, no subsidies or bounties — and no welfare payments.

The party also believes there is no role for Government in economies. It wants to abolish the Reserve Bank, end the government-supported banking system and repeal government monopoly of the money supply.

It is strong on “individual rights,” supporting the abolition of all laws against drug use, censorship, gambling and any sexual activity, but a few policies have yet to be determined. Abortion has been deliberately excluded from the platform.

The party believes in complete private education, but goes one step further: it should not be compulsory.

The general secretary of the ALP, Mr David Combe, said last night: “It is clear from the objectives of this party, as published in the National Times, that is has nothing in common whatsoever with aspirations of the working people of Australia.

“It will eventually show itself to be yet another front for the lunatic fringe of the Liberal and Country Parties.”

The Leader of the Federal Opposition, Mr Snedden, said he did not want to comment on the establishment of the new party.