Lang Hancock, “SPRUCE UP THE LIBERALS OR LET THE WEST SECEDE,” National Miner, March 31, 1975, p. 9.

The passing of the AIDC bill in the Senate, thereby extending the powers of that prime instrument of socialism to the point where the government (Liberal or Labor) can totally nationalise any industry in Australia, is a disgrace.

The Liberal Party must either abdicate as the champion of free enterprise or have a grand housecleaning of the socialist elements within its ranks.

According to the National Times of March 17, 1975, Professor Harry Edwards was the prime mover championing the cause of the AIDC while Mr Lynch has been quoted as advocating the imposition of a capital gains tax.

How anybody, except a socialist bureaucrat anxious to expand his department, can advocate imposing still more tax on the already highest taxed community in the world, is beyond comprehension.

Mr Malcolm Fraser must sharpen up the scalpel and cut out this rotten core of socialism from the Liberal Party, otherwise some emerging group, based on genuine free enterprise is going to supplant the Liberal Party.

Because of the failure of the Liberal Party over the years to stand up for their professed principles of anti-socialism, a flock of new parties and movements is opening up throughout Australia.

For instance the Australia Party (now turned Labor), the Restore Incentive Movement, the Workers’ Party and many more — probably a dozen at least — have emerged because of the Liberal/Country Party defection to socialistic practices.

Of the breakaway groups, the one which seems to be the most dedicated to the cause of free enterprise is the misnamed Workers’ Party. Its battering ram is the intensity with which it opposes “Big Government.” Big government that is at every level: Federal, State and local governments.

The biggest of big governments is in Canberra. In this respect the Workers’ Party has much in common with the rapidly growing Westralian Secession Movement.

Egged on by starry-eyed idealists, imbued with a genuine reforming zeal to retrieve Australia from the present mess, they have launched their new party with a misunderstood name and unfortunately aimed their philosophy over the heads of the average voter.

However, what they lack in political expertise they more than make up for in honesty of intention and enthusiasm, so on this basis they are worth support when one considers that the way is open for them to succeed if for no reason other than by default on the part of the Liberal Party.

Unless there is a drastic reformation within the Liberal Party it is inevitable that some free enterprise group will have to take over if Australia is to be saved.

It will take time for the Workers’ Party to take the reins from the present crumbling Liberal Party and become the only alternative to the present caucus and bureaucratic controlled administration, which is in the nutcracker being crushed between the communist controlled unions and the high tariff manufacturing lobby.

What then is to become of Australia in the meantime?

Only an ostrich with his head in the sand would not admit that our prospects of survival are pretty thin. This is the moment of truth and a realisation that the only remaining alternative would be for Western Australia to secede economically from Canberra and develop the Pilbara as a buffer against world aggressors seeking our natural resources.

Other nations will acquire their resources by force if we fail to develop or trade them to the mutual benefit of Australia and the resource hungry nations.

The aim of secession is to reverse the present rush of power to Canberra so as to obtain economic freedom and justice for WA. Such economic freedom would lead to a marked increase in our standard of living and population to the point where we could have a considerable “commodity power” with which to ensure the safety of the whole of Australia.

At the moment Australia is defenceless. It could well be under attack within 10 or 15 years from even a minor power.

With a seceded Western Australia functioning within a free economy our “resources diplomacy” should be to make ourselves indispensable to several of the giant nuclear powers, just as we are at present indispensable to Japan’s economic existence.

In this way each of the major world powers would be jealously alert to see that none of their rivals or even smaller powers march in to grab the whole of Western Australia’s resources.

Defence for WA means defence for Australia.

Whereas federation, stagnation recession and economic injustice for WA, spells invasion for Australia.

If we do not secede and develop so as to supply the powers of the world, then even one of the minor countries could be tempted to step in, and take us over and become economically powerful by doing so.

The question arises as to how best to engineer a reversal of power (centralism) from Canberra. It is only a politician seeking votes by hoisting the banner of “States Rights” or a very naive person who would even imagine that the head of any huge Canberra bureaucracies (which rule Australia) would ever voluntarily relinquish one shred of his power and return it calmly to the States.

This would be contrary to human nature; particularly the nature of a person whose lust for power has driven him to the top of the Canberra hierarchy.

“States Rights” — a wonderful vote catching cry — but if you want them you will have to take them. Nobody is going to give them to you. The only way you can take them short of an invasion of Canberra is to secede.

It is equally naive to imagine that WA’s lifeblood, namely the mining industry, will not continue to be mercilessly persecuted by Canberra even though it is national suicide to do so.

Pilbara-Kalgoorlie has only one Federal Parliamentary representative, and seeing that it is a solid Labor seat, there is no political mileage to be gained by either party taking up cudgels on its behalf.

The potentially richest part of Australia, the Pilbara, is stagnant of fresh development. It has been killed by three Canberra currency revaluations, the Reserve Bank’s 33.33% no interest bearing deposit, Canberra’s removal of the Chifley taxation incentives, the fright of the proposed enlarged nationalisation powers of the AIDC, and the establishment of the proposed National Investment Fund — all darlings of the Canberra central power dictatorship.

This brings us to the very meat of the secession movement. It would be absolutely futile to secede and at the same time set up the same type of overriding Canberra bureaucracy in Perth.

We in WA must only secede if we do so under a constitution which limits the power of government to win elections by buying votes with promises of huge government spendings on handouts to the populace; all involving the build-up of huge government departments which in turn virtually take over the governing of the country.

The Westralian Secession Movement does not intend breaking ties of language, blood, customs and denying freedom to move around, mingle and marry within the island continent of Australia.

It simply means economic freedom from Canberra and freedom from the type of suicide which Australia has been subjected to because of Canberra’s power lust.