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Australian ConscriptionConscription in Australia, or mandatory military service also known as National Service, has a controversial history dating back to the first years of nationhood. First Years The Government of Prime Minister Alfred Deakin and other non-Labor Governments had introduced a form of conscription for boys from 12 to 14 years of age and for youths from 18 to 20 years of age between 1905 and 1909. An Australian Labor Party Government instituted a system of compulsory military training for all males aged between 12 and 26 from January 1 1911. World War I Under Labor Prime Minister Billy Hughes full conscription was attempted during WWI through two referenda. During 1916 the Government used the War Precautions Act and the Unlawful Associations Act to harass, arrest and prosecute anti-conscriptionists such as Tom Barker, editor of Direct Action and many other members of the IWW. The young John Curtin, at the time a member of the Victorian Socialist Party, was also arrested. Anti-conscriptionist publications (in one case, even when read into Hansard), were seized by government censors in police raids. Other notable opponents to Conscription included Melbourne Catholic Archbishop Daniel Mannix, Queensland Labor Premier Thomas Ryan, Vida Goldstein and the Women's Peace Army. Most trade unions actively opposed conscription. The issue deeply divided the Labor party, with ministers such as Hughes and George Pearce, vigorously arguing the need for conscription for Australia to help the Allies win the war. They were supported by many within the party, including Labor's first Prime Minister, Chris Watson. Hughes denounced anti-conscriptionists as traitors, and a climate of bitter sectarianism (with most Catholics opposing conscription and most Protestants supporting it) developed. The first referendum was held in October 1916 and narrowly rejected conscription. The referendum of 28 October 1916 asked Australians: Are you in favour of the Government having, in this grave emergency, the same compulsory powers over citizens in regard to requiring their military service, for the term of this War, outside the Commonwealth, as it now has in regard to military service within the Commonwealth? A second plebiscite was held on December 20 1917, and was defeated by a greater margin. The question put to Australians was: "Are you in favour of the proposal of the Commonwealth Government for reinforcing the Commonwealth Forces overseas?" After the failure of the two referenda, Billy Hughes was expelled from the Australian Labor Party, and promptly crossed the floor with about half of the parliamentary party and became Prime Minister of a conservative Nationalist Government. Following the split, Labor stayed out of office for ten years. World War II In 1939, at the start of WWII all unmarried men aged 21 were to be called up for three months Militia training. These men could only serve in Australia or its territories. Conscription was effectively introduced in mid-1942, when all men 18-35, and single men aged 35-45, were required to join the Citizens Military Forces (CMF). Volunteers with the Australian Army scorned CMF conscripts as "chocolate soldiers", or "chockos", because they were barred from fighting overseas. However CMF Militia units fought bravely under difficult conditions and suffered extremely high casualties during 1942, in slowing the Japanese advance on the Kokoda Track in New Guinea. New Guinea was then an Australian territory. By 1943, Australia had been bombed; 20,000 Australians were prisoners of war. The Commonwealth Government changed the Defence Act to extend the definition of areas to which conscripted servicemen could be sent, to now include all areas south of the Equator in South East Asia. This included all major war zones in the Pacific area. In effect, Australian conscripts could now for the first time be sent overseas to fight in the same areas as volunteers. The changes caused some public resentment and there was some public protest but most people seemed to support conscription during World War II. Compulsory military service ended in 1945, and most Australian personnel had been demobilised by the end of 1946. National Service in the 1950s In 1951, during the Korean War, National Service was introduced. All Australian males aged 18 had to register for 176 (later 140) days of training. In 1957 the system was changed to emphasise skill rather than numbers. The system was ended in 1959. National Service in the 1960s Vietnam War In 1964 National Service was introduced for selected 20 year olds based on date of birth, to have two years continuous full-time service. Many of these conscripts served in the Vietnam War. During the late 1960s opposition to the Vietnam War and conscription grew in Australia. Protests culminated in 1970 in 100,000 people peacefully occuping the streets of Melbourne, lead by Dr Jim Cairns and the Vietnam Moratorium committee. Australian Government Cabinet documents released by Australian National Archives in 2001 show that in 1970 the conservative Government were initially concerned about the growth of conscientious objection and outright opposition to the National Service Act. Federal Cabinet consided instituting an option of alternative civilian work program for conscientious objectors - a 'Siberian labour camp' option, in an attempt to reduce the numbers of objectors going to jail. This was never instituted, but was widely rumored at the time. Such work would have been menial labouring jobs in remote locations such as north and western Queensland, western New South Wales, and northern South Australia. In Cabinet Submission Number 200 for 1970, Appendix 1, case studies of 17 men awaiting prosecution for failure to undertake service show a broad spectrum of opposition to conscription including: - religous opposition from Jehovah's Witness viewpoint
- religious opposition from liberal Christian (Methodist) pacifist viewpoint.
- moral opposition to wars
- moral opposition to the Vietnam conflict in particular
- opposition based upon the compulsion and authoritarian nature of conscription and its conflict with democratic processes and ideals.
The documents reveal that draft resistance and draft dodging never posed a threat to the number of conscripts required, but the public opposition by draft resisters such as Michael Matteson did have an increasingly political effect. Conscription ended as one of the first acts of the newly elected Whitlam Labor Government in December 1972. Links External Links Conscription in Australia Conscription in Australia
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