War and Conscription: Plebiscites, Radio Stations, And The Fight Not To Fight
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On 31 July 1914, Labor Party Opposition Leader Andrew Fisher declared: “Should the worst happen, after everything has been done that honour will permit, Australians will stand beside the mother country to help and defend her to our last man and our last shilling.” Four short days later, the United Kingdom declared war on Austria-Hungary, and Australia’s World War One began. By 1916, the devastating death toll of trench warfare had begun to strain the supply of new volunteers. The Government of Australia was forced to consider conscription of all eligible males to produce sufficient soldiers. They put the issue to a nationwide plebiscite in 1916, and again in 1917. In both cases, Victorian Trades Hall campaigned vociferously against the motion – at one meeting of over 250,000 union members in 1916, a vote was taken that resulted in a 99.7% majority against conscription; and in 1917 a pamphlet authorized by the Labor Party and the Trades Hall Council called conscription ‘The Gateway to Hell’ – yet in the face of apparent public support among both the military and civilians, in both cases the plebiscite was narrowly defeated.[ix] Though the war was won regardless, the specter of conflict in Europe soon rose again. Labour representatives opposed World War Two well before it began, calling for Australia to remain distanced from the conflict unless it naturally reached our shores. During the War, left-wing radio stations operated out of the Trades Hall, attracting controversy in 1941 when they were disbanded for leaking classified information relating to a naval battleship.[x] This collection gathers materials relating to war, placing the Victorian Trades Hall within the issues of war. To understand war’s effects on women in work, see ‘Women and the Unions: From Tailoresses to Equal Pay’. The Cold War came directly out of World War Two, prompting a re-examination of the Communist party in Australia, considered in the collection ‘Focus: The Communist Party Ban.’ World War Two also led to a massive influx of migrants from Europe. To find out more about the labour movement’s reactions to this, see ‘Immigration: White Australia and the Unions.’