War and Conscription: Plebiscites, Radio Stations, And The Fight Not To Fight

Title

War and Conscription: Plebiscites, Radio Stations, And The Fight Not To Fight

Description

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.’

Collection Items

May 1916: Australian Trade Unions Publish Report Against Conscription
A report on the Australian Trade Union Congress conducted in 1916 at the Melbourne Trades Hall to discuss the attitude of unions towards the issue of conscription for overseas service during the First World War. The document presents the minutes from…

18 May 1916: Meeting Of Workers Sees 258,018 Unionists Vote Against Conscription, Just 753 Support
This article details a meeting of 300,000 unionists and their opposition to conscription. The resolution which declared the congress' hostility toward conscription passed with 258,018 in favour and 753 against. The articles also presents a number…

1 August 1916: Government Forces Raid Trades Hall, Seize Anti-Conscription Materials
This newspaper article details the raiding of the Melbourne Trades Hall and the subsequent seizing of pamphlets containing arguments and manifesto against conscription by Police.

3 August 1916: Trades Hall Council Plans Next Move After Government Raid
Following the raid of the building and seizure of anti-conscription pamphlets by government forces. The minutes include discussions held to decide the planned response by the council to the government's actions. They suggest protest against the…

3 December 1917: Trades Hall Anti-Conscription Campaign Fights Against Second Plebiscite
An anti-conscription campaign publication aimed at voters in the December 1917 plebiscite, imploring Australians to reject the notion to instate mandatory conscription in Australia during World War I. The publication includes a series of smaller…

February 1918: Trades Hall Council Lobbies For Employment And Fair Conditions For Returned Servicemen
This source demands fair working conditions and wages for men who were injured in war.

1935: Labor Party And Trades Hall Council Present Anti-Fascist, Anti-War Stance
A piece representative of the Melbourne Trades Hall Committee that is completely opposed to the war, except if it becomes an onshore issue. Particularly argues for peace, and constant use of science to further society. Labor defeated conscription in…

2 December 1941: Left-Wing Radio Stations Based In Trades Hall Suppressed For Reporting Classified Information
Because of breaches of a temporary ban on the broadcast of information concerning the presumed loss of H.M.A.S. Sydney A Class Station-3AR, Melbourne and two B class stations- 2UW, Sydney, and 3KZ, Melbourne-are being temporarily put off the air.
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