Defend democratic rights – rely on the people

Vanguard April 2010 p. 5
Alice M.

April 27 marks the 60th anniversary of the Menzies Liberal government’s declaration to ban the Communist Party of Australia, and the start of a powerful, united and broad peoples’ struggle for democratic rights and civil liberties in Australia.

The struggle united the working class, the main target of the ruling class, in a common cause with very wide sections of Australia’s people. The broad united front included some Liberal and Labor politicians and rank and file members, business people, judges and many others, and led to one of the most significant victories in the history of Australia’s people.

Many rich lessons can be learnt from the experience of this united struggle in today’s conditions of erosion of many democratic rights of the people. Today the working class and the people are also facing harsh attacks on workers’ and union rights and the whittling away of civil liberties under the guise of the anti-terror laws and an increase to the state’s policing powers to control the people. The intentions of the ABCC laws and Fair Work Act are parallel to the attacks on democratic rights in the 1950s.

Communist Party Dissolution Bill
On April 27 1950 the Menzies Liberal government tabled the Communist Party Dissolution Bill 1950 (Commonwealth). It was in a period of intensifying anti-communist and anti-working class McCarthyist campaign around the world, launched by monopoly capital from the belly of rising US imperialism. It demonised and unleashed a vicious witch-hunt of communists and communist parties, progressive unions and workers, peace movements and other progressive people’s struggles.

In Australia, the Communist Party Dissolution Bill gave powers to the government to declare the Communist Party of Australia an illegal organisation, with all its assets to be seized and disposed of. It gave government the power to dissolve any organisation it proclaimed communist or associated with the CPA. A person declared by the government as a communist could be gaoled for 5 years if they continued their political activities. Trade union officials and trade union activists, peace organisations and peace activists, community organisations and any community and political activist could be declared a Communist and have their activities declared illegal. Communists were declared ineligible to hold official union positions, and the Bill gave government the power to remove trade union officials from their elected positions.

The Bill declared a communist was “a person who supports or advocates the objectives, policies, teachings, principles or practices of communism, as expounded by Marx and Lenin”. At a time of heightened political consciousness in the working class, strong union militancy and wide union membership, the working class and its organisations was the main target of the anti-communist campaign. It was immediately after the long historic coal miners’ strike of 1949 and set against an international background of growing sympathy in the working class for socialism and the Soviet Union. The ALP in opposition initially refused to pass the Bill without some amendments, but then gave in and passed the Bill in its entirely original form, becoming law on 20 October 1950.

High Court challenge
Despite the Act being immediately challenged in the High Court, the Menzies government raided Communist Party offices and the homes of many people across Australia suspected of being members, sympathisers or having some association with the Communist Party, communists or activists in the trade union movement and peace groups.

In March 1951, despite a High Court ruling that the Act was unconstitutional, the Menzies government pushed on with its fascist-like war on the people. It escalated the ideological anti-communist cold-war propaganda of fear, witch-hunts, harassment and intimidation. The government and the ruling class demonised communists and the Communist Party, spreading slander and fear about thousands of activists in unions, peace movements, communities, schools and universities. It did so openly through its media mouthpieces, a handful of academics and the reactionary upper echelons of the church.

ASIO secret agents were sent to spy on people in their workplaces, neighbourhoods and grass roots organisations and spread rumours to isolate the communists and trade unionists from the people. The harassment, smear and demonising was peddled into the school grounds, class rooms and universities. Peoples’ lives, families and children were put under stress by witch-hunts, fear and harassment.

In September 1951, a referendum was held to amend the constitution and give the necessary powers to make the Communist Party Dissolution Act effective. In spite of the systematic and vicious campaign by all arms of the state, the majority of Australia’s people voted against banning of the Communist Party, successfully defeating the anti-democratic push by the ruling class. The campaign against the Dissolution Bill started with a minority, but by the time of the referendum 15 months, a majority voted it down.

Relying on the people
The anti-democratic push was defeated through immensely hard work by many democratically minded people, unionists and communists, by educating, arousing and uniting wide sections of the people. Although the Communist Party and some key trade unions played a major role in organising and leading the fight, acceptance of communism and socialism was never imposed or made a condition of unity with the very broad sections of the people. The main objective of the struggle and point of unity was to force back attacks on people’s democratic rights, and communists worked energetically and enthusiastically side by side with all opposed to the Dissolution Act, irrespective of their stand or view on communism.

Communists and trade union activists carefully considered and respected different circumstances and levels of consciousness within the united front and acted to ensure unity was maintained and strengthened. Communist political views were not forced or imposed on the united front, nor was the Communist Party promoted over the mass movement. Communists did not stop their mass work, disappear underground or hide under the bushes. They worked even harder in raising political consciousness of the people according to different circumstances and appropriate to each situation. Communist Party members worked side by side with Liberal party members, Labor Party leaders and rank and file members. They worked side by side even with reactionaries opposed to the Dissolution Act, understanding well that their participation in this campaign objectively strengthened the position of the working class.

Ted Hill, the late Chairman of Communist Party of Australia (M-L), worked tirelessly with ‘Doc’ Evatt (Labor Party leader at the time) leading both the legal and working class struggles on the ground. The Communist Party knew well that the fight had to be fought at all levels (legal, parliamentary, etc) but arousing and mobilising the working class and ordinary people would be decisive in defeating the anti-democratic push.

In spite of the systematic and ruthless anti-communist propaganda, many ordinary people’s own experience of living and working for many years alongside communists in unions, workplaces, community struggles, parents organisations, peace groups, women’s organisations, etc., to improve the lives of the people, put a lie to the anti- communist hysteria. Communist Party members, unionists and democratic rights and civil libertarians worked together tirelessly and without let up among wide sections of the people for more than 12 months leading up to the referendum. In spite of personal harassment, intimidation, witch-hunts and victimisation of their families, enormous sacrifices were made by many courageous and dedicated people. For them the well being and interests of the working class and the future of ordinary people came before their own personal security and comfortable life. They continued the legacy of the Eureka Rebellion and embodied the best qualities of the working class imbued with political class consciousness.

The lessons of the 1950-51 democratic rights struggle to defeat the Communist Party Dissolution Act should encourage and inform our struggles for democratic rights today.