In view of the Muldoon government appointment of former National Prime Minister Holyoake as New Zealand's next Governor-General, people in this country would be well-advised to study the position of the Australian Governor-General. "Sir John" Kerr, particularly since his recent resignation.

Kerr's resignation was a direct result of the pressure put on him by thousands of people from all over Australia following his sacking of the Whitiam Labour government on November 11th, 1975. This is not idle supposition — Kerr himself stated that the reason for his resignation was the enoumous amount of antagonistic feelings his actions had aroused within Australia.

Nor were the people opposing Kerr only longhaired students and leftist trade-unionists. Old-age pensioners and suited office-workers were just as common as them. Kerr was jeered and booed at all manner of functions — at athletics meetings, race meetings, opera performances, — there was no place he could go in Australia without coming face to face with the contempt Australians held him in. As a former (and well-known) member of the legal profession he was once invited to attend the law society annual dinner in Melbourne — even there, on his own territory, a significant number of lawyers strongly opposed him before walking out of the dinner.

Violence Against Protestors

His public appearances since 1975 were marked by the violence they engendered — mainly on the part of the police attempting to protect him. At one of his appearances in Melbourne I had the privilege to attend, several hundred people were lined across a road leading up to the Restaurant in which Kerr was to dine. As Kerr's Rolls royce appeared, flanked by eight mounted police, we linked arms across the road — at that point, over a 100 police attacked us from behind, punching and kicking us indiscriminately. Simultaneously, Kerr's car and the horses drove straight at us at 20 - 25 mph, making no attempt to avoid us. Many of us were crushed between the two groups — two were taken to hospital severely injured, one with crushed ribs from a horse hoof. The police made no attempt to ask people to leave — of even to arrest them. They appeared solely intent on 'beating up' as many protesters as possible.

Given such occurances, and that was only one of the many similar, it was no wonder that people retaliated with such actions as tacks and marbles thrown under horses hooves and the odd missile smashing the Rolls Royce's windows ! Not since the Depression has Australia witnessed such sustained political violence — ordinary citizens battling the forces of the state.

Kerr's Past History

It must not be said, though, that people opposed Kerr because they had liked the Labour Government — it was much more hatred of the things that Kerr represented : the extreme rightwing political groups, the multinational companies and the secret police of foreign countries. Below is an abbrieviated chronology of "Sir John Kerr's history published by the Australian Independence Movement, initiators and organisers of much of the action against Kerr:

1941-5 Worked for Australian government intelligence organisation and was responsible for it's break-up near the end of the war and revamping under US auspices (it had previously been pro-British in outlook).

Late '40's Set up secret pro-US military intelligence group in New Guinea ; tied in with police and legal system of that (then) country.

1950's Spearheads legal side of right wing Catholic group in Labour Party that resulted in huge split in that Party.

1958 Begins writing for Free Spirit and Quadrant, right-wing magazines, both now proved to have been funded by the CIA. Helped remove an academic (Professor Orr) from Tasmania University due to his alleged 'communist' associations.

1960's Legal counsel for giant U S oil multinational ESSO in negotiations that resulted in that company gaining control of Australia's Bass Strait oil reserves (ESSO took beck over $55 million in profits to the US in the first half of the last financial year).

1965 Argued the case against granting equal pay to Aborigines worked for British and US - owned stock companies in the Northern Territory.

1966 Founded an Asian/Pacific region Law association which was revealed in 1967 to have been funded by the CIA.

1969 Was responsible, as Arbitration Court judge for the jailing of a Trade Union leader in Victoria. (After one week striking workers forced Kerr to release unionist from jail).

1974 Appointed Governor General by Whitlam. 'Entertained' Australian and American secret intelligence chiefs several times.

1975 Sacks Whitiam Government.

Forced to resign.

1977 Forced to resign.

Why was Kerr Ever Appointed?

Many people ask why Whitiam appointed Kerr when he knew (certainly) of Kerr's right-wing, anti-Australian background. The basic reason is that the US government, through its State Department, was becoming increasingly concerned at the Whitiam government's tentative moves to align Australia more with the Asian and other Third world countries and less with America. The Americans had no wish to lose the enormous economic, political and military stranglehold they had tightened on Australia in the years following World War II — nor was Whitiam willing or able to displease too much his powerful American "allies". Consequently, he appointed Kerr as Governor General (knowing full-well his background) in order to appease the Americans, and to assure them that they still had their finger on the trigger !

Of course, it was only 1½ years before Whitiam realised his monumental mistake. Too late, though, for the Australian people. If Kerr's actions did nothing else, they provided a huge boost for the movement to make Australia an independent republic, beholden to no country — neither an anachronistic British (figurehead) monarchy, nor a modern imperialist superpower, competing for control of other countries with a rival superpower.

Dave Macpherson.