Another Election Looms - Diary Entry 8

Happenings at Home,
April - July 1914
Another Election Looms

Image: Election day at Charleville, Queensland, 1914 - Follow a Digger through WWI with this historically engaging Great War Diary which recreates the life of a typical Australian soldier in the trenches. Available for purchase here.

Another election looms

An election for the Commonwealth Government has been set for 5 September. It seems Prime Minister Cook finally conceded government with a margin of just one seat in the House of Representatives, and no sway whatsoever in the Senate, is not tenable. But rather than simply call a fresh election in the House, as is his entitlement, he enlisted the Governor General to dissolve both the Senate and House of Representatives. This is the first time a ‘double dissolution’ has been enacted and both the Prime Minister and Labor Leader, Andrew Fisher, have been seeking any forum to extol the virtues of their side and to articulate the failings of the other. 

It seems that no matter what Mr Cook proposes Mr Fisher successfully finds fault in the present Government’s management. The Prime Minister has said he wants to further develop our navy and military but Mr Fisher has turned this into a disadvantage, saying Mr Cook’s plans depend on borrowings from overseas. Labor’s position is that in times of peace and prosperity we should fund defence from revenue rather than credit or, as Mr Fisher said, “have no reserve nor resources in time of danger and attack”. Mr Fisher claims to have left millions of pounds in trust funds available for loan expenditure when he lost office as Prime Minister last year. I find the vitriol of both difficult to digest and if I were of age to vote would be undecided at this point. Although on personalities I do feel for more favourable toward Mr Cook given he has not had an easy term in office and perhaps could achieve greater good if he had a clear majority. I do however have an opinion on the voting age, given at 20 I feel far more considered in matters of politics than most 21 year olds. I should imagine most will vote with the last Headline they read on the way to the polls.