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Differing views of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War Supporters of the war- -Conscientious objectors- -The Moratorium movement- - Explain the reasons why different groups within Australia supported or opposed Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam war

Introduction: How did various groups respond to Australia's involvement in the Vietnam war? Australia ’ s involvement in the Vietnam war and the issue of conscription split the nation in the 1960 ’ s and early 1970 ’ s. Despite anti war protesters, the majority of Australians supported the government over Vietnam.

Supporters of the war Many Australians supported the need for ‘ forward defence ’(better to fight them over there in Asia than here on Australian soil). Many Australians at the beginning of the war (1962) shared the view that the communist “menace” would take over the world or cause a world war and needed to be stopped. Regular army soldiers were keen to demonstrate that we would fight beside our Asian and US allies because of our commitments to ANZUS and SEATO.

Supporters of the war The older generation of Australians-the men and women who had lived through WWII saw America as the ‘ big brother ” who had saved us from the Japanese, when the British could not. They had lived through the Great Depression of the 1930 ’ s and did not like change. They expected that the new generation would do its bit as they had done. The Returned and Services League (RSL) became outspoken supporters of the war and critics of the “ long-haired “lay-a-bouts ” & the “ great unwashed ”. Liberal party and the Country Party (today called the National party) were supportive of the war. Their foreign policy was very much tied to the United States. Australian needed to help the USA in case one day we needed help. Bound by ANZUS & SEATO.

Important term: Conscription- the compulsory enrolment of men for service in the armed forces. National service was another term for conscription. It meant that men were called to do their duty to Australia in the form of military training.

Background to opposition to the war November Divisive piece of legislation by Menzie’s Liberal government Menzies’ government re- introduced conscription, aiming to increase the size of the army to 37,500 in three years.  At 20 years of age all Australia men had to register for National Service.  You were conscripted to do National service if your birthday date was drawn out of a barrel.  If number was drawn, you served for 2 years.  National service could be avoided by having a conscientious objection/or by being a student.

Conscription-Opposition to the Vietnam War Conscription became the focus of the anti-war movement with protest organisations urging men not to register and to resist the draft and become conscientious objectors.

Conscription Debate

Conscientious Objectors were opposed to the war Under particular conditions, exemptions from National Service could be granted. If a person could prove he was a pacifist (a person who opposes in principle all war or violence), he could lodge a conscientious objection to service. The consequence for others who refused to be conscripted was a two-year jail sentence. The first ‘conscientious objector’ to the Vietnam war to be imprisoned in Australia was a postman from Melbourne named John Zarb. Leaflets supporting Zarb’s stand were distributed around Australia as part of the anti-war movement.

S.O.S. Stands for ‘Save Our Sons’ A group of Mothers, Daughters, Wives, Siblings that would protest against conscription. They were arrested under a By-law 418 (Melbourne), because they weren’t allowed to hand out printed information on the street.

Save Our Sons organisation opposed to conscription Made up of mothers who objected to their sons and others being conscripted for national service and later ……..to fight in Vietnam.

Y.A.C. Stands for ‘Youth Against Conscription’ University students who protested against conscription By 1967, Monash University Labour Club collected money for the North Vietnamese War effort.

Burning draft registration cards had become a common form of protest

Trade Unions were opposed to the war Especially the left wing unions, such as the Waterside Workers Federation, contributed to the overall opposition to the war. They also called black bans on ships supplying Australian troops in Vietnam. (Remember Major Hulsing’s talk- “wallop a wharfie and punch a postie”

Labor opposition leader- opposition to the war Communist Leaflet calling for an end to the Vietnam War, date unknown. Australian Labor party-opposed the war from the beginning. In 1965 Arthur Calwell, Labor opposition leader, responded strongly against the war. Labor was not against the troops but supported the ideas of the British and Canadian governments, who encouraged the United States to enter negotiations with North Vietnam.

Universities and student organisations University “sit-ins” and candlelight vigils Draft resistor support groups were established and a lively ”Don’t register” campaign was begun. University students often united with unions, politicians and local peace groups to demonstrate and support young men who refused to register for conscription.

The churches Unlike the Catholic Church(supported the war seeing communism as a threat to freedom), the Protestant churches were divided over the issue of Vietnam. Some Anglican clergy believed that Christians should always be the peace makers, while others condemned the idea of peace at any price. The Methodist Church had a strong anti-war stance. The Protestant churches formed the committee for Canberra Vigil, a prayer vigil outside parliament house to condemn both the communists in Vietnam and the government for sending troops.

The Moratorium Campaign (1970)

Moratoriums-(a suspension) of the Vietnam war Photograph of women lining Anzac Park in Brisbane in a silent vigil against the Vietnam War. In the Vietnam moratoriums of 1970 and 1971, the streets of major cities (and some rural towns) were closed as over 200,000 people demonstrated against the war. The “ moratoriums meant to involve a shutdown of the nation for a short time as an expression of protest against the war. The moratoriums public leader was Dr Jim Cairns, a labor party parliamentarian, who was later to become the deputy prime minister and treasurer in the Whitlam Labor government.

Photograph of a contingent of UAW protesters during the Vietnam Moratorium rallies c

First Televised War-changed the majority of Australians opinion towards the end of the 1960’s/early 1970’s Every evening, television brought the horror of Vietnam into Australian homes. By the late 1960s those who actively opposed the war and conscription began to outnumber those who actively supported Australia ’ s continuing involvement. By 1970, the anti-war sentiment grew rapidly. Watch this video: php?video_id=2128&title=Viet nam

Opposition to the war came from four main factors 1.It ’ s a civil war between two different groups of Vietnamese-not us 2.US and allies were losing war- futile war-Aussie soldiers (especially national servicemen)getting killed for nothing 3.Vietnam has been called the first television war-saw the war as immoral “ bombing villages, napalming innocent men, women, children 4.In Australia, opposition to the Vietnam war was bound up with conscription-lottery of death