Violet Fashion by Mindy
01-05-2006, 10:33 PM
Bring back the draft, cries Young ALP
By Jonathan Pearlman
January 6, 2006
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/01/05/conscription6106_narrowweb__300x305,0.jpg
Protesters burn their national service papers at an anti-conscription rally in the 1960s.
Photo: Fairfax Archives
THE youth wing of the party that repeatedly opposed conscription during the Vietnam War wants to bring back national service.
NSW Young Labor, Australia's largest political youth group, is backing compulsory national service for high school students as part of their graduation.
The group's president, Sam Dastyari, said there were too many young people who were not willing to contribute to society. "It does not mean you would have to do military service or be an army cadet," he said.
"The community service could take many forms, from being an army cadet to helping with chores at the local retirement village. It could be helping community groups or churches or charities."
Mr Dastyari, 22, said the plan would ensure students received a "well-rounded education".
"You can learn more from working in the community than you can behind a desk in a class," he said. "It is only fair that after having been given so much from the community during your schooling years, students should be required to formally contribute to Australian society."
National service was last introduced in 1964 as a response to "aggressive communism" and "recent Indonesian policies and actions" and a "deterioration in our strategic position". Men aged 20 were required to serve in the army for two years, followed by three years in the reserve.
The policy sparked mass protests and was opposed by the ALP at elections in 1966, 1969 and 1972. One of Gough Whitlam's first actions on being elected prime minister in 1972 was to abolish it.
The federal Labor leader, Kim Beazley, who was exempted from the service ballot during the Vietnam War because he was studying, said last year that any future national service should be "either all in or all volunteers".
Mr Dastyari said the service would be a formal requirement for completing high school and was based on a similar scheme in Sweden. Community bodies such as sports groups, churches or retirement homes would be able to apply to the Government to take part in the scheme.
The plan was adopted unanimously by the 400 delegates at Young Labor's annual conference last year. It will be presented to the party's state and federal conferences this year and if adopted would be incorporated into policy for next year's election.
Young Labor, with more than 5000 members, has previously been at the forefront of changing Labor's policies on mandatory detention and the establishment of the radio station Triple j.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/01/05/1136387573218.html
Macklin backs national service plan
By Clay Lucas
January 6, 2006 - 12:40PM
Federal ALP deputy leader Jenny Macklin has endorsed a call by NSW Young Labor to introduce national service for high school students.
The youth wing of the Labor Party, and Australia's largest political youth group, yesterday called for the resumption of national service for high schools students as part of their graduation.
The national service would not necessarily take the form of military training, the group's president Sam Dastyari said.
"The community service could take many forms, from being an army cadet to helping with chores at the local retirement village,'' Mr Dastyari said. "It could be helping community groups or churches or charities.''
Ms Macklin said that it was an effective way to get young people more involved in society.
"We would encourage volunteering. I'd like to see it as part of the school curriculum, to encourage young people to volunteer, but I don't see it as being compulsory.
"Labor certainly would like to see young people encouraged to volunteer. This could be done as part of a curriculum at school, to make it possible for young people to include volunteering during their time at school.
"I think it would be a good oppportunity for the young people concerned to contribute to the community and also important for the voluntary agencies.
"But we wouldn't propose that (this work) be compulsory. The whole point of volunterring is that it's voluntary.''
The Salvation Army was also supportive of the scheme.
"We're fully supporting this initiative," said Salvation Army spokesman Pat Daley.
"There is a growing awareness in the community about the need to assist people who find themselves in difficult circumstances.
"Anything that's going to educate young people about the need to assist the less fortunate is a step in the right direction."
When national service was last introduced in 1964 all Australian men aged 20 were required to register for two years in the army, followed by three years in the reserve.
Almost 64,000 were conscripted and more than 19,000 served in the Vietnam War.
National service sparked massive protests and was strenuously opposed by the ALP, with Gough Whitlam scrapping it when he was voted in as prime minister in 1972.
"They're talking about volunteering, not compulsory military service. It's community service. The big campaigns we all ran in the 1960s and 70s were opposing compulsory military service, and that's not what Young Labor is proposing,'' Ms Macklin said.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/macklin-backs-national-service-plan/2006/01/06/1136387602777.html
By Jonathan Pearlman
January 6, 2006
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/01/05/conscription6106_narrowweb__300x305,0.jpg
Protesters burn their national service papers at an anti-conscription rally in the 1960s.
Photo: Fairfax Archives
THE youth wing of the party that repeatedly opposed conscription during the Vietnam War wants to bring back national service.
NSW Young Labor, Australia's largest political youth group, is backing compulsory national service for high school students as part of their graduation.
The group's president, Sam Dastyari, said there were too many young people who were not willing to contribute to society. "It does not mean you would have to do military service or be an army cadet," he said.
"The community service could take many forms, from being an army cadet to helping with chores at the local retirement village. It could be helping community groups or churches or charities."
Mr Dastyari, 22, said the plan would ensure students received a "well-rounded education".
"You can learn more from working in the community than you can behind a desk in a class," he said. "It is only fair that after having been given so much from the community during your schooling years, students should be required to formally contribute to Australian society."
National service was last introduced in 1964 as a response to "aggressive communism" and "recent Indonesian policies and actions" and a "deterioration in our strategic position". Men aged 20 were required to serve in the army for two years, followed by three years in the reserve.
The policy sparked mass protests and was opposed by the ALP at elections in 1966, 1969 and 1972. One of Gough Whitlam's first actions on being elected prime minister in 1972 was to abolish it.
The federal Labor leader, Kim Beazley, who was exempted from the service ballot during the Vietnam War because he was studying, said last year that any future national service should be "either all in or all volunteers".
Mr Dastyari said the service would be a formal requirement for completing high school and was based on a similar scheme in Sweden. Community bodies such as sports groups, churches or retirement homes would be able to apply to the Government to take part in the scheme.
The plan was adopted unanimously by the 400 delegates at Young Labor's annual conference last year. It will be presented to the party's state and federal conferences this year and if adopted would be incorporated into policy for next year's election.
Young Labor, with more than 5000 members, has previously been at the forefront of changing Labor's policies on mandatory detention and the establishment of the radio station Triple j.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/01/05/1136387573218.html
Macklin backs national service plan
By Clay Lucas
January 6, 2006 - 12:40PM
Federal ALP deputy leader Jenny Macklin has endorsed a call by NSW Young Labor to introduce national service for high school students.
The youth wing of the Labor Party, and Australia's largest political youth group, yesterday called for the resumption of national service for high schools students as part of their graduation.
The national service would not necessarily take the form of military training, the group's president Sam Dastyari said.
"The community service could take many forms, from being an army cadet to helping with chores at the local retirement village,'' Mr Dastyari said. "It could be helping community groups or churches or charities.''
Ms Macklin said that it was an effective way to get young people more involved in society.
"We would encourage volunteering. I'd like to see it as part of the school curriculum, to encourage young people to volunteer, but I don't see it as being compulsory.
"Labor certainly would like to see young people encouraged to volunteer. This could be done as part of a curriculum at school, to make it possible for young people to include volunteering during their time at school.
"I think it would be a good oppportunity for the young people concerned to contribute to the community and also important for the voluntary agencies.
"But we wouldn't propose that (this work) be compulsory. The whole point of volunterring is that it's voluntary.''
The Salvation Army was also supportive of the scheme.
"We're fully supporting this initiative," said Salvation Army spokesman Pat Daley.
"There is a growing awareness in the community about the need to assist people who find themselves in difficult circumstances.
"Anything that's going to educate young people about the need to assist the less fortunate is a step in the right direction."
When national service was last introduced in 1964 all Australian men aged 20 were required to register for two years in the army, followed by three years in the reserve.
Almost 64,000 were conscripted and more than 19,000 served in the Vietnam War.
National service sparked massive protests and was strenuously opposed by the ALP, with Gough Whitlam scrapping it when he was voted in as prime minister in 1972.
"They're talking about volunteering, not compulsory military service. It's community service. The big campaigns we all ran in the 1960s and 70s were opposing compulsory military service, and that's not what Young Labor is proposing,'' Ms Macklin said.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/macklin-backs-national-service-plan/2006/01/06/1136387602777.html