Download the South Australian Chapter
Chapter 7 – South Australia Early voting state was always lacking convictions “The founders of South Australia had a vision for a colony with political and religious freedoms, together with opportunities for wealth through business and pastoral investments.”1 An early attempt to form a council for civil liberties in SA occurred in April 1950, probably as part of an expansionist push out of Melbourne. The main local newspaper, The Advertiser, reported on 14 April 1950: The honorary secretary of the SA Council of Civil Liberties (Padre H.P. Hodge) said last night that a conference of trade unionists, church bodies and other associations would be held in the Trades Hall at 8 p.m. on May 28 to set up a permanent organisation to implement council’s objectives2. Don Dunstan (photo3), former Premier of South Australia, argued that the state’s origins lay in non-conformist radicals, who believed in separation of church and state, and in democratic political reform. There were no convicts sent to SA, as its residents frequently point out, and settlers who believed in Chartism brought from the UK a philosophy of reform, embodied in The People’s Charter. The argument goes that SA went through a period of conservatism with (Sir Thomas) Playford as leader for 27 straight years, but prior to that and subsequently, SA was a small ‘l’ liberal society. SA introduced male franchise in 1856, the Torrens title for ownership and sale of land, and the separation of church and state in schools. The British non-conformist tradition was strong. Cited in further evidence are the reforms of Charles Cameron Kingston, who brought in workers compensation in the 1890s, also votes for women, and enabling women to stand for parliament.
[Show full text]