ISSUE 136 : May/Jun - 1999 - Australian Defence Force Journal

52AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE JOURNAL NO. 136 MAY/JUNE 1999actions to closer scrutiny” (p.101). Rayner quotesGough Whitlam who says that after his own ambushby the Governor-General, “no Prime Minister canever afford to trust a governor-general again; (p.104).After WA Inc, where reasons for decisions in manycases were not documented, can anyone believe theparty made an honest mistake? Did the 91% of peoplewho thought politicians twisted the truth think twiceabout this affair?Public servants, who leave paper trails whereverthey gather, have faced the axe “in the name ofefficiency” (p.113). Rayner argues that tenure protectsthe public service from political interference. AsCommissioner for Equal Opportunity in Victoria, herexplicit duty was to administer the Equal OpportunityAct; when she did this to the letter of the law herposition was dissolved by the Victorian Government.What happens to laws the government in power doesnot like?With the outsourcing of government contracts toprivate companies, where is the “commercial-inconfidence”line drawn. The public has a right toknow how public funds are spent. Rayner says “Theneed for an independent, neutral public service is asgreat now as it was a century ago” (p.121). Shequotes the story of Major Hills of the British Armywho was ordered to repatriate prisoners he felt surewould be shot on their return. The moral dilemma thatfollowed required a creative solution. In the end 200of the thousands he began with were knowingly sentto their deaths.Rayner says the “the whole principle of justice ispolluted” without independent judges, “removableonly by a fair, public, parliamentary process” (p.131).Without independent judges, Northland SecondaryCollege could not have been re-opened. The Kennettgovernment adamant that it was in the right viewedthe decision purely as a financial one. Rayner saysstate governments can often initiate “new directionsin political strategy and public policy, for good or forill” (p.148). The failure of the Kennett government toclose Northland Secondary College reminds the partyin power that government is not just another moneymakingbusiness representing the wealthy. Raynerremembers when “it was still quite novel for nonpropertyowners to vote at all” (p.165). When thegovernment focuses decision making on the freemarket, economic rationalisation and asks wage andsalary earners to bear the tax burden what doesdemocracy mean? When we vote in politicians weexpect to lie to us what does our vote mean?Politics used to be “White, Anglo-Celtic men’sbusiness” (p.249). Parties with “hierarchicalorganisation, rigid membership structures and amastery of meeting procedures” (p.250) flourished.Rayner says parties with these characteristics are not amovement of the people, the measure of goodgovernment is their concern for social not justfinancial well-being of the people. Rayner says“Governments have set their face against civil society,and actively discouraged citizens from becominginformed, egalitarian and active; we are all dwarfedby their neglect” (p.263).Finally, when all else fails, look to a formerpolitician’s attitude to independence of the media, JohBjelke-Petersen said in 1986, “The greatest thing thatcould happen to the State and the nation is when weget rid of the media. Then we could live in peace andtranquillity and no-one would know anything”(p.194).ALL MEN BACK – ALL ONE BIG MISTAKE,by W.A. (Bill) Bee.Reviewed by Lieutenant Commander Greg Swinden,RANAn odd title for a very interesting book. This is thestory of young Signalman Bill (Buzzer) Bee, whoserved in the cruiser HMAS Perth at the Battles of theJava Sea and Sunda Strait and was later a Prisoner ofWar of the Japanese.Following the sinking of Perth, and the cruiserUSS Houston, in the Sunda Strait the story followsthe adventures and misadventures of Bill Bee and theother Perth survivors as they are held captive in avariety of Japanese POW Camps. These includecamps in Java, Singapore, Thailand, Burma(including their time spent on the infamous Thai –Burma Railway) Indo China and finally Japan wherethey were employed underground in Japanese coalmines.The title of the book comes from a habitual sayingof their Japanese overlords; when a planned movedfrom one camp to another fails to eventuate due tosome breakdown in the Japanese communication orlogistics chain (a bit like the Australian version of“packs on, packs off – hurry up and wait”).The book ends with Bee returning safely to hisfamily home in Western Australia, however, over 100of his comrades did not return – victims of untreatedwounds received in battle, malnutrition, Japanesebrutality or killed when their unmarked prison shipswere sunk by Allied submarines or aircraft.I found the authors style of writing very easy toread and the story captivating, no pun intended, andfinished the 156 page book in a few hours. Althoughthe story of Australian POW’s held by the Japanese