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Australia's Status
in Commonwealth
NE\V YORK, October 31 (A.A.P.). — -Membership of the
British' Commonwealth no longer meant thot Australia
played 0 subordinate role to the United Kingdom, or that any
policy that the United Kingdom might formulate necessarily
governed Australia.
The Australian Minis
ter for External Affairs
(Mr. Casey) said this last
night.
Mr. Casey, who was ad
dressing the Council of
Foreign Relations, added
that on the other hand, it
did mean that Aus
tralia formulated her
own policy only with the
most serious reference to
what the United King
dom and other Common
wealth countries were do
ing and thinking.
He said he realised
that what he had said
would. seem to contain
a number of contradic
tions to those who were
not familiar with the
workings of the British
set-up,
"All I can tell you la
that it works, in spite of
this. The strange thing
is that the relationship of
us all in the British Com
monwealth succeeds . be
cause of its flexibility.
"This flexibility is de
monstrated by the ability
of Individual members to
contract outside the Com
monwealth to secure re
gional defence,
Main Pillar
"Thus the United
Kingdom and Canada be
came members of the
North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation—one of the
main pillars on which the
security of the free world
rests.
"And, more lately, we
have seen Australia and
New Zealand linked
with the United States
in the Anzus Pact.
"The United Kingdom
knows that, on the pre
cedent of the past, Aus
tralia and other members
of the Commonwealth
would Immediately de
clare war on the assailant
if she were attacked.
"We have done so al
ready on two great occa
sions. Therefore, we too
have a stake In whatever
decisions Involving the
United Kingdom are ar
rived at in N.A.T.O. meet
ings."
Mr. Casey said that
what effective defence
contribution Australia or
any other member of !the
Commonwealth would be
able to make ,in any fu
ture war obviously must
be decided by the Go
vernment of the day in
the light of the world
situation as a whole.'
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