Page 5212 - Week 16 - Thursday, 28 November 1991
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Recently, I was shown papers which had originated improperly from Mr Stevenson's office, and they were handed back immediately they were perused by Mr Jensen and me. One of those documents, which we learned after it had been handed to us had come from Mr Stevenson's office, was printed on a professional printer and had a letterhead which said, "The Anti-Treason League of Australia". I was deeply disturbed to have documents shown to me by a person connected intimately with the Abolish Self Government party and headed "The Anti-Treason League of Australia".
As a lawyer I have to do justice to Mr Stevenson. I get League of Rights intelligence bulletins in my office, and the mere fact that someone might find one in my office does not mean that I subscribe to the views. We have to peruse all that material to know what is going on. Someone attempted to make available to me material from Mr Stevenson's office. Part of that material, perused by Mr Jensen and me and immediately handed back when we realised that there may be some difficulties about the manner in which it had been procured from his office, was a document headed "The Anti-Treason League of Australia". It said a number of things; I am not going to relate them in this house because it may cause some sort of sensational result. I think it might be better if Mr Stevenson addresses that issue before I mention it.
Mr Jensen - formerly Major Jensen, who served his country actively abroad - and I could only recoil at seeing the Australian flag on the top of that letter, the letterhead, the nature of the contents and the nature of the communication to Mr Stevenson. What is going on worries me deeply. I stress that it seems entirely inimical to the national capital for these premises to provide - if they do provide - a source of sustenance, a source of communication, for the strengthening elements in the bruderbond that is developing in this country. We must therefore ensure that the mere possession of literature can go towards an offence in the terms of these provisions, which I will move to in detail in a moment.
I put on record that in October Mr Stevenson attended an annual weekend conference of the League of Rights in Victoria. Mr Stevenson can correct the dates and my source of information if he wishes; but, on the advice available to me, at that league convention were a dozen or so German speakers and two skinheads with their girlfriends wearing swastika T-shirts, which is an offence to right-minded people, given the allusion and connection that has to the Holocaust. Following an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Stevenson confirmed that he was at the seminar. The Herald reported that Mr Stevenson said that he would attend any conference he chose in his own time and would continue to do so. That is his democratic right - - -
Mr Stevenson: Not if you had anything to do with it.
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