Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2018

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the war period, the indigenous population were able to take part in the census as people, rather than flora and fauna, which they were previously referred to as in the national census. As you can see, there was many revolutionary political changes made as a result of the Vietnam war on Australia, effecting all assets of the Australian population, from foreigners to the indigenous. On the other hand, there were many negative impacts of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam war on the political scene. One major negative of the Vietnam war on Australia was the protest movements which were against the Australian Liberal Party beliefs. Due to The Australian Liberal Party being pro-war, willingly sent troops into Vietnam to support America. However, many Australians still at home were very against the ideas of the Menzies and Holt governments and their decision to send the troops to war, as it heavily impacted many Australians and their families. Many universities would protest the war, especially after the announcement of conscription, students started to come out in force protesting the war. In May 1970, over 200,000 Australians marched in the first Moratorium against the Vietnam War. Because of threats from the police, politicians and the media, 100,000 people marched in Melbourne, which gave fairly convincing evidence that a majority of Australians now opposed the war and conscription. In 1966, when Labor went to polls with an anti- conscription policy, it was crushed. Yet from the very beginning there was opposition. Men on the wharfs and the seamen delayed ships carrying weapons to Vietnam. Women from ‘Save our Sons’, an anti-conscription group, demonstrated at centres. When US President Lyndon Johnson visited in 1966, his motorcade was splattered with red paint by protesters. On one occasion, draft resister Michael Matteson, handcuffed between two Federal Police, was freed by students using huge bolt-cutters. (The Canberra Times, 1972)