Conscription and National Service in Australia

In November 1964, the Australian Government led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies introduced a scheme of selective conscription known as national service. The scheme was introduced under the National Service Act 1964 and was designed to create an army of 40,000 full-time soldiers.

• True

• False

Is it accurate that the Australian public were largely disinterested in the issue of conscription and national service when those who were 'recruited' were serving just in the regular army?

• No

• Yes

Answer explanation

Only when the commitment increased to include national servicemen, and particularly after the 1968

Tet Offensive, did widespread opposition to Australia's participation in the war develop.

Save Our Sons was an organisation who protested against the war and conscription. What demographic made up the group. List three descriptors

Answer explanation

women

middle-class

middle-age

sons old enough to go to war

Those who refused to go to war were known as (a)  

In what ways did media coverage of the war impact conscription?

• The media pushed the agenda that conscripts were doing their duty for Australia

• The Australian public would support conscription if they felt the war was being won

• Conscription numbers went up with positive media coverage

• SOS protesters would calm down

Some big Australian sports stars and personalities were conscripted to fight in Vietnam. Was this a deterrent for normal Australian men or did they look at this occurrence in a positive light?

• deterrent

• positive

Answer explanation

The National Service scheme came to an end in (a)  

Answer explanation

A new Australian government had seen that many more Australians were opposed to conscription. The media struggled against the increase in opposition. More Australians knew of the cost of the war through their social networks. Around 200 National Service soldiers had been killed by the time Australia withdrew from Vietnam.