Moral concerns about the Little Red School Book – confidential Cabinet minute

Transcript

[Page 1.]

[Header and footer, in large red letters:] CONFIDENTIAL

Copy No. 29

[Heading:] CABINET MINUTE

Canberra, 18 April 1972

Decision No. 898

[Heading:] Without Submission – Little Red School Book.

The Minister for Customs and Excise informed the Cabinet about the case of the Little Red School Book and the considerations which had led to his decision not to seek to prohibit the import of the book.

2. The Cabinet agreed that the decision of the Minister not to declare the book a prohibited import in terms of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations was correct – having regard to legal advice that section 4A of the regulations would not have application in this case and that a challenge to a decision to prohibit would be likely to succeed. It noted that action to print the book in Australia was already in hand. It also noted that it was not open to the Minister under the established procedures of the National Literature Board of Review formally to refer the book to that body.

3. However, the Cabinet recorded its concern at the prospect that a book of this kind should be distributed to schools. It agreed that the Commonwealth, through the Minister for Education and Science, should exercise its influence and authority to prevent this.

../2

[Page] 2.

[Header and footer, in large red letters:] CONFIDENTIAL

[Underlined heading] Decision No. 898 (Continued)

4. The Cabinet noted that the question of whether control over the importation of publications judged to be for children should be based on special tests. The Minister for Customs and Excise indicated that this point might be taken up by him at a meeting with the relevant State Ministers.

Certified true copy

[Handwritten signature:] E.J. Bunting

Secretary to Cabinet.

About this record

Stamped 'Confidential', this Cabinet minute records the McMahon government's decision not to prohibit the import of The Little Red School Book in 1972. It shows that Cabinet agrees, for legal reasons, with the minister's decision to allow importation of the book, but expresses its concern that the book not be distributed to schools and decides that efforts will be made to prevent this. The Cabinet minute is marked 'Copy No. 29' and 'Decision No. 898'. It is certified to be a true copy and signed by EJ Bunting, Secretary to Cabinet.

Educational value

This document reveals why, in spite of its opposition to The Little Red School Book, the McMahon government decided not to prohibit its importation. The decision was a pragmatic one and indicates that the government felt that any attempts to ban the book would be futile – both local and overseas editions would become available in Australia in 1972.
The Little Red School Book caused widespread public outrage because, among other things, it gave advice to children about sex, drugs and resisting authority. While attitudes to such issues were undergoing rapid change in the early 1970s, the notion of discussing such topics with children was still widely deplored and often taken to be advocating sexual activity, drug taking and disobedience to authority. The book was published in censored form in the United Kingdom and banned in several countries.
The book’s title was provocative as it echoed ‘The Little Red Book’, the common name for Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (1966), an iconic pocket-sized book outlining the basic principles of Communist China’s ‘Mao Zedong Thought’. The Little Red School Book was written in a similar format in 1969 by two Danish teachers. It was aimed at 12-year-olds and provided information about issues affecting young people such as exams, friends, punishment and school systems.
Once it decided not to prohibit the import of the book Cabinet faced the limitations of federal power under the Australian Constitution, which leaves control of schools with the states. Malcolm Fraser (1930–), Federal Minister for Education and Science, had the power to ban the book in schools in federal territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory at that time) but could only request that his state counterparts do the same. Queensland banned the book.
The supplement to this minute shows considerable input from the bureaucracy on how Don Chipp (1925–2006), Minister for Customs and Excise, and Fraser should handle the matter. It demonstrates the importance of well-researched advice for government ministers, who must deal with many complex and sensitive matters across a wide range of issues.

Acknowledgments

Learning resource text © Education Services Australia Limited and the National Archives of Australia 2010.

Related themes

Theme

Gough Whitlam surrounded by press at Parliament House after 1975 dismissal.

Government and democracy

Learn how Australia became a nation and how we make laws and elect people to represent us in Parliament.

Theme

People crossing the road at Circular Quay, Sydney.

Society and culture

Discover how Australian society and culture have been shaped by legislation, changing community attitudes and an increasingly connected world.

Theme

Migrant children learn to speak English - Springvale Primary School, Victoria.

Public education

Public education and raising awareness are important government responsibilities. These campaigns deliver crucial messages, from the importance of exercise to the change to decimal currency.