makes you wonder why then Billy didn't end conscription doesn't it?
No myth about that one mate - I was there, right on the night Gough was elected - we had thousands walk out of Enoggera - and, they only came back if they wanted to.
Gough said - if you don't want to come back - don't. But, if you do come back to go through the discharge process you will get your benefits.
Thousands came back to go through the process - it was an amazing time.
Any politician with guts should have stopped it long before.
It took Whitlam to do it. Menzies started the war and Gough stopped it - dead in it's tracks.
The libs would have stopped it - but, to do so, meant that they would have to admit it was a mistake - and their mistake.
About the same reason why John Howard won't admit that Iraq was a mistake - because it was HIS mistake. He is also probably under advice that says if he admits it was wrong that he could put himself at risk of charges in future who knows.
All we do know is that liberals lead us to wars and labour doesn't.