Why were the Australians against the Vietnam War?
In Australia, resistance to the war was at first very limited, although the Australian Labor Party (in opposition for most of the period) steadfastly opposed conscription. However, anti-war sentiment escalated rapidly in the late 1960s as more and more Australian soldiers were killed in battle. The centre-left ALP became more sympathetic to the communists and Labor leader Arthur Calwell stridently denounced South Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky as a “fascist dictator” and a “butcher” ahead of his 1967 visit—at the time Ky was the chief of the Vietnam Air Force and headed a military junta. Despite the controversy leading up to the visit, Ky’s trip was a success. He dealt with the media effectively, despite hostile sentiment from some sections of the press and public. The introduction of conscription by the Australian Government during the war also enraged some, and groups of people resisted the call to military service (which was punishable by imprisonment) by burning the letter
