MICHAEL Powell’s dislike of prime ministerial wartime power (Letters, September 13) contains generality similar to him insinuating Australia in 1939 possibly was constitutionally bound to join allied armies.
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That supposition forgets Britain’s legal colonial hold vanished in 1931 at the latest, from decades of negotiation, when its Westminster Statute relinquished old power.
Australia’s PM promptly confirmed this constitutional reality by rejecting Britain’s attempts to appoint another Pommie official as Governor-General – quaintly resembling the bodyline war.
Our declared intention to fight Hitler always meant rectifying the Westminster legislation wasn’t ever needed until 1942, when relocating Aussie troops to repel Japanese invasion threats.
And even then, Australia could have relocated troops into the Pacific without passing that Westminster Adoption Act, except for diplomatic benefit.
— MARTIN KJAR, Somerset
