A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of
Obtaining conscientious objector status by professing insincere religious or ethical beliefs. Obtaining a student deferment, if the student wishes to attend or remain in school largely to avoid the draft. Claiming a medical or psychological problem, if the purported problem is feigned, overstated, or self-inflicted.
Full conscription of men
Conscientious objectors had to appear before a tribunal to argue their reasons for refusing to join-up. If their cases were not dismissed, they were granted one of several categories of exemption, and were given non-combatant jobs.
Military conscription for peacetime service was abolished in 1972. However, in times of war, the Defence Act 1903 allows the Governor-General of Australia to authorise conscription for service in the Defence Force, provided it is approved by the Parliament of Australia within 90 days.
Conscientious objection to military service refers to the position taken by individuals who oppose participation in war on the basis of their religious, moral, or ethical beliefs.
Members or Officers of State or Commonwealth Governments; Judges and magistrates; Ministers of religion or those studying to join a religious order or devoted to full-time duties; Conscientious objectors.
They considered it could affect their morale and ability to fight cohesively. Other people, often women, were against war itself. An Anti-Conscription League was formed and the Women's Peace Army, a movement driven by the indomitable Vida Goldstein, mounted a fierce campaign against the war and conscription.
To my knowledge Australia has never had compulsory military service, not even during both world wars. We have had conscription though at various times throughout the last century. It was abolished in 1972 and has never been reintroduced. All 20 year old men had to enrol and conscripts were selected by lot.
Australia's Prime Minister, Billy Hughes, strongly supported conscription during World War I. He tried to introduce it twice.
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service.
The Second World War was the first time Australians were conscripted to fight overseas. In November 1939 Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that the existing reserve force, the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) or militia, would be bolstered by conscription.
Failing to register or comply with the Military Selective Service Act is a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 or a prison term of up to five years, or a combination of both. Also, a person who knowingly counsels, aids, or abets another to fail to comply with the Act is subject to the same penalties.
Most 20-year-old Australian men had to register for national service between 1965 and 1972. Servicemen conscripted under the scheme became known as 'Nashos'. Names of potential conscripts were selected by a birthday ballot, where numbered wooden marbles were drawn by lottery from a barrel.
Although services can accept applicant waivers with less stringent restrictions (e.g., the Air Force will consider waivers for recruits stable off medications for 15 months), ADHD diagnosis is consistently a common disqualifier for military service.
A referendum to determine public support for conscription was held in October 1916 where it failed by a slim margin; a second took place in December 1917 and again most Australians voted against it.
Indigenous Australians were excluded from joining military service under the Commonwealth Defence Act of 1903 (and further amendments). This prevented people 'not substantially of European origin or descent' from enlisting in military service.
In 1942 the Army adopted the title Australian Military Forces (AMF) to encompass the various categories of service: AIF, Militia and Permanent Forces.
While the Act gave the government the power to conscript citizens for the purpose of home defence, legislation did not allow soldiers to be conscripted for overseas service. The Universal Service Scheme was the first system of compulsory military service in Australia.
Birthdates drawn in National Service ballots 1965-72
Men included in the ballot who were born in the period 1 July 1945 to 31 December 1945. Men included in the ballot who were born prior to 1 July 1945 but were absent from Australia when their age group was required to register.
Selective conscription meant that a certain number of 20-year-old Australian men would be chosen to serve in the Australian army. The process for choosing them was similar to a lottery. Numbered marbles, each representing a day of the year, were placed in a barrel.
After heavy casualties on the Western Front, Britain pressured Australia to make a bigger contribution to the war effort. In 1916 Prime Minister Hughes visited Britain and the war front. He returned to Australia convinced that conscription must be introduced to win the war.
A Momentous Debate. The 1917 conscription debate was one of the fiercest and most divisive in Canadian political history. French-Canadians, as well as many farmers, unionized workers, non-British immigrants, and other Canadians, generally opposed the measure.
Anti-conscriptionists also argued in the name of 'liberty' - defending the right of ordinary men to decide for themselves whether to fight and die. They argued that conscription was the ultimate form of state tyranny.
Mandatory military service technically exists according to the law but is rarely (if ever) actually enforced. For example, the United States still requires all able-bodied males aged 18-25 to register with the Selective Service, meaning they could be drafted into military service if needed.