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Dominion campaign

The Dominion League burst onto the Western Australian political scene in 1930 with energy, drive and motivation. In a short time it achieved amazing success. Formed with the aim of forcing a referendum on the issue of secession as a first step to fighting and winning Western Australia's freedom, the Dominion League was structured as an organisation engaged in a permanent campaign. The campaign was its reason for existence.

Secession cartoonThe secessionist message was simple and direct. Rallies, speakers at factories and on street corners, uncomplicated propaganda and the extensive involvement of ordinary members in the campaign mirrored the dynamism of European fascist and communist movements. In some ways the Dominion League represented more than a political pressure group. Claiming over 10,000 members from a population of just 400,000, secessionists were able to turn the campaign into a communal celebration of Western Australian identity in the face of external economic adversity.

Secession pamphletWhile eastern States' manufacturers and politicians were painted as villains, the Dominion League provided a safe and conservative solution to uncertain times by advocating a return to the British Empire. The following pamphlet makes it clear that loyalty to King and Empire far outweighed loyalty to a Federation which - it was claimed - oppressed Western Australian interests.

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