Summary
Alternative Name(s): Button
Circular badge with the slogan 'Don't Register for National Service', made in Australia circa 1966 - 1971. The badge was used in Melbourne, Victoria, during the late 1960s and early 1970s to show support for the anti-conscription debate.
The debate revolved around the introduction of the National Service Scheme in November 1964 which saw 20-year-old men chosen by a bi-annual ballot to perform two years continuous full-time service in the Regular Army Supplement (reduced to 18 months from 1971), followed by three years' part-time service in the Regular Army Reserve. In May 1965 the Defence Act was amended so that National Servicemen could be obliged to serve overseas, and in March 1966 Prime Minister Harold Holt announced that National Servicemen would be sent to Vietnam.
Physical Description
Circular red badge with black printed text.
More Information
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Collecting Areas
Public Life & Institutions, Clothing & Textiles, Politics & Society
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Congress for International Co-operation & Disarmament (CICD), 23 Feb 1987
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Place & Date Made
Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1966-1971
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Place & Date Used
Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, circa 1966 - 1971
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Inscriptions
Printed on front: 'DON'T REGISTER / FOR / NATIONAL SERVICE'
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Minimum dimensions
5 mm (Height), 38 mm (Outside Diameter)
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References
Grey, Jeffrey and Doyle, Jeff (1991) "Australia and the Vietnam War: A Select Bibliography," Vietnam Generation: Vol. 3 : No. 2 , Article 11. Available at: [Link 1] Edwards, Peter (2014) Australia and the Vietnam War. Sydney, NewSouth Publishing.
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Keywords
Conscription, Draft Resistance, National Service, Peace Issues, Vietnam War, 1959-1975, Wars & Conflicts
