Summary

Mike Matteson was one of the many brave young men who resisted conscription for the Vietnam War by refusing to register, often burning their draft cards in public. Matteson was one of the first, refusing to register in January 1967. In a famous incident at Sydney University (on 24 April 1972) police controversially came onto campus to arrest Matteson, but student anti-war activists freed him from police custody by using bolt cutters to cut through his handcuffs. Police were unable to arrest him again and he survived underground until 9 November 1972 when he gave himself up and was sentenced to 18 months' gaol, thereby making conscription an election issue. The Whitlam Government abolished conscription when it was elected in December 1972.

Resources

Journals

• Peacemaker [front cover, with image of Mike Matteson], vol. 33, no. 9-12, September to December, 1971, 1 pp. PDF Details

Pamphlets

• Why Register for National Service?/The Right to Dissent, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Sydney, 1968. Image PDF Details

Online Resources

• Australian Government: Australian War Memorial, I got two years for not being a traitor like Geoff Mullen, Accessed online on 22 January 2024, 2024, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C98637. Details
• Mansell, Ken, ''Taking to the Streets against the Vietnam War': A Timeline History of Australian Protest 1962-1972', Published on the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History Melbourne Branch website, 8 May, https://labourhistorymelbourne.org/taking-to-the-streets-against-the-vietnam-war-a-timeline-history-of-australian-protest-1962-1972-introduction/taking-to-the-streets-against-the-vietnam-war-a-timeline-history-of-australian-protest-1962-1972-1972/. Details
• Takver; Matteson, Micheal; Mullen, Geoff, 'Australian Draft Resistance and the Vietnam War - statements by Michael Matteson and Geoff Mullen', Three articles submitted by Fluffy and published on Libcom.org website., 2017, https://libcom.org/article/australian-draft-resistance-and-vietnam-war-statements-michael-matteson-and-geoff-mullen. Details