Family Name:
Stevenson
Given Names:
Peter
Gender:
Male
Birth-date:
Unknown, possibly 1949
Death-date:
Unknown
Marital Status:
Unknown, probably single
Age Range:
Early 20s
Location:
VIC, Korongvale
Occupation:
Unknown
Primary Motivation:
Draft Resister
Reason for Court Appearance:
Failure to register for national service
Court Name and Location:
Unknown Victoria
Court Hearing Date:
August 1971
Court Outcome:
Convicted and fined
Military Event:
National Service and Vietnam War 1964-1972
Further Information:
Peter Stevenson was from Korongvale in Victoria. He refused to register for the July 1969 intake of conscripts under the National Service Act 1964 (NSA). He was summonsed to court during August 1971 for the offence and was convicted and fined. It was unlikely that Peter was further prosecuted under the NSA. The government during 1971, and especially 1972, were reluctant to prosecute when the result would be jailing a young man. This was particularly in regard to a refusal to obey a call-up notice. This attracted 18 months’ imprisonment. The government aimed to minimize its political risk of having large numbers of young men in prison. All pending prosecutions under the NSA were stopped by the newly elected Whitlam Labor government in early December 1972.
Confirmatory Sources:
Peacemaker, May/ June/ July/ August 1971 p.11.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEACE HONOUR ROLL 