The moratorium movement, especially in 1970 was a large part of Australia's anti-war movement and allowed many Australians (especially women) the chance to express their feelings towards the war, through protests and organisations such as SOS (See 'Save our Sons' below).

In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Vietnam moratorium movement generated mass involvement, most visibly in a series of major demonstrations. The moratorium movement drew considerable strength from involvement of university students and major trade unions. It was strongly supported by large sections of the Labor Party. As part of the anti-war movement it had a major effect and by 1972 the Liberal-Country Party government had withdrawn almost all Australian troops from Vietnam.

1. A legally authorised postponement before some obligation must be discharged.

2. Suspension of an ongoing activity

As conflict in Vietnam continued and more troops were sent there, opposition rose and support for the war began to wane. The anti-war movement grew rapidly in size and intensity and the Vietnam War began to divide Australian society. In 1965 an opinion poll showed that 59% of Australians supported the war. Four years late, in 1969, the same poll showed only 39% of Australians supported the war. This led to many protests throughout Australia and the rise of the moratorium movement.

The Vietnam War was the first war that was televised and each night people within Australian homes were able to witness images of the war and the soldiers fighting. This was the first time that Australians truly witnessed the horrific side of the war and saw the struggle that their sons went through. This made them opposed to the war and object to the conscription of their sons.

When the decision was made to send combat troops to South Vietnam, there was some opposition to this conscription, especially from the Labor Party. Some people believed that the war in Vietnam was a civil war rather than the push of expansive and aggressive communism. They were also unsure whether military action in Vietnam would be successful. The leader of the Labor Party, Arthur Calwell, began to protest that iwas an ‘unwinnable war’ and that the Labor Party promised to withdraw Australian conscripts from Vietnam if it won government. There were many propaganda posters at the time that tried to persuade people to vote for the Labor Party and against conscription.

May of 1970 was the high point for Australia’s Moratorium marches. Not only was the number of people impressive but also their nature. They changed from being considered radical students, unionists and communists to being a respectable group of human anti-war people whose stand was respected by the general community.

• May 8 & 9 – Marches took place in all capital cities as well as in some towns such as Wollongong.
• May 18 – between 150,000 and 200,000 people were involved in a national 100,000 marched in Melbourne alone.

A conscientious objector is a person who, for personal or religious reasons, will not take part in military service or fight in a war. During the Vietnam War a person could refuse to register for National Service and on the grounds that he was a conscientious objector. They would then have to prove in court that there were "deep-seated and compelling reasons" why he could not serve in the armed forces. The number of men who claimed to be Conscientious Objectors was relatively small. Out of the 800 000 men registered for national service, only 1242 were granted conscientious objector status by the courts.