Subjects: Meeting with Queen; constitutional referendum; Olympic Games
opening; future visits.
E&OE .............................................................................................
JOURNALIST:
How was your audience with Her Majesty?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the usual protocols apply but I won't go into the details of
it, but she's very happy to be in Australia again and I know that
she's looking forward to travelling around a large part of the country
over the next two weeks. And I'm sure she will receive a friendly
and polite welcome.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think that just four months after the controversial referendum
in some way could open up divisions and therefore embarrass the royal
guests?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I don't. Australians handled that referendum with the maturity
and common sense for which we are renowned. We had a debate, there was
a vote taken. Our society is not divided by the referendum. There were
passionately held views but at the end of the day all of us were arguing
what we thought was best for the country.
JOURNALIST:
Do you sense there's a degree of indifference amongst Australians
to this visit by the Queen?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I am unsurprised by, I think, the attitude of the community. It
is a different world from what it was in 1954, or even 1963. We have a
very, very diverse busy life - all of us. I think there will be considerable
interest but nobody should imagine that it would be anything like what
it was in 1954. The world has moved on, it is very different. And I am
quite certain she understands that probably better than people who raise
those issues.
JOURNALIST:
Why did you take eight years to invite her out again?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I never thought it was appropriate for her to come while the constitutional
issue was being deliberated on. We had a Convention, and then we had the
run up to the referendum. And I think if she'd have come last year,
somebody might have accused the Government of wanting to use a visit to
influence the outcome of the result. Now I don't know who that might
have been, but somebody might have done so.
JOURNALIST:
Can I ask, the Olympic Charter states very clearly I think it's
rule 69, subsection 1 the Games shall be open by the head of state.
Why is she not being invited to open the Games? Why hasn't she .
. .
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we decided that the appropriate person to open the games is the
Governor General and that matter has been discussed with the Queen last
year in Durban and she is very happy with the arrangements.
JOURNALIST:
So do you expect that her visit this time round might in fact cause a
new warming amongst Australians towards her?
PRIME MINISTER:
Australians have always been warm towards her, including many people
in Australia who voted for a republic. The Queen as a person has not been
the issue in the Constitutional debate in Australia. She is not the issue
as a person. Most Australians respect her as a very committed, dedicated
Constitutional Monarch who has always tried to do her best by Australia
and has a considerable affection, a genuine affection for this country.
That was not the issue. Australian republicans were not anti her as a
person.
JOURNALIST:
Can I ask the same question in regards to the monarchy though?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, well I don't know that the visit in relation to the debate
itself is going to necessarily have an impact either way. We are as a
people able to make judgements about these things, taking everything into
account. And the judgement we made last year as a matter of record was
to retain the current arrangements.
JOURNALIST:
Now that the republican issue, if you like, has subsided at any rate,
do you think we can now look forward, can Australians now look forward
to more frequent royal visits say by the Queen who is coming next year
of course, but by other members of the royal family as well? Or will it
be another eight years . . .
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, look I don't want to get into that. I mean the Queen will be
coming again next year for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
JOURNALIST:
You said that the eight year gap was because of the difficulty . . .
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, you asked me that and I gave you an answer to that. I am not going
to get into the future. In relation to other visits, she is here now,
she's very welcome. I know she is very happy to be back in Australia
and is looking forward to meeting a lot of Australians and visiting places
which she's been to before, plus some new ones. She will be back
again next year, what happens after that I am not going to get into.
JOURNALIST:
But it makes it a bit easier now?
PRIME MINISTER:
I am not going to get into it.
JOURNALIST:
Can we just ask what your memories are of the '54 tour because a
lot of people have been talking about that in the papers. Were you . .
.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it was certainly a different atmospheric to what it is now but that
. . .
JOURNALIST:
I meant your view.
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, look I am not going to get into that, other people do it far better!
[ends]