S) pech by the Prime Minister, Mr. Harold Holt,
at the Higains Electorate Dinner July, 1966.
Alan and my friends from Higgins:
This is a very memorable night for Zara and myself.
indeed it is made the more mnemorabl e for us because Alan, with
that genius for organisation which you possess, you've selected
for this celebration the room hallowed by the fact that we held
our wedding celebration here nearly twenty years ago. And, as
I have very happ recollections of that occasion, obviously
ha ' ppily consoliffted as you look at the beaming spectacle of my
dear wife here, then this will be another memory to add to that
rich store of the past.
But wherever we held this gathering it would have been a
notable occasion for the stalwarts who have been, as I look around
this room, what I might call my thick-and-thinners; those who
have stuck with me through good times and through bad. You've
mentioned the troubles of the early 1960' s. Well, be it everlastingly
to the credit of Higgins that they wjere with their
Member all the way. ( Laughter and applause). And I'm e~ ad
you feel we succeeded in laying I beleve we did the base of
a sound economy, one of the soundest economies to be found
anywhere in the world today.
Now I thought, Alan, that up to this point you'd proved
yourself a very good and staunch friend. But when you labelled
me to deliver an address I wasn't so sure about that. I thought
that this was one of these pleasant, relaxed, convivial evenings
in which we manifested our friendship with one another by
consuming a quite inordinate amount of delightful food and even
more titillating beverage. But you've throwin on me at this late
hour of the night this responsibility, and where do I begin?
I begin, I suppose, at the 26th of January this year,
because, by a happy combination of circumstances, it was on
Australids Nati onal Day that I assumed the responsibility of
office. So I can't forget my anniversary, next Tuesday I think
I complete my first six months of office. It seems more like
six years frankly, when you look back on what has been compressed
into that period of six months. Surely, putting the personalities
on one side, it must be accounted one of the most remarkable
periods in the history of the Australian nation.
I asked my very able Press Secretary, Tony Eggleton, to
select the highlights for me of the things we'd done in thcse six
months. I thougt I might have been able to give you the
highlights on an occasion such as this. I took one look at the
list and I felt completely exhausted. I couldn't credit that
we'd done so much in so short a space of time. But there have
been some quite remarkable developments in that period. Now,
this perhaps is one of the most conspicuous features of the
changeover which has occurred. We have not merely had a
transition from a very distinguished leadership which carried
Australia through the most notable period of propess in its
history, but from that leadership we have moved into what can be
seen as a new era of Australian historic progress. It's not a
change of personalities that brings this about, it is the result
of historical forces, the circums~ tances of events around the
world which has been producing these changes here in Australia.
Whether Sir Robert Menzies had been here or not would not
have altered the fact that the British Minister for Defence was
with us in the first months of the year to discuss with Australia
the pattern of British defence in this area of the world in the
1970' s and indeed, into the 1990That itself was a quite
historic development because for understandable reasons with
which we can all sympathise, the United Kingdom had found it
necessary to reduce its commitments around the world and one of
the places in which it had to review its cormitments was in
various military bases established in this theatre of the world
in South East Asia and East of Suez generally. And we discussed
this very earnestly because it clearly had an important bearing
on our own planning. It was made clear to us at that time that
if it was found untenable to hold British forces in Singapore,
for example, then unless they had some other base to go to in
this area of the world and that meant Australia then they
would have to go home.
de urged that Great Britain should maintain a presence in
that part of the world for as long as it found it possible to do
so for the very good reason that British character and British
influence do exert a moderating, stabilising influence in this
area of the world. You have comparatively weak countries, as
to their military strength and, indeed, in the case of some of
them, their economic strength, and the British influence and
presence not a colonial imposition or anything of that sort
has this moderating, stabilising influeuce. This was what we
were wanting to preserve. And they saw the force of that
argument. They felt that we were a little more optimistic
than they were about their capacity to hold on in these places
with regard to a certain amount of restlessness that occurs there.
But we believe from our contacts in the area that the people
there would welcome a continued British participation, and
I believe that still to be so.
I merely mention this as an illustration of the sort of
change in circumstance with which we have had to cope, and we
have had quite dramatic confirnation in the last few hours
literally that Great Britain has felt the pressure of these
burdens and responsibilities and has been forced into drastic
economic action in order to meet them. Now, we for our part,
have given our support to Great Britain and the sterling area
generally in that most of Australia's overseas earnings are
held in the reserves of the United Kingdom, in sterling reserves.
And this is a considerable support to the strength of sterling
and their own economic viability in their external accounts.
*; e've been able to discuss quite realistically together the need
for Australia to go on earning overseas as much as we can;
we've been helped to do this in the years since the war by a
great influx of British capital and a considerable body of
British migrants.
Now we know that the migrants will continue to come,
perhaps they will even increase as a result of the difficulties
in the United Kingdom. But as to the influx of capital, we
would hope that the British Government and people would see
that in the growth of Australia, in the build-up of its own
export income, is a further strengthening of the British
position in the world. We can do more in this area of the
world, we can do more in the way of international aid, we can
provide a larger defence establishment for the security of the
area as our own economy grows, as our national development
progresses. And these are matters of the character that I've
been discussing recently with Mr. Wilson in London.
You've made some very charming references to Zara, Alan.
She, of course, is my secretweapon and I think it's not so
secret now, it's emerged publicly. Indeed, for some years
when I was Deputy Leader to Sir Robert Menzies I used to say in
all frankness that I was deputy leader also in my own household.
And this fact is gradually seeping around the world to the
knowledge of other people. However, it doesn't seem to do me
any harm. It builds a certain amount of respect and indeed,
warmth with others to know that I must have qualities, perhaps
undiscernible to them, which have attracted this very notable
lady. And my credit enhances accordingly. ( Applause).
She only caused me one serious passage of embarrassment
while we were away, and that, of course was over the regrettable
incident of the white mice. ( Laughter). I don't know how
many of you read about the white mice, but in London, when the
press were asking her what she'd been doing, of course they
pressed her as to whether she'd been doing some shopping. And
my wife, being a very wise woman, knows that there is nothing
in election year more damaging to a politician's standing than
to have his wife doing a lot of expensive shopping abroad. You
remember there was that lady in Africa who bought the gold bed
and got into it ( Laughter). Anyhow, my wife settled for a
couple of white mice and I was able later to point out to the
press how important it is to avoid international misunderstandings;
that there should be full and adeuate reporting of these matters
because the press here merely carried a reference to the white
mice and this set in train some involved deparmental cabling.
i~-hoever acdministers the quarantine arrangements sent a rather
frenzied cable to London to the effect that the importation of
white mice was prohibited. It would be very embarrassing if
the wife of the Prime Minister brought them in, and they had to
be publicly destroyed, or something to that effect. You see the
really critical reference that had been omitted from the report
was that these were china white mice for our grandchildren:.
We seem to have featured with the rice because while I was
spending the night at Chequers it was a wonderful experience
for us to be invited to spend the Sunday night in this historic
residence of the British Prime Ministers we were shown around
by Mr. and li'rs. :' ilson. He pointed out to us the picture of
Rembrandt of the Aesop Fable of the Lion and the MIouse, and it
was a magnificent pice of painting. But he went on to tell us
tht-ren ' inston Churchill was the occupant of Chequers, he used
to study this picture and finally he could stand it no longer
and he said " I cannot see the mouse". So he painted in the
mouse and the Rembrandt at Chequers is now Rembrandt plus
Churchill. ( Laughter).
This was the story I employed at the '; hite House in
Washington because the moral of the Aesop Fable, of course, is
that little friends can prove great friends and, in this sense,
Australia I believe can prove a great friend both to the United
States and to the United Kingdom. It's through the collaboration
of these two great democracies that a great deal of the strength
of the world, its prospect for peace, hopes for progress, still
rest even in these times. Despite the relative weaknesses
today of the British economic position, British character,
British influence, British leadership, still account heavily
around the world, free or communist world, and we don't underestimate
that. Nor, I assure you, is it under-estimated by
the President of the United States. And I was glad to have the
opportunity of my second visit with him. Harold Wilson knew,
of course, that I was going to see him again; we'd discussed
4.
this together in some detail in three hours--of talks at Cheauers.
Ihope that That I was able to say both in Londan and-in Amdrica
proved, helpful to that association.
There are ways, and particularly out in this area of' the
world, in -which Australia can be of help, quite important help.
Let me just give you an illustration of how the mouse as a great
friend at times can work out. You've all heard of the Colombo
Plan, but it's not so widely known that the Colombo Plan which has
brought aid and technical assistance to the countries of Asia and
South East Asia in particular, was pioneered by Australia and by a
particular Australian prominently associated with the work in its
early days. And its one of the ironies of life's circumnstances
that the man who is being abused in some quarters around the world
at thig time, because in the exercise of an honest jUd~ pent he
gave his decision in a particular way, our own Sir Percy Spender
was the man who gave the drive, the impetus and the inspiration
to what later became the Colombo Plan.
Now Australia has provided under that plan what is for our
size of population a respectable total of 130 million Australian
dollars. The United States has provided 15 thousand million dollars
under the Colombo Plan, And here is an illustration of the way
in which an initiative we were able to take and get something
moving, had the effect of being of benefit on this scale to the
p eople of this area. I mention that because, for me, one of the
highlights perhaps the highlight of my recent journey overseas
was to find that, having put vigorously in the United States the
view that the press cover being given there didn't reveal to the
American public how much was being achieved by the people of South
East Asia, under the protection of the American shield they have
been able to go forward with their own progress and able to cooperate
more closely together for Veaceful purposes, for trade
purposes and for mutual strengthening of each other's security
position, Now this wasn't being told, I felt, fairly and
adequately in the American press, and I kept on saying so until
we did get some notice taken of it. And what is more, we got
from the President himself a quite historic declaration of American
attitude. This has now been recognised in American as a significant
development in their foreign policy, the attitude of the President
to American responsibilities and possibilities in this area of the
world. They were encouraged by the evidence which has been
accumulating of co-operation be tveen those countries vihich have
been protected by an American presence in South Viet Nam from
corrmunist aggression. Those of us who have enjoyed this
Protection have nowr been co-operating more closely together.
There were ten countries which met recently at Seoul in South
Korea, not one of the major powers amongst them, except in the
sense that Japan can be classified as a mjaor power -it certainly
is in an industrial sense but not a military sense -but it was
one of the significant developments of recent times I would. think,
looking back over the six mnths, the point at which I viould say
perhaps the most significant development had occurred for me,
external to the events inside this country, w-as the moment when
I was invited by the Prime 1vinister of Thailand to go and sit
the first foreigner in history in the Cabinet of the Government
of Thailand. This was to me a symptom of the newr spirit that is
emerging around these countries of Asia, a setting aside of the
past Prejudices, past failures in co-operation. And this is one
of the real dividends that has been secured for us by American
resolution and determination in South Viet N~ am, assisted by what
the United Kingdom has been doing with other Commnonwealth forces in
Malaysia and in resisting Indonesian confrontation policies in Borneo.
Now these are just illustrations which I give you of the
sort of thing that has been crop'Ang up through the year. Its
been a year crow-, ded with incidents and developments of this sort
and these are to touch on some of the external matters.
Internally we've had the changeover quite an historic
changeover to a decinal currency system. And lest anybody
think us freakish in this matter, New Zealand will be moving into
decinls next year, the United Kingdom will be followving in due
course, and most, therefore, of the countries and peoples around
the world will be operating under a decimal system of currency.
Inside Australia, the sort of change we have to contend
with these days is that the electorate no longer respects the
division of power betveen the Comonwealth and the States. I am
sure it would suit John Bloomfield, it would certainly suit us
and our respective colleagues in our governments, if he
electorate would allo, us to go ahead as the constitution
intended us to go. He is, of course, an authority these days
in the field of education. But this doesn't prevent the
electorate from demanding that the Comnonwealth also come into
the field of education and the provision which ve, through our
Budget, and the State Governments, through their Budgets, need
to make in order to meet what has been described as an education
explos ion, is almost capaole of wrecking the stable assembly
of a Budget for all the other purposes of government at this time.
These things are occurring while we're coping in the Federal
sphere with a record provision for defence, and increasing
provision for internctional aid, which the electorate also is
pressing for these days. And, taking them together, the
Comonwealth and State Governments are almost at their wits end
literally to find how, without zo imposing burdens upon the
conaunity that incentive becomes damaged, they can make ends meet
and sustain a stable economic situation in respect of their own
administrations. Ue've just been grappling w., ith thais problem
in Canberra. I came back from overseas over the weekend to run
into a gathering of the representatives of industry on Monday, and
on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday had the full 1vUnistry meeting
on the problems of our own Budget in Canberra.
And so, Alan, you will see that the fruits of office,
while they look alright on the plate, sometimes prove both costly
and difficult of attainment. I've been greatly stimulated by
this six months of office, but I never thought I'd have to work
so hard in my life. I felt that the Tru.' surer of the Conmorriealth
was the hardest working man; I've been miaintaining that theory
not for 8 years, heaven forbid, but for 7 years as the former
encumbont of that high office. I know that Sir Robert Menzies
used to work very hard. I'm quite convinced that he wasn't
wrked as hard in his life as I have been in these last 6 months.
However, he might argue that. But I think I can claim that
because it is a changing world; it is a turbulent, restless
world. How many of us of my generation when we were boys used to
know much about what went on north of this country. Most of us
if we got as far as getting a collection of the postage stamps
of the countries concerned would have become about as well-informed
as the average Australian statesman of those days on what went on
in our north. Our eyes were turned to the British Isles and
Europe. We hardly had an awareness of their existence there
was a funny little country called Indo China we didn't know much
about. The relations between Singapore and Ilaya were also
mysteries to us. But over recent years these have become facts
life for us.
S6.
Now I don't want to imply and some of the things I've
been saying lately might lead to that impression-that ve don't
have a future in relation to the rest of the world, that our
future is all in Asia. That would be quite silly because, apart
from questions of international policy, two thirds of our trade
is still outside the Asian area. The significant thing is that,
even while we've been in office, and I go back now to the beginning
of Sir Robert's long period of leadership, the percentage of
Australian trade in this area of the world has moved up from
to 33%, and the trend is steadily in that direction. We're
dealing now with a billion and a half people and this is more than
half the human race, and as the years go on their proportion of
the total population of the human race will tend to increase more
than that of the rest of the world because not are they no less
fertile than the rest of the world, but improving public health
measures are keeping more of them alive beyond the point of low
life expectancy which was their lot in earlier years.
Now these are some of the factors which lie ahead for the
policy-maker of this country; they help to contribute to the
judgment which Lord Slim recently expressed to me when he wrote
saying what a fascinating time to be Prime Minister of Australia.
Well, it is a fascinating time, because, not only are there
challenges and opportunities outside Australia but inside we are
embarked on one of the most exciting phases of national development
which measure up in excitement and promise to the rich days of
the gold finds in Australia of earlier years. Here in a year in
which we've had to contend with the most serious drought in the
last 20 years, the economy has moved on steadily for most people
almost without fluctuation. We've got a much broader base to
the whole economy; we have been able to continue in strength
through all these difficulties.
Now, we meet here tonight as supporters of a Liberal
candidate in a Liberal electorate, and, indeed, I have the honour
to be the Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party.
And I think we can claim that Australia's strength inside Australia
and around the world is in no small degree attributable to the
basic principles that we stand by in our Liberal faith and the
brilliant exposition of those principles by the man who was Prime
Minister of this country for 16 consecutive years. It is my
honour to succeed him and I can tell you and I think this
ought to be mentioned seeing that I'm laying emphasis on the
Liberal element inside the policy formation that through those
years we have operated with a coalition; its boen a friendly
coalition and has worked effectively and happily; and what I'm
sure will interest all in this room tonight to know is that the
relations which existed with Sir Robert's leadership of cordial
collaboration have continued with no lessening of wan-th or
effectiveness of co-operation in the coalition which I have the
honour to lead. ( Applause). And this means strength for
Australia. We can present to the world the picture of a strong
government; our opponents are in disarray; its hard to find these
days a serious political discussion as between the Government
Parties and those of the Opposition. You pick up odd items about
Sthe rightwing asking the D. L. P. to give them some sort of
protection or the left wing saying if there is a big enough loss
of seats at the next election then the left wing will be able to
take control. Well, if this is the way they want to argue it,
or discuss it, let them do so. We carry the responsibility of
national leadership and in these days, with the sombre tasks still
ahead of us in South Viet Nam and elsewhere, those are weighty
enough responsibilities indeed. We have no lack of advisers
from a variety of sections of the community. But, finally, here
L
7.
as in the united States and in the United Kingdom, a responsibility
for leadership has to be taken by the democratically elected
government of the day. And in that weighty task and responsibility
its a great encouragement to me personally to know that my ov'M base
is so strong and that heiearound me I find those who are helping
to keep the fortess of Hig. ins staunch, firm and strong.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, Alan spoke of an address.
It's been a lengthier one perhaps than even he might have bargained
for. But these are just a selection of the matters which have
been actively engaging the attention of the busiest Government in
the history of the Comronwrealth of Australia. I hope that in the
period which lies ahead and the rest of this year, we'll prove it
one of the most effective years in the history of the nation and
that, given the support which we at least feel to be our just due,
we'll go on from strength to strength in the year's ahead. And
may you be with me all that Thank you.