OPENING OF A. SSCCIATED CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
BUILDING, BARTON, CANBERR. A
Speech by the Frime Minister, Mr. Harold Holt APRIL, 19 67
Mr. President May, Mr. President of the Senate, Your Exfcellencies,
D-stinguished Guests, Ladi. es and Gentlemen
Thank you, Mr. May, for the kind things you have said about
the basis of co-operation which has at all times exlisted between the
Commonwealth Government and this Chamber or Associated Chambers of
-Commerce of Australia. 1 would just like to make it clear that close though that
associaton, and warm though that co-operation has been, no ulterior
significance is to be drawn from the fact that you have established your
building in close prox'. mity to the headquarters of the Liberal Party.
You mentioned that there have been occasions I am glad to
hear you say they were rate occasions when you found It necessary to
disagree publicly with us, but of course there have been occasions when you
found 4. t necessary to disagree publicly with I won't say'thet rival party"
but that other very important Chamber the Assoz: iated % Chamberso f
Manufactures. And yet these days such is the :: e--rvas've and diversified
influence to be found in the Australian economy, many members, I know,
of this Chamber are also members of the other Chamber, ald similarly : n
a sense, while from time to time you look upon us if not as tiatural enemies
at least as a pi-evailing force to be contended with, so no dodbt you entertain
the same views to the other organisation.
But happily for Australia and ' t is a feature of the
Australian democracy there is through all levels of the social and economic
structure a degree of friendly co-operation which I think it would be difficult
to match in any other country of the world. Undoubtedly our national strength,
our national progress and our prosperity owe a great deal to that co-operation
which we have been able to establish at all these levels. W~ e, like you, have
found value in the talks we hold from time to time and for my part, I can
assure you that these will be a continuing feature of our Administration.
Certainly the talks have important influence upon the final economic judgments
that we come to. I congratulate you on the establishment here in Canberra of
this fine building. It is, of itself of course, a tangible sign of the progress of
Canberra, the recognition of Canberra as a firmly established national
capital, and a sign also of your own confidence -n the strength of your
Associated Chambers and of the part you will play in the future of the nation.
The Chamber serves the nation well in a variety of ways. I
pay public tribute to it, and as wie see our own burgeoning economy and our
own advancing nation progress, so we will anticipate the need in the future
to perhaps an even greater eXtent than in the past of a body equipped as yours
is, to service its members with information, to make public and private
representations for them in official quarters from time to time, and to give
articulate expression to the particular purposes for which the Chamber stands.
Wte can see in the years perhaps not so distantly ahead
new problems) new opportunities arisiing for Australia. Traditionally
over the past years, much of our trade has been with the United Kingdom.
Through no desire of ours, but through the progress of economic events,
that has been at least in percentage a declining factor in our trade and
perhaps if Great Britain enters the European Common Market, there will
be less emphasis in the future upon the trade here than i'n the past. I
hope not, because it is our wish to maintain a continuing expansion of our
trade with the United Kingdom and, indeed, with the other countries of
Europe generally. Vlhatever may be the result in that direction at least we
can feel reasonably confident that if we turn our eyes northwards, there
will be growing opportunities for Australia in the countries of Asia, and
there will be new problems for men of commerce to face in their dealings
with the economies and gove:: nments of these countries. W~ e have only to
consider the amazing development that has occurred in Australia's two-way
trade with Japan over recent years to see an illustration of this. From a
position shortly after the war when there was virtually no trade between us,
Japan has now become, as you know, the largest purchaser in value of
Australian exports. We are currently the third largest purchaser in value
of Japanese goods. What is occurring and has already occurred in Japan
may not be repeated on the same scale in the other countries of Asia, but
certainly from my own recent journeys to that area over the last twelve
months, I am convinced that we do face growing opportunities there.
On this most recent visit, for example, both in Taiwan, a
country of thirteen million people, and Korea, a country of just on thirty
million people, where they both possess annual growth rates ranking
amongst the highest in the world, there are, I am sure, potentialities for
development of Australian trade which have yet scarcely been scratched.
In Korea I saw the largest fertil ser factory, as they claimed it, in Asia,
and a petrol refining establishment. They told me they have already a
consortium established for the creation of an iron and steel industry and
would be looking for Australian i~ ron ore in order to service the steel
industry of that country. They were looking to us, they said, for plywood,
since sources of plywood previously available to them were drying up.
And these are only illustrations.
In Taiwan, there was a similar indication to us of a very
substantial growth of their purchases of Australian raw materials and goods
over the years ahead. Now these are growing economies, but the problems
there may not necessarily be the same as those with which you have to
contend in Europe. There are the undeveloped countries of the world which,
while their progress at the moment may seem slow, yet as more
enlightened policies apply and more generous aid can be provided from the
growing economies of more favoured countries, again there should be an
expansion of demand which commerce will be able to put to its own
advantage. And so I think we can take a bright prospect of the future
and, if only peace can be restored in this area of the world, that process
w~ ll be greatly accelerated. / 3
There are other developments which will occur to you.
Australia, as one of the great trading nations of the world, relies very
heavily upon transport by sea and to a growing extent by air, for the
carriage of goods. We have been watching and do'ng what we have been
able to encourage the new developments in the f. eld of containerization of
goods and the modernization of ports and greater efficiency in the handling
of goods at the waterfront, and in these and other ways trying to assist you
in the task of marketing your products abroad, or else importing the goods
for sale here in Australia. So from these few illustrations we can see not only-good
prospects ahead, but a continuing need for the kind of co-operation which
we have already established. And I say in appreciation of what you
have already been able to do w4th us that we look for that continued goodwill
and teamwork in the years ahead, and in that spirit and with best wishes
the continuing growth and success of the Associated Chambers of Commerce
/ A. ustralia, I now officially declare this building open and shall have pleasure
in unveiling a plaque. Well, gentlemnen, with best wishes from my Government
to you all and may this bu'lding long continue to serve efficiently the
purposes for which you have combined together.