2 4 JUL 1967
VISIT TO US, Cl: W. U. K. WIBRAW
MOTrW. L, C ' DA
*' RESS COFFERECE JIVEI jy THE RIME IISTER, MI.
IH{ iOLD HOLT Ii MONTT;. L 6TH JUND, 1967.
May I je seated? I think this will work better if I
do, Ladies and gentlemen, I first thank Sir V: lston Hancock for
introducing me to the press of Zxno. I do-; int to sn-y ho,. re tly
my own country has annreciated the opportunity of Jeing represented
at Expo, and ho.; proud I am, as the head of the Government, having
had an opportunity of seeing . ustr lin's Pavilion and having hid.
in opportunity of seoin. tho various exhibits, the lay-out and the
eneral construction, that we should have a Pavilion which I believe
ittingly expresses our national sentiment and some of the more
prominent features of our national life. Perha-s, before saying
a little more in detail about that I should acknowledge the
tremendous satisfaction I have felt in what I have seen of Expo
67 generally. It is fitting at a time when man is demonstrating again
only too tragically thAt he can destroy the things that he has
built to find here in this Exposition a demonstration that man
can also innovate and construct and take vision for the future.
It has been something of an inspiration, certainly a tonic in these
sombre days, to have had the opportunity to see Exno 67 in being,
to have gone over some of the Iavilions that of Canada of Cuebec
of Great Iritain in addition to that of my own country Australia
and I am sure that the inspiration and stimulus that has come to
me from the visits to the other Pavilions would be repeated if
only one could have wandered and studied more intensively throughout
this Exposition. My wife said it has almost a spiritual quality
about it. ell, I don't know whether it is spiritual or whether
it has its own mystic, out certainly there is a snirit about Expo
67 which is encouraging, stimulating and even inspiring. One thing
which has imnressed us is that it does not seek to be, so far as we
can gather, a sort of money-making enterprise.
I have an impression of our own Pavilion with me of a
well-constructed, even imainatively conceived Pavilion, with a
quiet restful dignity about it which answers the various phases
of Australian life which are reproduced I think, so arrestingly
in the Pavilion. I would like to take this puolic opportunity of
con ratulating any of the architects and tiose who were concerned
with the interior decor and Sir Valston Hancock and his staff for
helping to make the Australian Pavilion the success which I believe,
the figures of attendance demonstrate it to be. You may have already
been told that the anticipated attendance has been multiplied about
fourfold over the period of the Exposition, and this is at the one
time not only a mark of the success of Expo 67 itself but a mark
also of the attraction which the Australian " avilion hAs held for
those who have visited the Exposition.
So my congratulations on oehalf of my Government and people
to all who had a hand in the Australian contribution. Just as
fittingly one's congratulations must : o to Mrr. Duuy and all
associated with him, and to the city o Montreal for having had the
courage and the enterprise to take those amoitious projects, and
to make such a successful achievement of it. tell, that is all.
I wish to say thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen. If there is any
query which I can conveniently cope with, I shall do my best. / 2
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Mr. Prime Minister you said in Ottawa, yesterday, that
you envisage a reater role for Canada in Asia, in the po icy
making in Asia. I wonder just what you mean by this? And why
you would see Canada in such a role?
P. M. i', ell, I will de. tl first with the situation as I see it,
and I am projecting my mind not into the short term but into a
much longer period ahead. Jy the end of this century the nopulation
of both Canada and A'ustra. lia should have doubled. already ve have
a significance in international trade and, I believe, in international
affairs out of all proportion to our numbers.
I can't say what the gross national nroduct is of Canada.
I know it is a go d deal higher than that of my own country. Dut,
just to illustrate what I me-in from the situation as I know it.
India has 42 times our population but only double the value of
our gross national nroduct. Indonesia, our nearest neighbour
to the Iorth of Australia, has nine times our ponulation but
only one third of the value of our . ros national nroduct.
ith two countries such as . ustralia and Canada which already have
had a long association through the Commonwealth of Nations and,
with less frequent meetings, inside the Cononwealth and with
a community of interest in other directions in international trade,
in a progressing world of peace I believe that it is important we
should be closer together and get to know each other more closely
than we have been accustomed to do through our occasional meetings
in London. ; e should be encouraging more of our people to visit
each other's country now. '. hat has this to do Twith the Pacific?
You ha-pen to have not only a burgeonin economy but a Pacific
border and an outlook ; estward from 3ritish Columbia and indeed
from the whole nation.
I am sure, your own leader indeed the Prime Minister has
publicly recognized, that where in the past most of the orientation
from Canada has been towards the iorth Atlantic or Korth America,
in the years ahead they have to an increasing degree ( not supplanting
of course the interest you have in these areas I have mentioned), but
to an increasing degree growing trade interest, perhaps a growing
political interest in the affairs of the Pacific. ' ie have a vision
in Australia of a growing Asia, growing in economic, social and
political strength uhere communism can ; e urought in check as it
has in so many of the countries of Asia.
trade with. ei shiaav e osr eethne recmoaurnktaroielse Eeacsotn omoif c Sgurezo wthhas. mo! vMye do wnf rocmo untry's
in 1950 to 40% at this time. Japan just to name one country
trading with us, has surnamsed the inited Kingdom as the biggest
purchaser of Australian goods, and I think Canadians are sufficiently
keen traders. Once they find that this has been going on in an
area to which they look from their ;. estern borders, they will not
be slow to ta. ke up the opportunity which will come their way out there
in a growing Asian economy.
Q. 1Mr. Prime Minister, is Austrtlia and Canada to have a
continuing policy of immigr'ation?
P. M. '. ell, when you say continuing, it has never really had an
all-white policy of immigration. There has always been room inside
the Australian lmmigration policy for the admi. sion of people of
known European races for specified purposes. I find a good deal
of misunderstanding, particularly in this part of the world, far
more misunderstanding than one finds in the countries of Asia
themselves. In fact it might interest you to know that in all my
/ 3
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visits to the countries of Asia I have never Jeen asked a question
on that immigration policy by the representative of any asian
jovernment because I know in their own visits to Australia no
discrimination is shown against them.
There are at the present time 12,000 students from Asia
in our colleges and in our universities. Since the Second orld
ar more than 50, v000 neole from thee countries have come to Australia,
who had not oeen eligi4bl to enter Australia under the regulation
or rule of immigration which previously applied. . any thousands
of them have taken out full naturalizatiohas australian citizens;
many Asian men and women ma: rry in Australia and immediately take
ustralian citizenship a5 a matter virtually of right. The children,
of course, are australian citizens, out the peoDle of Asia would not
want us to * ive encouragement to those who .0 through the universities
and the colleges, to stay in rermanent residence in Australia. They
want them to ; o back and help them in the development of their own
country. Youfind slokesmen-for tynical Asian countries such as
Tunku bdul . aman of Malaysis, puulicly amending policy, recognizing
the value of a secure sta'ble and r l:. vely homogeneous . ustralia
for the other countries of the region.
C. Mr. Prime iinister, how does your . overnment view the
events of the past 48 hours in the Middle East?
P. M. ' ell we have made official statements on this matter. My
colleague the Denuty Prime Minister, Mr. J. McEwen, with whom I
was in contact, nut out an official statement from the Government
yesterday. * e of course, in company with most of the other people
around the world, deplore those tragic events, and hope that an
effective action can . je speedily taken which will bring an end to
the fighting. , e would hope that this could ue achieved under the auspices
of the United Nations, and I myself would feel that all the major
powers as far as I can discover, are anxious to see the fighting
brou hi to an end, This could be a test of the effectiveness of
the Security Council, : articularlv the permanent members of the
Security Council, and of the United Nations in dealing with a
situa tion in which all the senior members of the Security Council
wish to see the fighting brought to an end.
My own country, of course, has only a relatively insignificant
Dart to play in these events, but we have a reat interest, first in
the cause of peace because peace to us enables us to go on with the
task of development of a great continent, and because peace is
precious in itself. But we also have, as one of the twelve top
trading nations of the world an interest in seeing that the
international waterways are kept free for trade sr. the traffic
of the peaceful and free world. So we are concerned on these
counts to see an early restoration of peaceful conditions in the
area. Q. Sir, if the U. U. force should have to be recruited to
keep the peace there, would Australia particiTate?
P. M. ; ell, you have raised an hypothetical question, and it
is not customary to state Government' policies on hvnothetic. l issues.
But Australia is a rood member of the-United Natiohs. , e have
constantly supported it. ' e supported the action which was taken
in Korea as United Nations action. e have financially supported / 4
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peace keeping efforts in various directions. ' 7e have policemen in
Cyprus at this moment as part of the United Nations grip there.
ut I mention that as evidence of our record of loyalty to the
United Nations support of foreign decisicns. But I am not committing
my country in : dvance in any course of action until I know what is
proposed to it.
Q. Mr. Prime Minister, especially in view of your reference
to Australia's importance as a trading power, and in view of what
happened in the Suez Canal namely tuat the Canal has been closed so
we Rear at least would ou agree with Foreign Secretary Jrown
of the United Kingdom that that is an illegal act, or would you say
in any case it's an act which will seriously jeopardize Australia's
interests? P. M. ell, what I would like to know first before I make any
definite comments would be the facts of the situation As I ha
the news item this morning, the claim has been made th-t the Canal
was closed in order to keen it secure and to protect it against bombing
which could ue dama. in both to the shipping and to the Canal as a
waterway. Now if that were so one might take a different view of
events th. n if it i,: ere simply closed in order to prevent free movement
of shipping, so I would not wish to indicate an attitude of mind
without being fully in possession of the facts that I haven't at the
present time. Thank you. -A