~\~ VJSDEP 41
JAIA W
PRIME MINISTER, MR. J. McE\ 7 N, MEETS WITH PRESS
MR. McEVIEN: I wanted to see you yesterday, but pressure of events
overtook me, so I'm seeing you now.
First, I want now publicly to e-press through your media
my deep regret at the loss of Mr. Holt and to say that I am sure
this is a regret felt by every single Australian citizen and
obviously deeply felt in much wider circles overseas.
Mr. Holt, as you all knew, was a typical Australian. I
think any one of us would be happy to be so described. He was at
home with his fellows here in Australia and undoubtedly he was an
equal with his contemporaries when he was overseas. Ae was a good man.
He was a brave man. And he was a devoted man to his country. We
have suffered a great loss.
We extend our deep sympathy to Mrs. Holt and to the
family. I have, of course, communicated this to Mrs. Holt.
In thinking of her I want, in her deep distress to see
that she is relieved as much as may be done of the practical problems
that inevitably surround the wife of a great and distinouished man.
I have told Mrs. Holt that I have directed, in view of he enormous
correspondence in which she will be involved that secretarial
assistance will be made available to her; tAat, at least in existing
circumstances I want her to retain the use of a government car and
driver-and I have told her that she should contemplate moving from
the Lodge only at her om convenience.
For myself, gentlemen I achieve this high office with
no sense whatever of personal gratification. It's only in rare
circumstances that a man could become Prime Minister and not be
warmed and elated by the fact, but I am neither warmed nor elated by
the circumstances that have unexpectedly precipitated me into this
position. As I have already made it perfectly clear it is my
intentionto hold the office only until the major party in the
Coalition, the Liberal Party, shall have chosen for itself a new
leader, and I will put myself at his disposal, and at the disposal
of the Governor-General. I have already advised His Excellency of
my attitude in this repbard and advised senior members of the Liberal
Party. I've told the vernor-General it's my intention to step
aside as soon as the Liberal Party has electe its leader.
For the record, I want it to be quite clearly understood
that I have not been commissioned by his Excellency subject'to an
undertaking. His Excellency has commissioned me and I have, out
of a sense of the correctness of things and my own sense of
responsibility, advised him, as I have now advised you, of my
intention.
2.
I have advised His Excellency to swear in all the
present Ministers in their present portfolios. I myself was
re-sworn as Minister for Trade and Industry yesterday, as well as
Prime Minister. Could I divert for just a couple of seconds to say
there has been some co~ nment on the fact that no Liberal Ministers
were present yesterday. I'm afraid this is entirely my
responsibility. It had not been contemplated that any Ministers
would be present at all And I just suddenly decided I would wish my
Countrty Party colleagues, particularly my young men of whom I am so
proud, to be present. I checked with the Dovernor-General that this
would be acceptable and invited them to come along, and frankly
confess I didn't give a thought to mv Liberal colleagues nor to my
friend, Ceb Barnes, who was in the btilding and I didn't know.
I just divert to say there's no ground for any speculation of
anything in this. It is my intention in this position to adhere strictly
to the policies of the Holt Government. There will be no new policy
departures. On Friday the Memorial Service is arraned in Melbourne.
Melbourne is itself an appropriate centre Mr. Holt s own city.
Of course we contemplate Canberra, but tAere is no Anglican Church
in Canberra with sufficient accommodation to hold the number of people
who undoubtedly will wish to attend the Service.
A number of very high-level personages will come to
Australia from overseas for this occasion. Prince Charles will come.
He will represent his mother, the Queen. He is the Heir to the Throne.
This is a very eat gesture. Mr. Harold Wilsdn, the Prime Minister
of Britain, withsufficient worries of his own, will come and
Mr. Edward Heath, the Leader of the Op osition in Britain, will come.
They will fly direct from London to Melbourne. It's my understanding
they will arrive in Melbourne on Friday morning. We understand
that their visit can only be a very short one, but I am moved I'm
sure we are all moved that the Queen has so feelingly and so
generously signified her owfn feelings by sending her son and Heir
to the Throne to represent her. It symbolises in a most moving way
the attachment of Australia to the Crown the Queen of Austra~ ia.
Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath also pay us and Mr. Holt a very
reat tribute by their journey and their personal representation.
s I said, they'leave Britain at a time of very great personal
demands on them, and the journey is the longest of all of those who
are coming; and I want to acknowledge their gesture now deeply and
gratefully, and say that we will all look forward to meeting them.
It is a tremendous and unprecedented gesture, I think,
that the President of the United States should himself have decided
instantly that he would come and show his respect for Mr. Holt and
for Australia by coming personally. And this we attach tremendous
importance to.
Mr. Holyoake, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, is
coming. There are other Heads of States and high dignitaries whose
names I will not attempt to enumerate now but which will be available.
I just observe# gentlemen that this unprecedented
journeying from all around the world to Australia is the ultimate
tribute to Mr. Holt to the esteem in which he was held, and we will
all recognise this.
I believe myself that with the presence in Canberra ot
in Melbourne of the President of the United States and Mr. Wilson,
and other people we will no doubt I will myself have some
conversations with thesei I have asked my Cabinet colleagues to be
available in case it should be desired that there should Be a wider
level of conferring. There is no thought in my mind, and I am sure
no thought in the minds of any others, of what might be thought of
as a conference between various people. I would expect that those
who want to talk, as I myself will vant to talk,* with the dignitaries
who will come here will have their conversations, but in no sense
formal conferences. I believe that Mr. Holt himself would in circumstances
of a similar nature, had he been involved, would himself have taken
advantage of the opportunity.
Yhen I spoke yesterday on the television to the nation,
I spoke of various policy circumstances in which we are involved.
The most serious and pressing of course, is our situation in Vietnam.
And I say we will stand steadfast with our allies. We will share
their efTorts and share their agony in this situation. Having said
that, I now make it clear that we want peace, we will work for
peace; but not for the peace of surrender to the aggressors of a
small, brave free people. We will continue Mr. Ho t's work of
coming to understanR the problems of all our Asian neighbours; and
not less we will work to endeavour to have them understand us'
to understand our willingdess to work and to help where possible,
and to establish in the minds of our Asian friends and neighbours
an understanding of the integrity of our own attitudes, of he
Australian nation. I make it clear that in defence, our postures are
entirely related to us working with like-minded people for a more
stable world where all can live in peace and security and with a
greater equality of living conditions.
The Government will continue to work in the field of*
international trade to et better and fairer trade opportunities,
not only for ourselves but for others.
And we will continue to devote ourselves to the policies
in which Mr. Holt and myself were involved in the decisions of the
last Cabinet meeting, his last Ccbinet meeting, to study the present
serious problems of rural industries and proceed to devise po icies
for their betterment.
There must be no interruption in the Australian national
growth, and I will continue in whatever office I find myself to
endeavour to make my contribution to the best of my ability to the
securing of strong and stable government for Australia.
And I conclude my statement? gentlemen, by saying I am
confident in the strength of the Coalition.
* 0009.
QUESTION: Mr. Mclven, are you prepared to say publicly, as you
have apparently said privately, that you will not accept 111r. McMahon
as a Prime Minister, as Leader of the Liberal Party?
MR. McE VEN: Yes, I say to you that I have told Mr. McMahon that
neither I nor my Country Party colleagues would be prepared to serve
under him as Prime Minister. Mr. McMahon knows the reason. My
senior Liberal Party colleagues not only know the reasons, but knew
the reasons before Mr. Holt's death.
QUESTION: Do you disclose the reasons?
MR. McEWEN: No. No I will not. I had a tormenting problem for
myself, knowing tha{ this was the attitude of myself and my Country
Party colleagues, in deciding whether I should -isclose beTore the
Liberal Party's election, at the cost of being accused of seeking to
influence it? or, alternatively, not disclose my attitude and, it being
what it is if Mr. McMahon were elected Leader of the Liberal Party,
then undoubtedly produce a very serious national crisis by only at
that time indicating that we could not work under his Prime
Ministership. And T decided firmly in my mind that what I have dene
is the correct course: that is? not to allow the Liberals to go to
an election ignorant of the attitude of myself and my Country Party
colleagues. I've said this gentlemen. We're two dais from a Memorial
Service. WNe have the impending visit tomorrow of t~ e President of the
United States. And I will not myself contribute any further to
generating any atmosphere of controversy. I hope that you would all
feel that it would be intolerable that in this atmosphere of mourning,
in the atmosphere of the journey to this country of these great
personages, that they should find us quarrelling domestically.
will answer no further questions on that subject.
QUESTION: Mr. McEwen, do you expect in the immediate few weeks
ahead to be making a decision on Sir Henry Bolte's tax proposals?
MR. McE 7EN: Oh, well, this is a matter that will come up for
Cabinet consideration. I can make no comment on that a this stage.
QUESTION: Sir, the President will be in Canberra tomorrow, you say.
Have you any thought of a general discussion with Cabinet with him
on this thing, on the major issues that
MR. McDVEN: I will, of course, meet the President on his arrival
and I will consult him on his wishes. I've already said I have
asked my Cabinet colleagues to hold themselves available if the
President does wish that there should be discussions on that level.
QUESTION: Are there any significant discussions, Sir, to which you
will be inviting potential leaders of the Liberal Party to
participate in Them so that they'll be kept informed?
MR. McENVEN: Oh, of course of course. We have a standard of two
levels of discussion of this nature. There is the level of the
Cabinet'itself and the Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee of the
Cabinet, which I think is a committee of about seven Ministers as
far as I remember in fact, Mr. Holt's appointed committee, and
that would be my appointed committee.
QUESTION: Because of the importance of the problems existing
between Australia and Britain, will you seek discussions with
Mr. Wilson while he's here?
MR. McEVWEN: Again, I will of course, be meeting Mr. 7ilson on his
arrival, and I would not force a discussion on Mr. Wilson, but
6.
consult with him whether he himself would feel it would be fruitful
for us to have discussions. I would be willing to do so.
QUESTION ( Mr. Harold Cox)
mornng? When do you go to Melbourne, Sir? Tomorrow or on Friday
MR. McEVIEN: I have not quite decided that, Harold. I expect Prince
Charles Mr. Wilson and-Mvr. Heath to arrive in Melbourne on Friday.
I'll either go down Thursday night or early Friday morning.
QUESTION: ero n Sir, would you expect to take an decisions during your
Sproonthis rural industry consideration hat began with t& last
Cabinet?
MR. McEWEN: Well, some decisions were taken at the last Cabinet and
I of course, don't know with what urgency other ma~ tters will arise.
TAere will be no changre of policy attitude and, if, against the
policy attitude alreaay decided under Mr. Holt s Prime Ministership,
some matter. comes up lor decision, no doubt we'll face it.
QUESTION: Sir, have you decided yet when you'll call your first
regular meeting of the Cabinet?
MR. McEWEN: No, I haven't.
QUESTION: Stanope? Where will you spend Christmas, Sir in Melbourne or
MR. McEWJiET: I don't know. I think probably Canberra.
QUESTION: Sir, I don't want to press you on this in view of what
y ou ye said already but would the Country Party take any objection
to any other Liberal Leader, Sir?
MR. McEWEN: No N.
QUESTION: Mr. McEwen there has been a suggestion from, among
others Senator Turnbull that the Liberal Party should ask you
to continue in office. Would you be agreeable to doing so?
MR. McEWEN: I'm afraid I'm not responsible for Senator Turnbull.
QUESTION: You wouldn't be agreeable even if asked to, Sir?
MR. McFEN: I don't answer hypothetical questions.
QUESTION: Before your commission, Sir, it seemed that the position
on shipping freights had reached a rather critical stage. Now
we seem to put the Government in suspense for three weeks. Is this
going to affect what you hoped to achieve on shipping freights?
MR. McEWEN: Now don't be under any apprehension that the Government
is in suspense for three weeks. The Government is as existent'-t
today as ever E Government has been. If any matter of urgency and
importance arises we'll face it and deal with it.
QUESTION: Is this sufficiently urgent to be dealt with in the
immediate future?
MR. McEWEN: I think that the present issue on shipping freights can
be handled probably at my own Departmental level.
QUESTION: WVill you give a normal New Year message, do you think?
MR. McETEN: I've had too many other thoughts on my mind. Yes, I'll
give consideration to that.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Canberra, December, 1967.