C69 027
PRESS ! NTERVIEW GIVEN BY THE PRIME MINISTER,
MR JOHN GORTON AT BRISBANE AIRPORT 3 MARCH 1969
Q.
PM: VQ PM:
PM:
~ Q. PM: Mr Prime Minister, this morning's bombing of the
Russian Embassy in Canberra. Can you tell us a little bit about
that and what happened?
i can't tell you about that. I left Canberra quite early
and I haven't had anything which T can significantly say about that
at alf. Mr Prime Minister, thejapanese document affair
which is going on at the moment. Do you feel the Austra~ an
Security Service should lose a littie bi t of its autonomy-and have
to answer to the Government?
No. The. Australian Security Service does answer to the
Government. Of course it answers to the Government. But this
appears to me to be an attempt to denigrate the Australian Security
Service by the Left Wing of the Australian Labor Party baase you
will notice that there is a whole series of questions by L-Et Wingers
on the Notice Paper Is there poison gas in the Security Service?
Did they follow somebody who came here from some other couriry..
questions of this kind, all without foundation. Now, they ask these
knowing that the policy of all governments since Chifley's time has
been neither to confirm nor to deny allegations that are made for
obvious reasons. If you say somebody was or wasn't wolking for
Security, they ask about somebody else, and then they ask about
somebody else, and negative information is j ust as good as positi ye,
so the policy is to say nothing in these matters. Bi. it does seem
to me to have overtones of an organised attemptby Left Wingers to
try and denigrate the Australian Security Service.
is it pure politicking at this stage?
1 believe it is.
When can we expect an election can you give us an idea?
No, but I am rot expecting one next month.
Mr Prime Minister, the alleged American Base near
Alice Springs has been denied by a lot of people in high places.
Would you care to comment on it now that it has apparently been proved
to exist there? / 2 fli
PM
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05 I would refer you to the comment made in the House
of Representatives by the Minister for Defence in reply to a question
by the Opposition. They asked him ab out military affairs and other
things, and the Minister for Defence said, quite properly, that there
must be information which is not to be publicly provided.
Mr Gorton, do you mind if I re-ask the question
concerning the Russian Embassy. How much damage was caused there
and what do you know abD ut it?
No. ' r
S 614IJ oz-
PM: Well, i know very little about it at all yet. I don't
know what damage was caused there or any of the circumstances
about it whatever. We left quite early this morning, and I have had
' nothing which I would call a report worth anything to me.
On the home front in Qiueensiand. Most of the State
is covered with drought at present. The Premier has said he has
made or is making approaches. to you for special drought aid or more
drought aid. What consideration have you given to this at this stage?
PM: I don't recollect any special approaches made by the
Premier. They will have come in and been passed on to the Treasurer,
but in detail I can't give you any answer to that.
Reverting to this bombing of the Russian Embassy
this morning. Any reports would have come in to my own Department,
but I have nothing at all except the most sketchy information. For
all I know it didn't even happen, I have just very sketchy
Q. Should it prove to be true, Sir, do you see this as
an upsurge of violence in this country?
PM: I would most certainly hope not. Should it proxe to
be true ai-d prove to be serious well, it is serious even if it is on
a minor scale, of course. It is thoroughly and utterly reprehensible:
I would certainly hope that there is not an upsurge of viblence in
this country from any quarter.
Q. Mr Prime Minister, another qu~ stion on the home
front. Qu. eensland has applied for special aid for the Central
Queensland Powerhouse, Is there anything you can tell us about this?