PM Transcripts

DECLARATION OF HIGGINS POLL
Speech by the Prime Minister, Mr. John Gorton NOVEMER 1969
The first thing I would like to do is to express my gratitude
to the electors of Higgins for the majority they gave me. I also want to
express my gratitude to all those who worked so hard during the eleCtion
campaign, manning booths, sending out literature and doing all the work
required for a successful election. I thank you very much indeed for that
and I pledge that I will try to be a representative in the new Parliament
worthy of your work and support.
I am pleased to see that the Government has been returned
with a majority which looks as if it will be a good working majority of
seven or nine, because I feel it would have been, as I said in the campaign,
dangerous indeed for Australia if the Government had not been returned.
And that is the second point I want to make.
Having said that, I think that I should point out that there
was undoubtedly a swing against the Government during the election
campaign. It was a swing greater than would be expected. One had to
expect a swing of some kind back from an all-time high but not one
sufficient to lose 13 or 14 seats, and not one of the magnitude, particularly
in States outside Victoria, which was shown.
I think this is an indication that while the Government has
been returned, the electorate has not been completely satisfied. There
is some dissatisfaction shown by the vote and it is necessary for that to
be identified and rectified. This will be the task of my Government
assuming it is my Government after Friday, and I confidently believe it
will be to do this and to examine our policies searchingly so that in the
next election we can win overall as convincingly as you have allowed me
to win in this division. This we pledge ourselves to do; to examine all
our policies searchingly for that purpose.
Thank you very much.