INTERVIEW
With Laurie Oakes, Melbourne Sun News-Pictorial, Canberra.
9 March 1972
Q The first thing I would like to ask is how do you sum up
your first year as Prime Minister
PM I've found it a very difficult year, mainly because so
many events have occurred beyond the control of myself and
the Government, and they've been of such an unpredictable
kind that we have found great difficulty in achieving the
objectives we've wanted to achieve., As an example, I felt
in December that we had the problem of wage increases just
about under control. And then, to my horror there was an
increase in the State Electricity Commission wages in
Victoria, followed by other changes Which could very easily
spread to other parts of Victoria and the rest of Australia.
If this happened, and we were unable to-isolate the increasesl
it could be of great damage to the community. THis is but
one example. I could give you many others. Now we are taking
strong action to ensure that the flow-on is reduced to a
minimum, and we ask all sections of the community to exercise
moderation. In this we're giving the leadership.
Nonetheless, I feel that this is a strong economy,,
soundly based, and providing only we can reduce increases
in wages and industrial lawlessness to manageable proportions,
I think we can look forward to the future with a great deal
of satisfaction. As to the way it's affected me personally, of course I
worry about what is happening, and I happen to be in very
good physical condition and I can take the knocks pretty
well, absorb them easily, and get on with the job as best
I can.
Q Sir, You've always had a reputation for hard work;
What sort of hours do you find-you've had to work over theyears
PM I've always been a hard worker, that's true; never
as hard as I work now because I have very little time either
for myself or for that matter for my family. And all too
, frequently I have to get in touch with my Wife when she's
in Sydney with the kids, and ask her to come up as I'd
rather she was with me than at home. I work even in the car
when I' going back to The Lodge or I'm going : home in
Sydney, and I get along with probably four and a half to
five hours sleep a night.
Q You've been the centre of controversy since you took
over the job. Does that affect your family life or you
personally
PM It affects my family life to this extent that I don't
see a great deal of my children other than at weekends. As
I've said, unless I persuade my wife to come to Canberra,
PM can'It. I don't see her anywhere as much as I should. She
thinks it's a big responsibility to be with the kids,
particularly as they're now going to school.
Q Does criticism worry you or Mrs McMahon
PM I doesn't worry her so much she's the philosophical
person, and she usually tries to calm me down by saying
' Look, you know you've had a lot of experience, and you're
doing your best. Keep going because, in time, the Australian
people will recognise the honesty of purpose, and the
effectiveness with which you are carrying out your policies.'
I think too, that I'm able to take the knocks much better now
than I was able to take them three or five years ago.
Q Do you worry about personal popularity? Is that
important Has it become so in the years
PM When I first read the reviews, it does worry me, but
I recognise that if I continue to worry about them, it will
prevent me working in a most effective way. So I'WL able
after a night's sleep to forget them, and then ask wh ' at can
I do, or what is theproper course to follow in order to-:
get the economy going again properly, particula. rly to reduce
unemployment, and to handle the problems of industrial
lawlessness.
Q What do you regard as your mistakes. Is there anything
you'd do differently if you had the year over again
PM If I had the year over again, on the economic front,
I would have taken action somewhat more quickly to increase
the prospects of the growth of demand. Too, I would like
the Parliamentary Council to have been able to give us
legislation relating jfo conciliation and arbitration and
arbitration in the Public Service field. We've been
working on the changes for a long time, but regrettably,
we are not able to get the legislation as quickly as we
want it. The next most important point is, of course, that
we want growth to go on because through growth we reduce
unemployment, and I'm sure we'll see in the February
figures to be reduced soon that there has been a quite
substantial drop in registrant for employment, but above
all, I want to be put in a position where so many of
our social policies can be carried into effect. UNTIL
we get growth, and we get control of inflation, it's
difficult to do all we want to do0 Whether it happens to be
in education, medical health and hospitals, better life,
better quality of living, and the assistance we'd want to
give the States so that they can improve the life of the
urban dweller all these things we believe in and we live
for, but regrettably we have to consider them against the
background that unless we bring inflation and industrial
lawlessness under control, then we can create gjreater
difficulties in the future, and off-set many of the things
we've already done0
But I think if you look at our record of performance,
and one day I'd like to see this published in the media,
0 0/ 3
PM con't I think you just admit that the record has been unbelievably
good, against the background of the difficulties we've
faced.
Q What would you regard as the major achievement, on that
subject Which one is most important to you
PM I think the first major achievement was that we have
created a better feeling between the Commonwealth and the
States, and'the best example: I can give is at the last
Premiers' Conference when they went home satisfied, and
I believe it was a personal attribute to the Government.
But secondly, you should look at a large range of policy
issues that we have introduced, as for example, the
the changes we've made on education, capital assistance
to the State schools, per capita assistance to the independent
schools. THe assistance we've given in order to assist
nursing home accommodation, and the aboroigines all of
these matters, and I've said T've documented them, and
I'll give you a copy of the document that we've got where
you can isolate these issues. What we've tried to do
is get a realisation that we're one people, one group of
Australians, all trying to pull together, in the interests
of each and every one of us, rather than think that we have
conflicting groups who are fighting one another, each one
trying to get an advantage for itself, rather than to act
in common interest. THis is the sort of ideal I've set
myself and I only hope that we'll be able to do more to
restore confidence, and if we can restore confidence and
reduce the rate of wage increases, I KNOW that first we'll
get a healthy economy, and based on a economy, we'll do
so many of the thi ' ngs that the public want us to do,
and which will then be easy to do.
Q Overall then, was the year frustrating or satisfying
obviously, there's a bit ofboth
PM In many ways it's been satisfying, but in far too
many ways it's been frustrating for the reasons I gave
you when I answered the first question.
May I again, if I may, emphasise the point, it might
have been made sufficiently already, that we have an
economy that is basically sound. If there was some increase
in consumption expenditure, we would really be running along
at a pace that I can regard as satisfactory, and we wouldn't
have to worry about unemployment, and we'd be able to do
much more in order to meet the needs of the people and
the true aspirations of Australians.
Q And so you obviously blame the economy largely for the
bad problems or the low patch at the moment
PM T~ e low patch at the moment; I believe, it is the lack
on consumption demand and the impact it has had on employment
which has become an emotional issue. Associa~ elhe
with that we had other troubles such as, for example, rise
in prices of BHP which swamped the praise we received for
the Premiers' Conference, and, I must emphasise again, that
industrial lawlessness does create doubts in the minds of
people and indecision. So there is a combination of circumstances
and I wouldn't like to just isolate one and say
that the difficultiies can be related to that single item.
There are some ' critics who say that your personal
performance has got something to do with it. Does this
worry you are you tackling that
Firstly I don't belive it because whenever a decision
has to be made, I think I'll MAKE IT. And I've had a record
of decision making and on too many occasions I've been accused
not a question of being indecisive, but a question of being
too decisive as for example when I handled the waterside
workers as the Minister for Labour with all -the changes
that were made when I was the Treasurer Somebody's got
to tell ME where I'm indecisive. But I've got to make one
comment that I do believe in teamwork, and I do believe
in permitting the Ministers to administer effectively their
own portfolio. But when the decision has to be made, I can
assure you I will make it. To give you a current example,
there has been criticism, and I believe understandable
criticism about our failure to intervene in the postal workers'
problem. I would have taken action, but I was advised by
all of the technical advisers I could collect together
there was no effective action we could take. So, we are
amending, we are putting down a Bill to amend the Act today.
THis has been our problem. And it's been with us since
Federation. '* BUt if ever there was a case of decisiveness
THIS IS ITo Similarly too, you could take the case if you
like, of the amalgamation of the three metal unions. Here
again is decisive action by us. People have to tell me in t
pretty plain terms_. if they will, where-tY17s Government has
acked decisiveness. If I could go on to another onae, dd
I matae-tThSclear not so long ago, that on the changes in
the exchange rate, it was said that we delayed, and we got
unfavourable publicity. We did delay and we did get unfavourable
publicity, but I was more concerned in making the right
decision and after I had heard the arguments from all members
of Cabinet, I came down strongly in favour of appreciating
against the US$ by 6.32%. I stuck to tha. t decision until the
end and that decision was accepted by CAbinet. AND it was the
right decision 0 So I'd like people to tell me where I haven't
made decisions, then I'd be able to argue with them and
naturally enough if theywere right, of course I'd accept the
fact that they're right, and I think that you can take it fr T
my answers in the House, and my answers on television, that
I never hesitate to say what I think is the truth even though
I believe frequently it can lead to criticism of myself. But
I believe the truth is of paramount importance.
THe GAllup Poll shows the Government down to 40% of the
vote. How do you plan to reverse this between now and the
election We started in November to stimulate the economy by easing
up on bank control to permit relative freedom on the part of
the banks to be able to lend. o At the Pr'emiers' Conference
we gave a big stimulus to the economy, to try to give confidence
to the manufacturers by restoring the investment allowance and
then subsequently giving them a renewal of the research and
development allowance. In other words, trying to prove to
them that they were not forgotten We recognise that manufacturers
have to play a very big part not only in increasing opportunities
for employment, but I believe, in creating conditions of
confidence as well. We have started, and I make it more than
9 9 9)
clear that if we found that more had to be done, we wouldn't
hesitate to take further action, and this is the view of the
Treasurer and my own view.
Q What about the DLPO THey've been making increasingly
hostile sta~ tements. Are you doing anything ' to get them back
on side?
PM The DLP has view which are largely the same as the
Governments on many aspe-cts of policy , particularly defence,
Our hostility to communism, the way in which our left-wing
unions can create problems for industry and have caused more
strikes than is tolerable. And my relationship with them until
recently have been particularly good . There was one difference
of opinion and that is the amalgamation of the three unions.
Mr Lynch has explained the Government position which is shared
by the great mass of my own Party, and I hope of course to be
able to indicate to them where we stand on this one issue that
really divides us because we are just as worried as they are
about the power of the-left= wing unions and we are considering
changes to the Act which will be announced by the -Minister for
Labour and National Service which should show the DLP that
our feelings about the problems are much the same as theirs
are Where we differ is not in objectives, but in means of
achieving those objectives.
Q I notice somewhere this morning that you met Senator
Gair last night0 Was that part of this arrangement?
PM No, I had to see him over the Bill that is to be introduced
today0 And we did discuss, but not in a profound nor in-depth
way the difference of opinion between the two of us on the
matter of amalgamation, and the way we looked at the future0
Q If you'd known a year ago what you know now, would you
still have wanted the job
PM Yes I would0 I believe that everyone, particOdlarly
a person in a position like my own, should be prepared to
dedicate himself to the interests of the nation. I think I've
done that, and even though it's difficult, frustrating, and
deprives you of the ability to have a proper family life, I
still would want to accept the position, and do the best I
could.
Q Prime Minister, what do you predict for the next year
PM For the whole of this year
Q For ihe next twelve months
PM I think the biggest problem we face is one of cominunicatin,
in trying to show the people what we have done, and to be able
to answer the various kinds of criticism0 So I'm looking at
ways and means of getting a better communication. I was able
to go on television on Sunday night, and I believe that had a
good impact over a very wide area0 I'~ m now considering the
quesiton of radio interviews once a fortnight or once every
three weeks, I haverit made up my mind yet, so that I can go
to the people with sort of armchair talks and to be able to
explain in--depth policy, and to be able to answer publicly
why we've taken certain action and answer any criticism that
there might be. I think that if the people know the reasons
they would be satisfied, and quickly our popularity will be'
restored. And I want all my colleagues in the Ministry, in
the Cabinet and in ' the Party room to join with me in this
massive effort because I'm sure we can provide the right sort
of Government I believe, that the Labor Party, dominated as
it is by a Federal Executive and an ALC Conference, will be
dangerous for us and deprive the Australian people
of the freedoms that they treasure and that we in the Liberal/
Country Party treasure too.