THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE
AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
TUESDAY, 9 JANUARY 1973
PRIME MINISTER: Ladies and gentlemen: As you know we had a
Cabinet meeting this morning and this afternoon, and there are quite
a number of announcements which I will make arising from that meeting.
Many of my colleagues will be making further statements on some of the
subjects which fall within their province.
First of all, the Governor-General has signed the Proclamation
calling Parliament together on Tuesday 27 February. A special Gazette
is being issued. The presiding officers, Sir William Aston and
Sir Magnus Cormack have been informed.
All but two departments have now had their permanent heads
appointed. The permanent heads who were appointed today are as follows:
Department of Aboriginal Affairs:
Department of the Capital Territory
Department of the Environment and
Conservation
Department of the Media
Department of the Northern Territor
Department of Secondary Industry:
Department of Social Security:
Department of the Special Minister
of State Mr Barry Dexter
Mr Engledow
Dr Donald Frederick McMichael
he is not a member of the
Commonwealth Service. He is
an outstanding member of the
New South Wales Public Service.
Mr Jim Oswin also not a
member heretofore of the
Commonwealth Public Service
but the Head of the Channel 7
network, and a man with
exceptional experience in
newspapers, radio, television
and advertising: We regard
ourselves as very fortunate
to have secured the services of
Dr McMichael and Mr Oswin
Mr Allen O'Brien
Mr Frank Pryor
Dr Wienholt
Mr Peter Lawler
Department of Tourism and Recreation: MMrr LoLdlBoytdD SCBott, D. S. C.
The vacancy on the Australian Broadcasting Commission has been
filled by Mr Hal Lashwood, who has been the General President of
Actors Equity for the last 21 years. All these appointments were
made by the Executive Council at half past one today.
I might draw your attention to the fact that the appointment
of Dr Stephen FitzGerald as Ambassador to the People's Republic of
China is being announced today. A press release is being issued
by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The advance party to establish an Embassy in Peking will be
crossing into China tomorrow, Wednesday, the 10th of January.
Now matters of legislation: I'll ask you to bear with me because
I have to look through the Cabinet papers, and there may be a few
pauses as I come to various paragraphs.
Cabinet authorised the preparation of a Death Penalty Abolition
Bill. This will be based on the bill which was introduced into the
Senate by Senator Murphy in April 1971, and which passed the Senate
in March last year but which was allowed to remain on the Notice
Paper in the House of Representatives.
Cabinet authorised the preparation of enabling legislation to
remove the excise on wine. We authorised the preparation of
legislation enabling the removal of the sales tax on contraceptives.
We authorised the preparation of legislation to amend the National
Health Act to provide that oral contraceptives which have been by
regulation made available on doctors' prescriptions will be
incorporated in the schedules of the Act as the Act requires in
respect of any provisions which are made by regulation.
We authorised the preparation of legislation along the lines
of the amendment which Mr Cameron moved in the last Parliament to
the Compensation ( Commonwealth Employees) Act in effect saying
that there will be no reduction of income for people who are
injured in the service of the Commonwealth during the period of
their incapacity.
Now all of these are legislation unless I state otherwise:
To extend the Aboriginal Secondary Grants Scheme to include
all children of Aboriginal descent attending secondary schools and
classes from the beginning of this year and to continue to assist
the small number of children of primary level who have reached the
school leaving age. And, provision is being made that education
officers of the Federal Department will visit each student receiving
benefit at least once a term.
Legislation to adopt the principles of maternity leave for
Commonwealth employees for 6 weeks before the expected date of
confinement and 6 weeks thereafter, this maternity leave to operate
from the first of January this year.
Legislation to lower the franchise for Federal elections to 18,
and to lower the age for candidature at Federal elections to 18. There
are some States in which such legislation has already been passed
but is awaiting gazettal depending on Federal action. The practice has
been in the case of States where there are common Federal and State
electoral rolls, for the two governments to share the expense.
We will share the expense of preparing rolls for 18, 19 and
men and women in anticipation of this legislation being
passed. This has particular relevance to Victoria where an
election is pending and where enrolment is compulsory, and to
South Australia where an election is pending but where, State-wise,
enrolment is optional.
Cabinet authorised the Minister for Minerals and Energy to confer
consent under the Petroleum Submerged Lands Act with respect to
farm-in agreements between Burmah-Woodside Consortium and Mt. Isa
Mines Limited. Cabinet authorised the Attorney-General to draft
legislation combining broadly the Territorial Sea and Continental
Shelf Bill which was introduced in 1970, and the Minerals Submerged
Lands Bill which was promised at that time. I have sent telegrams.
to all the Premiers informing them of these decisions.
Cabinet authorised the Minister for Minerals and Energy to
confer with the State Mines Ministers with respect to construction
and operation of a national pipeline system.
A Committee of Cabinet is meeting tonight to draw up terms of
reference for an inquiry into the Postmaster-General's Department.
There are a very great number of matters which have-arisen in the
election campaign, in the policy speech, in recent times concerning
the whole operations of the Post Office, regional basis, concessions,
different categories of mail, capital and running expenses.
Another committee of Cabinet is to make a report by the end of
March on the proposal for an international airport at Townsville
for the purpose of encouraging tourism. Mr Stewart, the Minister,
will be the chairman of that Committee.
Cabinet approved the provision, of additional funds of up to
for War-Service Homes in the current financial year.
If this had not been done, a waiting period would have had to be
introduced for six months.
Aged, invalid and widows pensions:. you will remember that in my
policy speech I said " all pensions will immediately be raised by
$ 1.50 and thereafter every Spring and every Autumn the basic pension
rate will be raised by $ 1.50 until it reaches 25 per cent of average
weekly earnings".
The increases will be raised for aged and invalid pensions by
$ 1.50. They will be paid as soon as possible after the legislation
is passed by the two Houses, and payments will be paid at that
increased rate from the first full pension period after the day
of the elections, the 2nd day of last month.
The old categories of widows pensions and will be
abolished. All widows receiving and pensions will receive a
pension and the pension for widows will be increased by at least
$ 1.50; i. e. every widow will receive $ 21.50 soon after the
legislation passes the two Houses and the additional rates will be
paid as from the first full pay period after the date of the elections.
The position of repatriation benefits wil. C be considered
probably next Tuesday.
Unemployment and sickness benefits and special benefits will
be paid at the rate of aged, invalid and widows pensions; i. e.
$ 21.50 for a single person, and $ 37.50 for a married couple as
from the 1st March. There has hitherto been payable an additional benefit
of $ 4.50 a week for all children up to 16 years of age.
We have authorised an amendment to the Act to make that payment
available to all full-time dependent students without limitation
of age. Now there's something on the French Nuclear tests...
The Australian Government has communicated its position to the
French Government that the conducting of the tests would be
unlawful, and has invited an assurance that no more atmospheric
tests would be held either this year or in the future. And in the
event of the Australian Government not receiving satisfactory
assurances from the French Government, the Australian Government
proposes to institute proceedings in the International Court of
juetice to restrain the conducting of future tests in the Pacific
by the French Government.
Q. Prime Minister: Can I ask you about your communications with
the French Ambassador before he left for Paris?
PRIME MINISTER: The note was delivered to the French Foreign Office
by Australia's Ambassador, Mr Alan Renouf I think on the 3rd of
January. Now I think those are all that I can say at the moment.
Q. Is there any time limit on the assurance of the French
Government? PRIME MINISTER: No.
Q. It is sort of indefinitely any time this year?
PRIME MINISTER: Any undue lapse of time would be taken as a
refusal to give the assurances invited.
Q. -Well, would you consider an undue lapse of time?
PRIME MINISTER: I'd like to take advice on that. This is the
first time that any nuclear power has been invited to give such
assurances. Q. Mr Prime Minister, have you asked the President to give a
similar assurance about illegal bombing of North Vietnam?
PRIME MINISTER: I've written to the President, as you know,
days ago and our attitude was made known to the President also at the
State Department when our Charge called there and more recently
I think it was yesterday when our Ambassador called there. Also,
of course, it has been made known to the American Ambassador in
Canberra when he called last week on two occasions on the Secretary
of the Foreign Affairs Department, Sir Keith Waller, and when he
called on me yesterday.
Q. Prime Minister, supplementary to that: Have you had discussions
with the United States Government or the U. S. Embassy about the
purposes of the various American bases in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
Q. You have not?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
0. Can you tell us if any of their purposes are involved in the
logistics of the American presence in Vietnam?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm assured they are not.
I've been very careful to make all possible inquiries on that issue
I'm assured that they have no bearing on any operations in Indo-China.
Q. Can you tell us if you will be seeing the Americans about the
full purposes of the bases and will you be able to make these
purposes public either to members of Parliament or to the Australian
people generally?
PRIME MINISTER: I've had full briefings some weeks ago by the
Australian Foreign Affairs and Defence Departments and the matter
is being considered by Mr Barnard.
Q. Why have you remained silent over the last 10 days on the
U. S. union boycott, especially, in view of the fact that you've
already sent a note of protest to the President? Secondly, will you
now disclose the contents of the note? Thirdly, did Cabinet today
consider the boycott? If so, have you any announcement to make on
that particular point?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, let me take it in reverse order. Cabinet
did not consider this matter. It was not mentioned.
PRIME MINISTER: What was the second one?
Q. Contents of the note?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I won't disclose the contents of the note.
It would be quite exceptional to disclose the contents of notes between
governments unless they both agree.
Q. Will they be tabled in the Parliament?
PRIME MINISTER: This again would be quite exceptional. I've
said nothing on this because I don't believe by grandstanding on this
issue a quicker solution could have been achieved than has been
achieved. And furthermore I wanted to keep a sense of proportion
in this matter. What is the significant thing for the Australian
Government, or the Australian Foreign Minister, to be concerned with?
A shipping strike or bombing strikes?
I concentrated on the issue in hand the important one.
Q. How would you have been grandstanding if you had made any
comment on this?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I could have got even right across the front
page of your paper, or any paper, if I had said anything on this issue.
But ladies and gentlemen, I at least have kept a sense of proportion,
even if not everybody in Australia or elsewhere has done so. There are
2 ships involved 2 ships: one a cruise liner and the other, I think,
a container ship. Two ships.
Q. Have you told your Ministers not to make statements on
foreign policy?
PRIME MINISTER: The Cabinet didn't discuss this matter either, but
I can assure you...
0. I asked you whether you have asked your Ministers?
PRIME MINISTER: All I choose to say is that there will be no
further statements on foreign policy except by the Minister.
But I would like you to understand that some of the statements
that have been made were made pursuant to arrangements concluded
days or a couple of weeks before while the bombing was proceeding.
Q. Do you feel that the Australian-American relationship has been
damaged by the events of the last couple of weeks?
PRIME MINISTER: No, not the events of two or three weeks ago; by
the resumption of the bombing.
Q. How would you like to describe what the current state of play
in Australian-American relations are at the moment?
PRIME MINISTER: Following the cessation of the bombing and the
resumption of talks the relations have improved. The only cloud on
the horizon in relations between the United States and Australia
arose when the bombing was resumed.
Q. Was that indicated to you by the Ambassador, Sir?
PRIME MINISTER: Well., what indicated?
Q. The damaged' state of relations between the two countries?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I don't say what passes between the Ambassador
and me or between any of our representatives and representatives of the
American Government. I'm just stating as a fact if the bombing had not
been resumed relations between the present Australian Government and
the United States Government would be better than they had ever been
since the Second World War between any Australian Government and any
American Administration. The difference is that in the period before
the American and the Australian elections there was a position where
the Labor Party in Australia was enthusiastic and co-operative with
what the President and Administration was understood to be undertaking
and desiring to achieve, and our opponents, the former Government, were
sulky and sullen as they had been ever since the President took his
great initiative to bring about a detente with China. We were the
co-operative ones. We were the enthusiastic ones. We weren't hesitant,
we weren't sulky.
Q. when you said just now that the statements made by the Ministers
had been pursuant to arrangements in the last two weeks, do you mean
that you approved the statements criticizing the President made by
Dr Cairns and Mr Cameron?
PRIME MINISTER: No, not all of them.
Q. Some of them?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what did you mean b that statement that some
of the statements had been made by prior arrangements? I think
Mr Uren spoke at the pleasant Sunday afternoon as a result of the
arrangements which were made about a fortnight before while the
bombing was on.
Q. Had he told you what he was going to say?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
Q. Did any of the Ministers clear their statements with you
beforehand? PRIME MINISTER: No.
Q. Sir, which parts of the statements by Mr Cameron and Dr Cairns
don't you approve of?
PRIME M INISTER: I'll not go over this issue at all. I'm not going
to say anything on this issue which would be interpreted or alleged
as in any way impeding the progress of the talks in Paris.
Q. Can I ask then something in relation to your approach to
foreign policy concerning the United States?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
Q. The previous Government made much of the fact that, as far as they
were concerned, the U. S.-Australia alliance was vital to the security
of Australia. Do you continue to subscribe to that?
PRIME MINISTER: I regard, I've said quite recently, on the eve of
Christmas I think it was, that I thought that the ANZUS Treaty was
our crucial international treaty and what goes on in Vietnam, what
has gone on in Vietnam, has not been under ANZUS.
Q. Now that the dispute over shipping appears to be on the way
to being solved
PRIME MINISTER: I thought it had been completely
Q. Yes, the seamen have agreed. Are you now prepared to say what you
think of the merits and demerits of the boycott?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don't believe that any such action helps
in any way because it distracted attention from the big issue
the bombing that was then going on.
Q. Did you convey that feeling to the seamen?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I've not spoken to any officials of the unions
involved. I've regarded this as a matter which was appropriate for
solution in the industrial context, and that's where it has been
solved.
Q. Sir, do you think they were morally correct?
PRIME MINISTER: I make no comment on this. As I say, I'm not going
to say anything which anybody can allege or construe as impeding the
resumed negotiations. our whole objective has been to get the
negotiations resumed. our sole interest in Vietnam now is to put an
end to the war and to help in rehabilitating the country.
0. Mr Prime Minister: You wrote a personal letter to the President.
Have you received a personal response from him?
PRIME MINISTER: No. He has, however, acted in the way that I
hoped he would.
I think Frank here, has been waiting for a second one longer than you.
May I compliment you on the birth of my god-daughter.
Q. Mr Prime Minister have you had any consultations or any
information from Washington to assist you in assessing the progress of
these negotiations?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
Q. Have you been taken into the confidence of the American Government?
PRIME MINISTER: No, we do not regard ourselves as involved in any way
in the hostilities. No, the Party's Platform provides, and the people
gave the party a mandate to do two things: to end Australian participation
in the war and to oppose the continuation of the war. Now, we have
completely stopped our participation in the war. our opponents had, in fact,
withdrawn all fighting men, and aircraft and ships and tanks. We,
as you know, have withdrawn the training teams and have cancelled
the military assistance. We are continuing the civil aid. We stand
ready to give greater civil aid when the country is in a sufficient
state of tranquility to be rehabilitated. But, I'd like to emphasize
that our Government has V a mandate to do all it can to stop the
continuation of this war and I hope this is quite clear to everyone in
Australia and abroad. It's our duty to do it. It's been the Party's program
since the first Federal Conference after my becoming Leader. We are
opposed to a continuation of the war and to Australia's participation
in it.
Q. You said, somne time ago, that you thought one of the things we
could do in Australia, in an independent sense, although we're
not actively involved, is to try and bring about a rapprochement*
between China and Japan. I was wondering, again, in an active sense
a rapprochement between America and North Vietnam what we could
do in an active sense and whether you had anything in mind in view
of this stated aim of trying to end the war?
PRIME MINISTER: I think what is required is a continuation of the
patient deliberations which are required of both Washington and Hanoi,
and I'm sure I know that is the view of the Japanese Government
also, with whom we have been in consultation.
Q. Do you believe that the retaliatory action of the American
longshoremen in boycotting Australian goods was either encouraged
or suggested by Washington?
PRIME MINISTER: I would never make such an offensive supposition.
I mean I assume the trade unions don't make the foreign policy of
the American Administration. I assume the American Administration
doesn't control the affairs of the American trade unions. In fact
the union concerned, I believe, had a boycott a total boycott
of many foreign flagships on the east coast and the gulf coast of the
United States for over twenty years and successive Administrations were
powerless to end the boycott. I don't want to belittle the
ideological purity of the union concerned. I'm told that their latest
boycott was on the importation of some Mao dolls made in
Czechoslovakia weren't they? -Ireland which half? your part or ours?
Q. In practical terms what happens what did happen in the past
ten days when Australian-American relations weren't so good?
That's one question. Secondly, if the Americans did start bombing
North Vietnam again what would the Australian Labor Government do?
Can you tell us the answer to those two questions?
PRIME MINISTER: The first one: both sides went back to the conference
table. The second one: I will not limit myself to a private letter,
but I will be making a public statement.
Q. Did Cabinet consider revaluation compensation today?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
Q. Will it be considering it tomorrow?
PRIME MINISTER: No. It wasn't mentioned today. It's not on
the Agenda.
Q. Have you had any estimate of the magnitude of economic
stimuluis that would be provided by the welfare measures you've
announced, and do you feel further stimulus to the economy will
be required soon?
PRIME MINISTER: I think you had better speak on this to
Mr Crean and Mr Hayden who prepared the submissions. The welfare
measures will be quite a considerable stimulus to the economy
because they will put purchasing power into the hands of people
who have the smallest purchasing power in the community and who
purchase necessities.
Q. How much will the increased pensions and unemployment benefits
cost? a
PRIME MINISTER:, Mr Hayden will give you that.
Q. I notice in the list of Cabinet Committees which was handed out
before you arrived that while Mr Enderby is listed under both of
his portfolios..
PRIME MINISTER: Oh yes, thanks. I'm sorry.
Q. Dr Cairns is listed in the Economic Committee only as Minister
for Secondary Industry. Does this mean a reduction in the importance
and in the policy advising role in the Department of Overseas Trade,
and if so, for what reason?
PRIME MINISTER: I thank you for raising this. I meant to say we
appointed five committees. Their names are: Economic, Welfare,
Foreign Affairs and Defence, Urban and Regional Development and
Legislation. You ask specifically about Dr Cairns appearing as
Minister for Secondary Industry in the Economic Committee and as
Minister for Overseas Trade in the Foreign Affairs and Defence
Committee. The point is that Dr Cairns is on each of those
Committees. The Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee will not be
confined to the affairs within the jurisdiction of the-Departments of
Foreign Affairs and Defence. It will cover the whole field of investment,
overseas control, resources, trade, international banking and it is
for this reason that the Treasurer is on it. The Minister for overseas
Trade, who of course is responsible for the international ramifications
of the Departments of Secondary Industry, Primary Industry, National
Development and while, of course, both the Prime Minister and the
Deputy Prime Minister are on it and the Lead~ r of the Government in
the Senate and the Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
are both on it there is an additional significance in Senator Murphy
being on it as Attorney-General, because we lay so much emphasis
on the reinforcement the application of international law and order
through conventions, the World Court and so on. So Dr Cairns is on in
the Foreign Affairs and Defence one because Overseas Trade obviously
bears on a very-great number of these matters and he is on in
Secondary Industry because this concerns so much the internal economy.
Perhaps I should say a bit more about it time's getting on and
I should have mentioned this earlier. The procedure will be
that when submissions for Cabinet come to me from individual
Ministers I will send them to the relevant Committee. The Committee
will hopefully make a recommendation on them, they will then be
listed on the Cabinet Agenda and the recommendation also listed
and unless anybody wants to debate it further automatically the
recommendation will become the Cabinet decision. The members of the
Committees are under an obligation to attend the meetings of the Committee
but any other Minister will be entitled to attend and hopefully
will do so when on the documents of which every minister will receive
a copy, he sees that his Department is involved.
Q. Sir, could one assume that the Department of Overseas
Trade will not make recommendations to the Economic Committee?
PRIME MINISTER: No, this is largely academic because the Minister
for Qverseas Trade will, of course, be attending meetings of the
EconLic Committee because he is also Minister for Secondary Industry.
Q. Will the Economic Committee draft the Budget Sir?
PRIME MINISTER: The Cabinet will do that, but I imagine the
Economic Committee will have quite a deal to do with it in
preparations, but, obviously, all these things and particularly
a matter of such overwhelming importance as the Budget is a matter
which I would expect the whole Cabinet will discuss. I'd be quite
surprised if the Economic Committee's recommendations on the Budget
were not further discussed by the whole Cabinet.
Mr Prime Minister, is there anything more concrete on the move
for talks with the Queensland Premier about the Torres Strait
boundaries? PRIME MINISTER: I'm still awaiting a reply. Perhaps I should say
I'm going from memory here that I wrote to Mr Ejelke-Petersen
on the Torres Strait Island question on the 15th of last month.'
The suggestion I put to him was in the same terms as the suggestion
that was made to Mr McMahon by his Ministers. So I wouldn't have
thought there was any political difficulty federally in putting
these suggestions. They were proposed to my predecessor I made
the decision to send them on.
Q. Second question, Sir. Do you agree with Mr Gordon Bryant on
the need for a referendum of some sort among the islanders and the
Commonwealth? PRIME MINISTER: I don't comment on remarks made by my colleagues,
but frankly I'm not going to get into the habit of commenting on reports
which are made of or attributed to my colleagues.
Q. R. Sorby, Financial Review... In outlining your list...
PRIME MINISTER: Your one of the few members of the staff still
on the Financial Review aren't you? Oh, are you under offer too?
I mean John Fairfax has been very good to us Jim Osmond and all
these other members of the staff of the Financial Review.
Q. The initiatives you outlined for the next few months... you didn't
put down any priorities on them? Have you any priorities for the
legislation itself? Which particular one will be first off the rank,
and secondly, on the offshore mineral question offshore soverei~ pty
to what extent does this effect the offshore petroleum legislation?
PRIME MINISTER: It won't affect it. You'll notice the wording was
quite careful. Broadly, it would combine the Territorial Sea and
Continental Shelf Bill of 1970 and the Minerals Submerged Lands Bill
mentioned by Mr Swartz I think it was acting on behalf of the
then Foreign Minister, Mr McMahon, at the same time. Now, you ask
what priorities there are here. We have naturally been concerned
at having as much legislation drafted as we can for this coming
session or period to carry out our program, and the fact that
I have mentioned certain things today doesn't mean that these will
necessarily be the first to be implemented. Obviously those in the
Social Services field will be brought in. They'll be brought in, in
the first day or so. There ought to be no difficulty in drafting
them, but some of the others such as the offshore legislation
mightn't come in until just before Easter or ' after Easter. But we're
hopeful of getting all the Bills that I've mentioned and ma * ny
others which will keep us similarly busy I imagine at Cabinet meetings
this month and next in the first session. The Ministers have all
been asked to identify the items of the Program which will require
legislation. They have been asked to do that, I think, by the end
of next week I think it is. Also, they have been asked, by a week later,
to suggest the references that should be made in the Governor-
General's speech opening the Parliament to their pieces of legislation.
Perhaps I should announce that arrangements have now been made for
me to make a visit to New Zealand... Where is that? ( press comment)
Across the Tasman.
PRIME MINISTER: God, you'll make sayings of the year. I'll be
visiting New Zealand from 20-23 of this month. The New Zealand
Secretary for Foreign Affairs will also be visiting Australia commencing
next Thursday for discussions with Foreign Affairs officials. My visit
will coincide with the anniversary of the Canberra Pact made between
New Zealand's Prime Minister Peter Fraser and our John Curtin in 1944.
It was Norman Kirk's happy thought that we should have the meeting
on that anniversary.
Q. Has your Government had any approaches made either through the
Minister or from parents for assistance in any way in claims for
help and against Distillers company by parents of thalidomide children?
PRIME MINISTER: I haven't heard of them but this would be a matter
where I think you should ask Dr Everingham. He'd be the Federal
Minister who might have some information on it.
Q. Is it a matter which you think the Government should or would
intervene?
PRIME MINISTER: I wouldn't express an opinion off the cuff.
I mean, quite frankly, you don't expect me to express opinions
on matters which can end up in the courts.
2Perhaps I should, for the sake of the international press here,
mention that Mr Grassby has completed his consideration of the case
of the Rolling Stones and they'll all be arriving.
Q. Have you yet decided whether Mr Anthony should have his status
and his salary upgraded? It is now below Mr Lynch?
PRIME MINISTER: This is a painful matter. I don't think I could
usefully say anything to resolve the differences.
12.
Q. Have you yet received a letter from Mr Anthony asking you to
consider it?
PRIME MINISTER: To arbitrate? No. I've had letters from them about
their staffs, and I expect to be discussing this with them. There are
some things here which are, quite frankly, no affair of the Government.
It's the Speaker who allocates accommodation, and there is legislation
which describes persons in terms which the authors never expected to
bear upon their own fortunes. I'll naturally be very happy to discuss
the legislation but I'd like to have a combined submission.
Q. I'd like to ask what can you tell us about the Commonwealth
Police investigations into these two army officers perhaps
Mr Barnard?
PRIME MINISTER: I did see a note that Mr Barnard has on the matter.
I'd ask him.
Q. Could we ask him?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, he's here is he? Yes, yes.
MR BARNARD: Well, inquiries are being made into allegations made
by a private businessman into or concerning two comparatively senior
army officers. It would not be correct for me, of course, at this
delicate stage of the investigations, to make any statement that
would prejudice either the police officers who are carrying out
the investigation or the army officers who have not been charged.
However, I expect a report will be available, it will be considered
and if charges should be made they will be. There was a sensational
statement of course. It involved surplus equipment from Vietnam.
There's certainly nothing in the allegations or nothing that has
flowed from the investigations so far, that would substantiate
such a charge.
PRIME MINISTER: All our top-ranking officers have been withdrawn
from Vietnam. I don't think it's very gracious to suggest that
gun-running takes place in the Australian Armed Forces.
I didn't know... you should have been sitting here I didn't realise
you were here.
Q. Prime Minister, you said that the Cabinet Meeting would continue
tomorrow. Can we expect another news conference at the conclusion of it?
PRIME MINISTER: I think I'll just announce the decisions. I'll hand
them out. I don't think we'll have another press conference. I think
Mr Walsh will give you the decisions. I think that's better. Quite
frankly going into tomorrow means that my appointments have to be a
bit readjusted and if you'll excuse us?
Q. Which Committee is drawing up the terms of reference into the
P. M. G. inquiry, and when would you hope the inquiry would begin
and end?
PRIME MINISTER: They're meeting
tonight. Do you want to know who the ministers are?
Q. Well, which of these committees, the five committees?
PRIME MINISTER: Oh, no, no. This is an ad hoc one. it's just a meeting
of half a dozen or so ministers tonight. I'll say who they are if you
want to.
They're meeting at 8 o'clock tonight, and they're just drawing up
the terms of reference and they've been authorised to approach
suitable people to conduct the inquiry but I wouldn't guess as to
how long the inquiry would take. We would certainly expect to have
advice from the inquiry on some aspects before the Budget.
Q. When you say suitable people, might it be a judicial type of
inquiry? PRIME MINISTER: Maybe judges, maybe senior counsel, maybe junior
counsel, maybe economists. I don't think we ought to get the idea
that inquiries of this nature should be conducted only by judges.
Some of the most effective inquiries conducted in Britain have been
conducted by bodies on which there are no lawyers or a minority of
lawyers. But clearly some economists and management people would be
considered in any panel " to make this inquiry.
I notice that there is quite a number of representatives from
overseas newspapers. I have, on an earlier occasion, thought it might
be helpful if I were to give priority to representatives of the
afternoon papers. Now, maybe next week or the week after you might
think it suitable the President of the gallery might suggest to
me when to give priority to any members from overseas papers who
want to ask questions. Let them all have one question before any
of the indigenous press ask questions. I mention this partly because
I've been inundated with requests for interviews by overseas newspapers
and I think this is the greatest discovery of Australia since Cook,
and I've been unable to oblige all the kind gentlemen concerned as yet.