THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE
AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
TUESDAY, 10 APRIL, 1973
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks ladies and gentlemen. There were
a few procedural matters. There were about a score of decisions
which I can tell you from this morning's Cabinet meeting.
It will save your time here if I tell you the names of the
Ministers from whom you can get the details. They are expecting
your questions. There are a couple that I can give you myself.
Yesterday Mr Hamer, the Premier of Victoria, telegraphed
me with the suggestion that we might follow up what Mr Crean had
said about State jurisdiction in matters of prices by having a
Premiers Conference to discuss a national incomes and prices
policy. The Cabinet accepted the suggestion this morning.
I have telegraphed Mr Hamer. I think he has released the telegrams
at 5.00 this afternoon. I was proposing to but I was in the House
as you know. We've suggested that there should be a Premiers
Conference to discuss prices and incomes matters and all other
aspects of inflation. I have suggested Friday, 4 May. That is the
earliest week-day that my overseas commitments or the sittings of
the House would permit me to attend. I've suggested that Mr Crean
and Mr Enderby ( because he has jurisdiction over the territories)
should accompany me.
Cabinet also decided to hold again this year the usual economic
consultations, presumably in June. The same organisations with
whom consultations were held last June will be invited to have
consultations. We shall, however, ask the various consumer
authorities and associations to confer with us.
We decided on the forms of revaluation assistance to secondary
industry. They will be on similar lines to the scheme already
announced to primary industry and will be limited to cases of
hardship. Dr. Cairns will give you the details. Mr Bryant will
give you the details on the establishment of an Aboriginal Land
Fund. Also on the system of mining royalties on Aboriginal
reserves in the Northern Territory. Senator Murphy will give you
the details of a scheme for a $ 2 million grant to the States to
supplement legal aid services this year. Also details of legislation
relating to offences at sea. The situation is that if somebody from
Australia were to take a pot-shot at visitors, in say, the Gulf of
Carpentaria beyond the ordinary territorial limits, there is no
Australian legislation making it an offence. Mr Jones will tell
you about the foreign ownership of air service organisations and
airport business concessions. Mr Daly on proposed legislation to
provide two seats in the House of Representatives for the Australian
Capital Territory, and two senators from each of the Territories
those senators to be elected on the proportional system and to be
elected, both of them, on the same date as there is an election
for the House of Representatives. Dr. Cass on the Joint
Parliamentary Committee on Environment. v .2/
Mr Stewart will give you the details of legislation to regulate
the operations of travel agents. Also amendments to the
Public Works Committee Act so that the Committee only has to deal
with works which are estimated to cost $ 2 million or more. The
establishment of a national archives system. Those two latter matters-
Mr Stewart will be representing Senator Willessee. Senator Bishop
will give you the proposals for reasons to be given for the
decisions under the Repatriation Act and the Seamen's War Pension
and Allowances Act.
Also the expansion of the capacity of Repatriation hospitals
to allow their use for non-repatriation patients. Mr Crean will
tell you of income tax treatment of domiciliary care benefits.
Senator Cavanagh on behalf of Senator Wriedt will tell you about
amendments to the Fisheries Act and the Continental Shelf Living
Natural Resources Act. Mr Bowen, the proposed amendments to the
Posts and Telegraph Act. Mr Hayden, additional computer capacity
for the Department of Social Security, and Dr. Patterson the joint
study with'Western Australia on the Pilbara.
Are there any questions?
Q: Prime Minister, if I could refer to statements made by you
in the House last Thursday that an ASIO representative had given
a wrong report on an inter-departmental meeting held on 2 March,
what consideration is being given by the Government to protecting
ordinary citizens against incorrect reports about them by ASIO,
and in the case of a person seeking employment in the Public Service
but is rejected because of an adverse report from ASIO, would the
Government give that person the opportunity of examining information
in the report and the right of appeal against any errors in it?
PRIME MINISTER: The Government is committed as you know in the
terms of the Australian Labor Party's platform to providing a means
of judicial appeal against decisions which are based upon security
reports. We won't be able to bring in the legislation this session,
but you will remember what the platform had to say about that,
generally in the context of the proposed Superior Court.
Perhaps I should say this: the reports which ASIO makes are given
to, say, the heads of Commonwealth Departments and also to the
Department of Immigration respectively for prospective public
servants who are to be appointed or existing public servants who
are to be promoted and migrants who seek naturalisation. The
Heads of the Departments make what use they think fit of those
reports. The ASIO isn't an executive body.
Q: On the prices and incomes question: do you favour the
national prices income policy that of the national Labor
Government? PRIME MINISTER: I'll discuss that in more detail after the
meeting with the Premiers.
Q: Do you feel in any way that this is merely a pre-election
gimmick by Mr Hamer?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I do not. There are different views of
course on the efficacy of prices and incomes policies but in the
short term such as President Nixon brought in for I think six
months and then extended for a further period, there is good reason
to believe that they can be effective, but I want to make it plain
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that we don't believe that prices and incomes policies are the
only cure for inflation. There are a very great number of aspects
of inflation, some, of course, within Federal jurisdiction such
as various forms of subsidies or deductions, and some in the State
field. Clearly however, in our Federal system, if there is to be an
effective policy on inflation and you'll notice we'll use the
phrase "~ all other aspects of inflation" it is necessary to have
a combined Federal and State program. Mr Hamer for instance said
" with the relevant constitutional powers divided as they are between
the Federal Government and the State Governments, the implementation
of such a policy could only be effective given close understAnding
and co-operation between the Commonwealth and the States".
He is quite right.
Q: Sir, how about incomes? Nobody has the constitutional power
in respect of incomes, do they?
PRIME MINISTER: No. The Federal Parliament could not pass laws
freezing incomes except for its own employees. State Parliaments
could only pass legislation freezing incomes in respect to people
covered by State awards. There would be an immediate application
to the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission for
any persons whose incomes were so frozen.
Q: Do you favour an overall freeze Sir? Incomes
PRIME MINISTER: Let me discuss it at this meeting.
Q: Mr Hamer's been the one who's called most for a Premiers
Conference. Do you think in view of his coming election that he
will try to bring up the whole matter of finances and
PRIME MINISTER: No, no. He's not suggested that in the
telegram he sent yesterday or the letter which, I presume,
might have come today, but which the telegram yesterday embodied.
Q: Would you be prepared to discuss these matters with them,
since
PRIME MINISTER: The meeting will be on the subjects of the
telegram.
Q: Will the Premiers Conference chaired by you be open to the
Press? PRIME MINISTER: They always are. Even my predecessors had
Premiers Conferences open to the Press.
Q: It's very rare
PRIME MINISTER: Aren't you thinking of the Loan Council?
Q: No, sir.
PRIME MINISTER: Well I'll see what the Premiers Conference says
on this.
Q: Sir, can I ask you a question about your visit to London
please? I think you said some time ago it's not possible for
the State Parliaments to abolish appeals to the Privy Council.
That would need the approval of the Queen on the advice of the
British Government, Sir, will you be asking the British Goyernment
to advise the Queen to abolish appeals from the States to the
Privy Council?
PRIME MINISTER: We will be discussing this Mr Heath and'I
and I hope that we will arrange we mightn't be able to arrange
it during the brief time I'm in London but I would aim to
promote the position where this is determined by arrangements
between the British and the Australian Governments.
Q: Prime Minister, another question... ( British Broadcasting
Corporation) on the eve of your visit to Britain, how would
you characterise in general terms the differences between your
Government's attitudes towards Britain and that of the previous
Liberal Government?
PRIME MINISTER: I suppose I'd better be getting used to these
general questions it was the German T. V. last week that asked
a similarly wide question. I think Britain should realise that
the change of government in Australia after 23 years of unchanged
government has brought to a head a whole number of matters which
it accumulated over many years. It's true that in many respects,
economic matters in particular, trade matters, the links between
Britain and Australia are much thinner than they used to be,
but I don't think that Britain should think that there's any
lessening of the other ties the ties of sentiment between
Australia and Britain. Australians regard Britain with veryi
great affection, but very obviously, for geographic, historic,
commercial reasons, the ties are less formal, less institutional
than they were.
Q: Can you be slightly more specific, Prime minister. What is
the future of the British investment in Australia in the light
of what's been called the new nationalism?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, there'd be no difference in the Australian
Government's attitude towards investment from Britain than there
is towards investment from any other country. Britain, I don't
think, any longer expects to have any particular privilege
or immunity in Australia. Britain realises that Australia is
a completely independent country and Britain would, I'm sure,
realise that the attitude towards overseas investment in Australia
from whatever source is much the same as the attitude towards
overseas investment from overseas including Britain became in
Canada under Diefenbaker and his successors. Very obviously
Australia wants overseas investment where that will give her access
to skills which she hasn't got in sufficient quantity herself or
give her access to markets which she can't penetrate adequately
by herself, but we are becoming more selective in investment from
overseas. Australia is a very safe place for investment. We believe
that we ought to have some say in where the investment goes.
Q: Prime Minister, the judicial inquiry that Mr Snedden proposed
that you have rejected in the interests of
PRIME MINISTER: the House rejected that...
Q: you said in the interests of the former Government. You're
not generally quite so charitable. Is there some other reason?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I gave the reasons.. 9.
Q: Sir, in the A-M program on the A. B. C. today, Labor Minister
Cameron very trenchantly criticised the Treasury wholly on the
advice given by the Treasury to the Reserve Bank, and I quote:
" Almost every pred-iction the Treasury and the Reserve Bank make
even about simple things usually turns out to be wrong, so don't
bewilder me by asking me questions about what the Reserve Bank
should have done or is going to do or what the Treasury experts
are recommending". Do you share Mr Cameron' s views on the
inefficiency of the advice given by the Treasury?
PRIME MINISTER: I never doubt the accuracy with which you
represent the views expressed by my colleagues. I can't believe
that Mr Cameron could have said anything so irresponsible.
Q: It's in the transcri pt, sir.
Q: Mr Whitlam, how strong is the Labor Party's commitment to
low interest rates if the needs of economic management were to
dictate perhaps that higher interest rates were necessary?
PRIME MINISTER: The only excuse I can see for high interest
rates is inflation. We hope to keep both low.
Q: Sir, has your Government taken any action or will it take
action in the United Nations or elsewhere over the gaoling after
the secret trial in Salisbury of the journalist, Peter Niesewand,
and could I. invite your opinion?
PRIME MINISTER: The attitude I must express on any conduct by
the rebel regime in Zembabwee is the same as that expressed by my
predecessors. Legally it is still a British colony. Accordingly
any representations that Australia makes must go through Britain.
Britain has already protested. The Australian Government will be
supporting all the resolutions which the United Nations has hitherto
passed on the Smith regime and I would imagine be supporting any
further measures which are found necessary to bring it to acceptable
courses of conduct. Perhaps I should make it more pointed there.
The Australian Government would not have any communications with
the Smith regime. our predecessors didn't, to their credit.
We certainly shall not.
Q: Mr Whitlam, there was an announcement today on the banking
arrangements for Papua New Guinea but there was no mention of whether
New Guinea should have its own currency. Will this question arise
soon and have you any views on it?
PRIME MINISTER: It's only a matter of time isn't it? Of course
New Guinea will be having its own currency but it's not my province
to express a view on it. This is a matter which is determined
between the two countries. Nauru, for instance, still uses
Australian currency. Maybe New Guinea will for some time.
Q: In view of the continuing increase in job vacancies will you
support an increase in the migration intake in the next financial
year PRIME MINISTER: This hasn't been discussed by Cabinet in the
light of the latest employment figures. That report which the
Department of Urban and Regional Development has produced and which some
of you have secured really comes to the nub of our migration problems.
The migrants can't be told where they'll go. They do, in fact, go
to Sydney and Melbourne and the most crucial urban problems in
Australia occur in Sydney and Melbourne and one of the big
contributors to those problems is migration. In general terms,
fewer migrants will be coming to Australia.
Q: Thank you, Mr Whitlam. Does your expression of confidence
in Senator Murphy's incident mean that you intend leaving him in
control of ASIO or have you considered an ASIO report directly
to you in future?
PRIME MINISTER: The administrative arrangements orders make the
Attorney-General responsible for ASIO. The phone-tapping
legislation makes the Attorney-General responsible for ASIO.
Q: Prime Minister, following on your answer to Bill Norman
regarding the report that.....
You said Cabinet had not discussed this in relationship to the
latest employment figures. Has it discussed the overall question
of migration and do you agree that the Urban Affairs report could
point to a suspension of migration for a period?
PRIME MINISTER: No. There'll be no suspension. Do you mean a
cessation of all migration? We are concentrating as we promised
on family reunion instead of government recruiting. We are not
intending in any way to stop family reunion or to deter family
reunion. The migrants who are happiest here, the ones who stay
here longest are those who already have relatives here and who are
sponsored by those relatives, they will still be coming. But we
will not, as our predecessors were accustomed to do, sponsor
migrants as a Government.
Q: This is finished. We will not be sponsoring any migrants
by the Government?
PRIME MINISTER: Well I won't go as far as that, but the emphasis
has changed as you know. We won't be stopping migrants who've
already been promised a passage or whom their relatives here are
hoping to nominate. There are proposals for there are still
programs for the Government paying for people whose skills are
needed here but there's not the old blanket, you know, all
applicants from some countries being able to get passages and so on.