BRISBANE PRESS CLUB
OPENING STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISfER
29 NOVEMBER 1974
IN THIS CAMPAIGN, I HAVE DRAWN ATTENTION TO
THE SELFISH AND SHORT-SIGHTED POLICIES OF THE QUEENSLAND
GOVERNMENT, QUEENSLAND'S FAILURE TO CO-OPERATE WITH THE
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS DEPRIVED THE STATE OF $ 50 MILLION
IN MUCH-NEEDED FUNDS AND RETARDED ITS DEVELOPMENT. THIS
FAILURE TO CO-OPERATE IS NOT CONFINED TO SPECIFIC PROJECTS
SUCH AS . AND COMMISSIONS AND GROWTH CENTRES, IT IS
REFLECTED IN A GENERAL INDIFFERENCE ON QUEENSLAND'S PAST
TO THE GREAT ECONOMIC PROBLEMS CONFRONTING THE NATION.
Stl'H A PROBLEM IS UNEMPLOYMENT. THE SAD FACT IS THAT
UNEMPLIY: ENT IN QUEENSLAND IS RISING FASTER THAN ANYWHEr
ELSE IN AUSTRALIA. MY GOVERNMENT IS DOING ITS BEST
CHECK UNEMPLOYMENT. MR BJELKl--PETERSEI. IS DOING NOThi. G,
THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT GOVERN;.,. NT EXPENDITURF
IS IMPORTANT IN PROVIDING JOBS. IT IS DIRECTLY IM: ORTANT
THROUGh -iE PEOPLE THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYS IN THE PLBLIC
SERVICE; IT IS IND -CTLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF THE
CONTRACTORS WHO WORK ON MMENT PROJECTS AN: THROUGH
THE EXTRA DEMAND FOR GOODS AND SERVICES CREATED BY ANY
KIND OF GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE. STATE GOVERNMENTS'
EXPENDITURE IS AS IMPORTANT IN CREATING JOBS AS EXPENDITURE
BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT.
QUEENSLANDERS SHOULD ASK THEMSELVES WHY " I1i"
INCREASE IN UNEMPLOYMENT HAS BEEN MOST RAPID IN THIS
STATE. I BELIEVE THE TWO MOST SIGNIFICANT FACTORS ARE
THE FAILURE OF THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT TO CO-OPERATE
WITH THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE INEFFICIENCY
OF THIS STATE GOVERNMENT IN SPENDING EXTRA MONEY WE
HAVE GIVEN THEM. QUEENSLAND HAS THE WORST UNEMPLOYMENT
IN AUSTRALIA BECAUSE THE QUEENSLAND STATE GOVERNMENT IS
UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO SPEND AMOUNTS THAT THE AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT IS WILLING TO OFFER.
THROUGHOUT THIS CAMPAIGN I HAVE REFERRED TO
TWO AREAS IN WHICH THE QUEENSLAND STATE GOVERNMENT,
UNLIKE THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN OTHER STATES WHETHER LIBERAL,
LABOR OR COUNTRY PARTY, HAS REFUSED TO CO-OPERATE WITH
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
WIL' NOT ALLOW SPECULATORS TO REAP EXCESSIVE LAND
DEVELOP, '. IT PROFITS. WE THEREFORE INSIST ON LAND PRICE
STABILISATION IN OUR PROGRAM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF
GROWTH CENTRES IN OUR PROGRAM FOR THE ACQUISITION
OF LAND TO BE DEVELOPED BY A JOINT AUSTRALIAN-STATE
" RNMENT COMMISSION AND SOLD AT COST. WE 1ST THAT
LAND SPECULATORS SHOULD NOT PROFIT FROM GOVERNMENT DECISIO
OF THIS OBVTOUSLY THE DECLARATION OF A REGION AS
A GROWTH CENTRE INCRL ' FS LAND PRICES. ,, 13
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AI. L WE ASK MR BJELKE-PETERSEN TO DO iis ro sir-: : I. LY
TIHE SAME AGREEMENTS, IN PRECISELY TIHE SAME TERMS, AS
THOSE SIGNED BY SIR IOI: RT ASKIN, MR IHAMER AND) ' iR CHARLES
COURT AND ADMINISTERED IN SOME CASES BY COUNTRY PARTY
MINISTERS, NONE OF THESE PEOPLE CAN BE DESCRIBED AS
CENTRALISTS. THEY COULD NOT FIND UNACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS
OR HIDDEN TERMS IN THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S OFFER,
THE PREMIERS OF THE OTHER LIBERAL-COUNTRY PARTY STATES
HAVE ACCEPTED THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S ARGUMENT THAT
THESE PROGRAMS SHOULD NOT BE AFFECTED BY LAND SPECULATION
WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE COSTS OF TIHE PROGRAMS AT THE
EXPENSE OF THE AUSFRALIAN TAXPAYER. THE RESULT IS
MILLION LOST TO THIS STATE $ 50 MILLION WHICH EVEN
NOW WOULD BE REFLECTED IN YOUR STATE'S ECONOMY IN THE
FORM OF EXTRA DEMAND FOR GOODS AND SERVICES AND DIRECT
EMPLOYMENT IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY. ONE CANNOT SAY
PRE-TSELY HOW MANY JOBS THIS WOULD MEAN TO QUEENSLAND
BUT THE 7 3URE WOULD BE COUNTED IN THOUSANDS.
MANY OTHER JOBS ARE BEING LOSI" TO OUEENSLA'. D
BECAUSE OF THE INEFFICIENCY OF THE STATE GOVERNMLNT IN
" SPONDING TO OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE. IHERE AR LARGE
NUMBER OF SEPARATE EXPENDITURE AREAS OF THE AUSTRALi
GOVERNMEI WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO TOP UP EXPENDITURES
OF THE STATE GOVERNML TO PROVIDE FURTHER FUNJDS IN
AREAS WHICH ARE THE PRIMAR, , i;"' NSIBILITY OF S,' TE
GOVERNMENTS. To SPEND MONEY ON SUCH PROGRAMS THE
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT MUST RELY ON THE ADMINISTRATION
AND THE PLANNING OF EACH STATE GOVERNMENT. ,/ 4
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BEFORE WE CAN COMMIT SUCH FUNDS TO QUIJEENSLAND, THE
QUEENSLAND STATE GOVERNMENT MUST FIRST DRAW UP PLANS
FOR NEW PROJECTS AND BE PREPARED TO IMPLEMENT THEM AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
LET ME GIVE ONE EXAMPLE. IN JUNE OF THIS
YEAR I GAVE ALL STATE GOVERNMENTS A BLANK CHEQUE ON
WELFARE HOUSING. I SAID THEN, AND I REPEAT IT NOW,
THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE ANY AMOUNTS
FOR WELFARE HOUSING THAT THE STATES ARE ABLE TO SPEND.
WE HAVE HONOURED THAT UNDERTAKING AND ONLY THIS MONTH
WE ALLOCATED A FURTHER $ 8 MILLION FOR QUEENSLAND FOR
THIS PURPOSE WHEN THEY SHOWED THEY HAD THE. PLANS
READY AND COULD SPEND THE MONEY. THIS YEAR $ 35.4 MILLION
WILL BE SPENT IN QUEENSLAND UNDER THE COMMONWEALTH STATE
HOUSING GRANT. THIS COMPARES WITH AN AMOUNT PAID LAST
YE. R OF $ 17.4 MILLION.
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY IS
WORSE IN QUEENSLAND THAN IN ANv OTHER S" ATE, IT SHOb,.
NOT EXIST, AND IF THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT WERE READY
TO SPEND FURTHER FUNDS ON WELFARE HOUSING iT ' UULD inT
EXIST. THERE IS NO REASON WHY FURTHER FUND-ANNG"; zE
SPENi TYEAR, EXCEPT THAT THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMU: T
IS NOT PREPIED TO Sø END THEM. IT DOES NOT H:.' VE THE
PLANS TO ACCEPT THE AUS, AI TA , OVERNMENT'S BL. C.-: rUE,
OTHER STATES DO. IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA LAST YEAR, WE lNT
$ 32.75 MILLION UNDER THIS AGREEMENT AND FOR THIS FINANCIAL
YEAR WE WILL SPEND $ 45.36 MILLION. THAT IS, FOR THE
TWO YEARS OF THIS AGREEMENT SOUTH AUSTRALIA WITH A
POPULATION TWO-THIRDS THAT OF QUEENSLAND IS ABLE TO
ACCEPT AND SPEND MORE THAN $ 35 MILLION MORE THAN
QUEENSLAND, IF THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT WERE AS
EFFICIENT AS IT SHOULD BE, THE $ 88 MILLION SPENT IN
SOUTH AUSTRALIA SHOULD CONSTITUTE ONLY TWO-THIRDS OF
THE AMOUNT SPENT IN QUEENSLAND DURING THESE TWO YEARS.
FOR THESE TWO YEARS, QUEENSLAND SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED
OVER $ 80 MILLION 11ORE THAN IT RECEIVED IN HOUSING GRANTS
FROM THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, THERE WOULD BE NO
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY IF THE QUEENSLAND
GOVERNMENT HOUSING AUTHORITIES WERE AS EFFECTIVE AS
THOSE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA,
THE COMPARISON I HAVE MADE IN WELFARE HOUSING
CAN BE REPEATED AGAIN AND AGAIN, IN CONTRAST WITH TF
SOUTH AUSTRALI. A GOVERNMENT, THE QUEENS_.\ ND GOVERNMENT
IS APPARENTLY UNABLE TO SPENDAUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
IONEY TO THE SAME DEGREE THAT SOUTH AUSTRAL;-CAN,
PtRTICULARLY IN THE NEW PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE INTRO2UCED,
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QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE HAS GOT OFF LIE GRCLD
MORE SLOWLY THAN THAT IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA AND THIS DEPENDS
COMPLETELY ON THE ABILITY OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT TO
PREPARE PLANS AND ADMINISTER PROJECTS. AREAS IN WHICH
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT CAN SPEND MORE OR ABOUT THE
SAME AMOUNT AS THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT INCLUDE HOSPITALS,
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRES, DENTAL HEALTH SCHEMES, MENTAL
HEALTH SCHEMES, HOMES AND HOSTELS FOR AGED PERSONS,
TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT
THERE HAS BEEN A MASSIVE INJECTION OF AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT FUNDS FOR THE BUILDING OF SCHOOLS. BY
NOVEMBER 18 SOUTH AUSTRALIA HAD REQUESTED 32% OF ITS
ALLOCATION FOR THE YEARS 1974-75 BUT QUEENSLAND HAD
REQUESTED ONLY 18% THE LOWEST OF ANY STATE IN AUSTRALIA,
IF THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT HAD REQUESTED THE SAME
PROP -' rON OF EDUCATION GRANTS AS THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN.
GOVERNMEN. AS ALREADY REQUESTED IT WOULD HAVE RECEIVED
IN EXCESS OF $ 3 MILLION MORE FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION,
BECAUSE OF ITS INi,_. ILITY TO DO SO, ITS INABILITY TO PLAN
Ar'D ADMINISTER ITS PROJECTS AS EFFICIENTLY AS THE SOUTH
AL TR'LIAN GOVERNMENT, THESE FURTHER FUNDS WIt' -3T
BE SPENT. SCHOOLS WHICH MIGHT HAVE OPENED AT THE
BEGINNING Or THE FIRST SCHOOL TERM NEXT YEAR WIIL NOT
BE ABLE TO OPEN, IF Th. -UNDS HAD BEEN SPENT, UNEMPLOYMENT
IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY IN UL-LL AND IN THE DIFV7CULI
MONTHS AHEAD WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERABLY LESS,