7
OPEdING REMARKS BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE lION, E. G. WIIITLAM,
Q, C, o FOR CHANNEL 7, MELBOURNE, SECOND ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM
( kI coiwED 2 DLCEMIER 1.9711 FOR fQ'LAY 9,30 P. M. ON 2 IECEMIsER 1974
IN MELBOIRIE, SYDNFY, I1RISBANE, ADELJAIDE)
I AM HAPPY TO TEL. YOU SOMETHING OF WHAT THE LABOR
GOVERNMENT HAS ACHIEVED SINCE WE CAME TO OFFICE JUST TWO
YEARS AGO TODAY. WE'VE HAD GREAT PROBLEMS, AS YOU KNOW
EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WESTERN WORLD HAS SHARED THOSE PROBLEMS
BUT A GREAT RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT STANDS BEHIND US. AND
DESPITE OUR DIFFICULTIES, DESPITE THESE WORLD-WIDE ECONOMIC
PROBLEMS, OUR HOPES ARE STILL HIGH. WE HAVE IMPORTANT PLANS
FOR THE YEAR AHEAD.
As YOU KNOW, WE ARE CONTENDING WITH THE TWIN PROBLEMS
OF INFLATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT. No WESTERN COUNTRY HAS
ESCAPED THESE PROBLEMS NOT ONE. FOR THE FIRST TIME WE
ARE FIGHTING BOTH PROBLEMS AT ONCE. WE ARE CARRYING ON THE
FIGHT WITH EVERY AVAILABLE WEAPON, EVERY MEASURE AT OUR
DISPOSAL, EVERY CONSTITUTIONAL POWER WE POSSESS. WE'VE HAD
VERY LITTLE HELP OR CO-OPERATION FROM OUR OPPONENTS IN THE
SENATE OR ELSEWHERE. BUT I ASK YOU TO REMEMBER THIS:
AUSTRALIANS ARE EVERYWHERE BETTER OFF THAN THEY WERE BEFORE
LABOR CAME IN. AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS, ALLOWING FOR INFLATION,
HAVE INCREASED IN REAL PURCHASING POWER BY 3,2 PER CENT IN
THE YEAR TO JUNE 1973 AND BY A FURTHER 3.9 PER CENT IN THE
YEAR TO JUNE 1974.
-2-
THAT'S A GAIN OF MORE THAN SEVEN PER CENT IN REAL LIVING
STANDARDS UNDER A LABOR GOVERNMENT, THE LIBERALS DID NOTHING
TO SAFEGUARD EMPLOYEES THE GREAT BULK OF THE PEOPLE
FROM THE EFFECTS OF INFLATION AND WE HAVE AND WE'LL DO MORE,
THE LIBERALS DID NOTHING TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM THE EFFECTS
OF UNEMPLOYMENT, WE HAVE AND WILL WE DO MORE, OUR
RETRAINING SCHEME IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT AN ACTIVE,
COMPASSIONATE GOVERNMENT CAN DO, AND REMEMBER-THIS ABOUT
UNEMPLOYMENT: OUR PREDECESSORS, THE LIBERALS, CREATED
UNEMPLOYMENT AS A DELIBERATE ACT OF POLICY, WE HAVE-NEVER
CREATED IT DELIBERATELY, IT HAS COME ABOUT BECAUSE WE HAVE
HAD TO TAKE ACTION TO DEAL WITH THE WORLD-WIDE INFLATIONARY
CRISIS, AND WE ARE DETERMINED TO REDRESS THE HARDSHIP
JUST AS SOON AS WE CAN. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WE HAVE TAKEN A
WIDE RANGE OF ECONOMIC DECISIONS, WE NO LONGER REGARD THE
BUDGET AS OUR SOLE INSTRUMENT OF ECONOMIC POLICY, WE HAVE
BEEN MUCH MORE RESOURCEFUL, MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE IN OUR APPROACH,
ONLY THREE WEEKS AGO I ANNOUNCED A NEW SERIES OF MEASURES
TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY AND REDUCE UNEMPLOYMENT, WE HAVE
MADE CUTS IN TAXATION WHICH, TOGETHER WITH THOSE IN THE
BUDGET, WILL BE WORTH $ 1200 MILLION, AND THOSE TAX CUTS
ARE BASED ON A NEW TAX SCALE DESIGNED TO BENEFIT THE
FAMILIES MOST IN NEED, THE PEOPLE MOST NEGLECTED IN THE PAST,
,/ 3 L
-3-
AT THE SAME TIME WE HAVE PRESSED AHEAD WITH OUR
GREAT PROGRAM OF SOCIAL REFORM AND INNOVATION. OUR OPPONENTS
HAVE DONE THEIR BEST TO OBSTRUCT THAT PROGRAM BECAUSE
THLY HAVE NO WORTHWHILE PROGRAM 0O: THEIR OWN. YOU'LL RLMFMBERi
THAT LAST APRIL THEY TOOK THE EXTREME STEP OF BLOCKING SUPPLY
IN THE SENATE CUTTING OFF OUR MONEY. SO WE WENT TO THE
PEOPLE: AND THE PEOPLE ENDORSED OUR PROGRAM FOR THE
SECOND TIME. YOU RETURNED US TO OFFICE, YOU PUT US BACK
ON THE JOB, ALREADY WE HAVE PUT MANY HISTORIC MEASURES THROUGH
PARLIAMENT. WE HAVE EXTENDED THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WE
LAUNCHED LAST YEAR INTO THE NEW AREA OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION.
WE WILL BE SPENDING $ 100 MILLION ON TECHNICAL AND FURTHER
EDUCATION IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
WE HAVE SET UP OUR PETROLEUM AND MINERALS AUTHORITY
TO HELP KEEP THE OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL OF OUR VAST NATURAL
RESOURCES IN AUSTRALIAN HANDS.
WE HAVE OPENED THE WAY FOR ORDINARY AUSTRALIANS
TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE
A. I. D. C. AND THE NATIONAL INVESTMENT FUND.
WE HAVE GIVEN PENSIONERS THE BIGGEST INCREASE
ON RECORD. WE'VE GOT OUR CHILD CARE PROGRAM UNDERWAY. 11/ 4
-4-
WE'VE GOT OUR HEALTH INSURANCE LEGISLATION THROUGH
AN HISTORIC JOINT SITTING OF PARITAMENT.
WE'VE TACKLED IIIL VEXED AND DIFFICULT QUESTION OF
WAGE INDEXATION TO PROTECT WORKERS AGAINST INFLATION.
WE'VE BROUGHT IN HISTORIC LEGISLATION AGAINST
RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES TO BAN PRICE FIXING AND
PROTECT CONSUMERS. WE'VE INTRODUCED OUR NATIONAL COMPENSATION SCHEME
TO SAFEGUARD EVERY WORKING MAN AND WOMAN AGAINST INJURY
OR SICKNESS, HOWEVER CAUSED.
WE'VE WON NEW MARKETS FOR OUR GOODS OVERSEAS
AND VASTLY INCREASED THE RETURNS FROM THE SALE OF OUR
COAL AND IRON ORE.
THIS YEAR SAW THE OPENING OF THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE HERE IN VICTORIA, IT IS
ONE OF 356 NEW HEALTH CENTRES AND OTHER PROJECTS APPROVED
UNDER LABOR'S COMMUNITY HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS.
WE ARE THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT TO
RECOGNISE THE NEEDS OF LOCAL COUNCILS. WE APPROVED GRANTS
THIS YEAR OF $ 56 MILLION TO HELP COUNCILS THROUGHOUT
AUSTRALIA IMPROVE THEIR SERVICES AND AMENITIES.
WE HAVE LAUNCHED OUR PLANS FOR A VAST NATIONAL
HIGHWAY SYSTEM AND HAVE SET ASIDE $ 1200 MILLION FOR THIS
PURPOSE OVER THE NEXT TIHIREE YEARS,
THESE ARE A FEW OF THE MAJOR INITIATIVES WE
HAVE TAKEN THIS YEAR IN FULFILMENT OF OUR PROGRAM A
PROGRAM TWICE APPROVED BY THE PEOPLE, I AM PROUD OF ALL
WE HAVE DONE, OUR OVERRIDING PURPOSE IS TO WIDEN THE
OPPORTUNITIES AND RAISE THE LIVING STANDARDS OF EVERY
AUSTRALIAN, IN 1974 WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY TOWARDS
ACHIEVING OUR GOALS, IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY FOR US. IT
HAS NOT BEEN EASY FOR YOU, I HAVE TO TELL YOU FRANKLY
THAT 1975 WILL BE ANOTHER DIFFICULT YEAR ON THE ECONOMIC
FRONT, I HAVE MADE NO SCRET OF THAT, THE FIGURES WON'T LOOK
GOOD FOR A WHILE, BUT I AM CONFIDENT THERE WILL BE AN
IMPROVEMENT LATER IN THE YEAR AS OUR MEASURES TAKE EFFECT,
ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THE SOLID, SECURE THINGS THAT MATTER IN
THE LONG RUN OUR GREAT NATURAL RESOURCES, OUR BUOYANT
OVERSEAS TRADE, OUR BASICALLY STRONG ECONOMY, OUR EDUCATED
LITERATE, RESOURCEFUL PEOPLE, WITH THOSE THINGS BEHIND
US WE CAN GET OVER OUR DIFFICULTIES AND GET ON WITH THE JOB
OF MAKING THIS COUNTRY MORE PROSPEROUS, MORE JUST, MORE
ENLIGHTENED, MORE EFFICIENT, I LOOK TO ALL AUSTRALIANSI TO
ALL SECTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY AND ESPECIALLY TO LABOR'S
TRADITIONAL SUPPORTERS FOR CO-OPERATION IN CARRYING
FORWARD OUR GREAT TASK IN THE YEARS TO COME,