PRESS STATEMENT NO. 584
October 1975
Joint Statement by the Prime Minister, the Hon. E. G. Whitlam,
and the Minister for Manufacturing Industry, the
Hon. Lionel F. Bowen, M. P.
COMMITTEE TO ADVISE ON POLICIES FOR MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
The Prime Minister today tabled Volume 1 of the report
of the Committee to Advise on Policies for Manufacturing Industry
the Jackson Committee. Three further volumes containing supporting
material and statistics are expected shortly.
The Committee was established on 18 July 1974 with terms
of reference: To advise on appropriate policies for the development
of manufacturing industry, including:
the machinery required for integrating
such policies with the Government's
general economic, social and regional
policies, the place of, exports and imports in the
development of manufacturing industry,
and the role of firms of overseas origin in
manufacturing,
and to advise on communication between the Australian
Government and the private sector and the State
Governments, with respect to the development and
implementation of such policies. / 2
2.
The Chairman of the Committee was Mr R. G. Jackson,
General Manager and Director, CSR Limited; the other members of the
Committee were: Mr B. IJ. Brogan, Consultant, Department of the
Prime Minister and Cabinet;
Mr R. H. Carnegie, Chairman and Chief Executive,
Conzinc Riotinto of Australia
Limited;
Mr Currie, Secretary, Department of
Manufacturing Industry;
Mr R. J. L. Hawke, President, Australian Council of
Trade Unions;
Mr G. A. Rattigan, Chairman, Industries
Assistance Commission;
and
Professor E. L. Wheelwright, Associate Professor,
Department of Economics,
University of Sydney.
The report of the Committee is a large and complex
document dealing with wide-ranging issues. It will provide a
valuable basis for further involvement of the community in
assessing the way in which Australia should progress in the
manufacturing sector, and for determining well-founded policies.
Comments upon the report or submissions to the Government about it
will be most welcome; they should be directed in writing to the
Hon. Lionel F. Bowen, Minister for Manufacturing Industry,
Canberra, 2600.
The Annual Report of the Industries Assistance Commissiou,
which was tabled today, will also contribute to the public
assessment of the future of the manufacturing sector in Australia.
As well as providing a basis for discussion and debate
the report of the Jackson Committee makes several recommendations
which will require immediate consideration by the Government.
Accordingly, a Committee of Ministers has been established to
examine those recommendations only, as a matter of urgency, and
advise Cabinet on them. The Committee consists of the Prime Minister,
the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ministers for Manufacturing Industry
and Labor and Immigration, the Special Minister of State and the
Treasurer. The report is presently being printed and copies are
expected to be available for general distribution within a few weeks.
Special steps have been taken to ensure that a reasonably-priced
edition is available as quickly as possible, to ensure the widest
possible circulation and the fullest possible public debate before
decisions are taken. Advance orders for either Volume 1 separately
or for all four volumes of the report are being accepted by the Mail
Order Sales Section, Australian-Government Publishing Service,
P. O. Box 84, Canberra, 2600,
CANBERRA. A. C. T.