FOR PRE3SS 24 NOVT2NBER .1977
AUIDRES$ AT LUNC~ IMME R?\ LLY, BRISBANE
in this election the people of Qoeensland will be makirtg
fundamental decisions about Australia's future -the future
our families and children will live in. The thing-that is
at stake on December 10 is not juist a choice between political
parties. it is an election to decide about the country we
want to live in. The choice on Decem,,-ber 10 is clear.
Do you want to buil1d on the hard won achievements of the past two
years? Or do you want to l(_ t Tabor throw it all away?
Do you lwant the growth and development that only the Liberal/
N~ ationial Country Party coalition can tiring? or do you want the
Btagnation that Labor once again will create? Do you want the
extreme-tnionists to be controlled? Do you want responsible
unionists to bDe-g; iven-a flair gjo? Or do you want to surrender
to tho extremistS?
This eiection is your chance to say whether you want your
govern-ant to further reeduce inflation, to create jobs that
people Can keep? Whetber you want to risk Labor's experiments
that. rooketEed ir-flation to 19 percent, that increased unemployment
by 157 percent, by 19/ 0,000 people in one year? Your chance to
-ay ; 6.4zet-er you wanrt to protect . iniltiative and enterprise? Or whethe
you want to allow Labor to start its giant tax rip-off again
' T. hese are the real issues in this elect. ion but there is another
fundamental question) Ne must answer, Axe we go-ing to have a debate
on the policies and programmes that affect Australia? Or are
we going to let Labor get away with pftting Australia's politics
into the gutter? I
That's what they've been trying to do fight a campaign by smear
arid-innuendo; fight a campaigh by playing the man; Labor are fight
the dirtiest c-ipaign I have ever wvitnessed in my 22 years in
Parliament.
Labor searchec ali to find a Parliament that was still in sessi
and a Prieiaanthat was willing to abuse the privileges
of Parliament. Tihe Labor Party that so gravely damaged Australia
when they were in government with their scandals, their irresponsibil
their incompeternce are now trying to fight an. election by smear.
Axe we going to let themr get away with . it? They are fighting this
election the same way they fought the 1975 election. Then, they
had no policies. They talkied about democracy being under threat
and they tried to fight the election in unleashing their thugs
against the Governor General.
This time they're trying to hide their destructive and irresponsible
policies by stooping to the gutter. The Leaaer of the OppDsit Ionthe
man who tried to borrow money from a foreign government
to run his election campaign; thbe man who tried to ruile without
supply; the man who is the only Australian Prime M~ inister ever
to be dismissed, is now talking about integrity.
What a shameful shabby charade.
Ladies and gentleen, let's be perfectly clear about this.
the Government that I lead will not have a bar of these gutCter
tactics. We will not wear it and neither will the Axistralian people.
The reason Labor has to resort to these tactics is because they have
no constructive policies. Their econowic policy is in total
confusion. All Labor offers is a return to the old extravagances
of 1972-75, the -imposition of an additional $ 1900 million of
taxeson Australians, and an expensive and ineffective ,31 subsidy
schEqne. The Australian people will reject this confusion
masquerading as a po'icy. They will reject Labor ' s approach
to industrial relations.
in his 45 minute policy speech, Mir Whtilam ( lid not have one
constructive word to propose about the trade unions the left
wing union leaders wouldn't allow it. The left wing uonions
pay Rioney to the Labor Party. The-y have a large voice in
determining official ALJP policy. That's why it is Labor's official
policy to put unions above the law. That's why Labor endloxsed
the Victorian power strike. They endforsed a striYke which laid off
450,00) people for weeks, they endorsed a strike which threw
36,000 peole completely out of a job.
Labor's policy of letting the tr-ade unionts have their
head resulted in a record period of strikes and industrial
lawlessness when they were in office. We have shown that a
government prepared to take a firm and fair stand can protect thepublic.
We have shown this in the air controller strike,
in the postal workers dispute, int the case of the ACTO'* s, uranium
moratorium they backed down. And in the Victorian power
dispute,, it was our move to deregister the unions involved that
led to the strikers returning to work.
Unlike the Labor Party we have taken the view that no one can be
above the law. That individual unionists have a right to be
heara, and to be protected from intimidationo; that it is the
responsibility of the Government to protect the interests of the
whole community.
We have passed laws protecting individual unionists, and give.
responsible rank and file unionists the chance to make their voices
heard. Secret postal ballots for union elections are now
compulsory. There is a four year ceiling on the term of office
of union officials. We have set up thbe industrial Relations
B3ureau to protect the public interest and also to act as an.
industrial ombudsman. Unions are now required to tell their
mernb;-rs how union dues are spent. We are protecting individuals
against being forced to join. unions against their will.
Damagin~ g secondary boycotts have been banned. I
3.
ReSpon~ siblte unionists have welcomed these laws. only -the
e> xtreamistg and the Labor Party have fougnti against thorr,
These laws are a major step forcward in the trade -tnion area.
Th o p l c e r o n e f c n i n~ t~ a m r w l h a v e a
woh itcanmstu ctaves plic whtsoverto* of fer in this
area. Labor wouold back dovrn-von th~ se vital laws. IA vote for
the Goveriiiient in this election i, 5 a vote for firmi, -Fair and
const.-uctlve tLLrade uinion policies.
Mx Whitlam's policy spocch fails to deal at all with vital questions
of foreign policy and defence. Labor bas no defence policyat
the ALP's Conference last June, all Mr Whitlam could lamely
say was! " ThEse is no report on defence matters because no agenda
items were rcievecl".
Yet Fx. Whitlai asks Australians to place their defence in his hands.
necare~ s so much about def ence that hie wanted Mri Hayden to do the
job in his spare time after looking after foreign affairslie
was not gamne to itentioni the vital Pine Gap agreemenit in his
policy speech for fLear of antagoniging the extreme left-wing.
Yes-* ei-day he Thi cd die! support the 10 year extension of the
Pine Gap agree -ment but is that offiCial tabor policy?
Lot's he ar from the Deputy Leader, Kr turen, oni whether he agrees
with his leader on t;--his vital issue. And what does Labor think
about our-internal security? The-Royal Corrmssion on Security and
lijtelliaqerce reported that there exists seriour, threats to Austr-alia
from subversion and espionage. Let ine quote the Commissioner's
words the wordzs of an erna'lneft. judge appointed by Mrii whitlan:
" The two main communist parties, the Communist Party of
A-ustralia and the Socialist Party of Australia, have btrong
influence in sorte unions".
" They exercise a power greatly in excess of~ thiat which their
nvimbers would justify".
" At times they make use of industrial disputes for their
own poli-tical purposes".
We have acccepted the Royal Commission's recommendations and will
bring in more lenjislatiofl to strengthen ASIO. Mr Hawke bas
attacked the r. zt-he couild not resist the pressure to do so
from the very ' znicnis to which Mr Justice Hope refers.
Mr Whbitlam rsominously silent hoping none will notice
his ermbarasscnt, his dilemmna. Y-et Labor asks Australians to
place their se-rcu-rity in thsi hands.
4.
The choice in this election is clear. A vote for the Liberal Party
is a vote for prosperity through growth and development of
Queensland, of Australia.
A vote for the Labor Party is a vote for growth of big government
but of stagnation and recession for Queensland and Australia.
We are on the point of breakthrough to real economic recovery.
Let's not allow Labor to throw it away. With your support, this
Government will continue doing the job.