P RIMN1E A. I IN ISTER
FO PRESS 3 DEC14BER~ 1977
ADDRESS TOro ASTERN R. EGION 1RAAL~ t-SYDNE\'
This iB the crucis) last week of the election campaigno.
All the polls show that we are winning. but the only poll that
really counts is the poll held next Saturday, the tenthof December...
V. elve still got a lot of hard work to do over the next seven daya.
We've got to do more than just maintain our momentitim.
V. e've got toaccelerate it.
Da vid. Combe, the-secretary of the Labor Party, says lie doesn't
believe the polls.. You all remember David don't yon?
H~ e had. to be brought back off a Russian ship to explain why
Kr Wi tlam triofl to f inanue -Labor'a 1975 election campaiqrt by
borrowing money from a foreiqn government.. David doesn't.
believe the polls because he says that the-y Show Labor is doing
. worse in New South Wales than they did in 1975-Well they should
be doi ng -worse-the -Labor -Party is irsultinigihe intelliqjence of
the A-ustralian people by presenting the same recipe for disaster
they cooked up between 1972 and 1975. They i~ till think that gooc)
government is spending up big they still think that the people wi.
accept a party of diaunity, disagreement and disaccoxA.
Our policies, by contrast, have been vioxking. lie have broken
the back of inflation. inflation is 9 percent-and still falling.
: Interest rates are falling-and in the next twelve months they could
be reduced by as-much as 2 percent that is a saving -of $ 520
a year for the average young couple buying anew, home.
investment is increasing $ 6,000 million of new investment projectare
underway or ready to go that means jobs-, and the Septembet'-
quarter figtires confirm the strength of investment -that nteans
jobs. flecause we have controlled governm~ ent expenditure-we' have
been able to introduce historic tckx reforms tax. cuts for
every taxpayer. Tax Indexation has ended Labor's. tax-ripoff.
Our February tax reforms, reforms which are already low, will.
inject $ 26.7 million into the economy that means jobs.
under our, tax reforms, taxpayers on average earniinqt; of $ 10,000 a yoar wil
pay a marginal rate of tax of only 32 cents 12 cents less than
under Fir Hayden'a scales; and they can increase their income up
to $ 16,000 a year without moving on to a higher marginml rate
of tax. Over 90 percent of taxpayvr~ s will pay' less than)
one quarter of their income in tax,' e WVC.' reStOrCYd illc{-* ivu fcr Wvc-aCAu
and fair reward for achievement. It's worth working overtime again
and an additional quarter of n millionlow income earners with
taxable incomes under $ 3,750 per year including-tens of thousandia
of pensioners, widows and studen~ ts will no longer pay any
tax at all. And we haven't just stopped there.
on being-elected we will-legislate to e-xempt. all estates
I
passing between man and wife,-parent and child, from Federal
estate and gift~ ciuty. From November 27, 1917, -the day of mny
election speech, and over . tihc!: ife of the next Parliam~ ent.
all-Faderal estate andygift duties will.-be entirelyabolished-...
Australia is on the -move again.. We've ( jot, the -real -answer to
unemployment. _ Investment means-jobs;-cjettinq interest rates.
down that means jobs; restraining government eXpenditure,
that means jobs;, giving tax cut. s -that means jobs.-,
M4r Whitlam,-with his usual-high -regard for the truth-said that..
I'd used the term " uneuiployment" just once-in my policy-speech.
Well,, 1. usedl the word. a nximberl of tin-as -and I'd Jlike to
put some of themn on the record allain.'
" Because of our job-maintenance strategy because of the growth and
development-our. polici'es, have mnade-possible, -, unemployment-
-will fall. from PeVbru2ary and )' eep falling'.
I also said:,
" It'is Labor that is the party of unemploymunt. 1: Labor today
are still peddling-the same policies whichin one. year
increased unemployment by 157 percent...
" The only things that went ahead under. Labor-were. inf lation and
unemployment. Mr Whitlin wa-nt8 to dlo it: all agin.
i'd. Iike to repeat that. Pleld do it; all again.
He is obsessed with reducing protection for Australian jobs...
When he was Prime: Minister hu used unemploymen~ t as a aelibexate.
calculated act of government ipolicy.-HeI wipeed ouit-tens of
thousands-.-of Australian jobs with a stroke. of his pen by
slashinqg t ariffs by 25 percent across the-board, dtespite the
fact-that he Wqas officially warned by a report -that-industry
would be harmed and unemployment. would be created.
N'ow he want8 to do it again M~ r Witlan -and -Senator Wriedt
are conunitted to an immediate restructuring .' of industry.
We all -know what. that mneans they want. to restructure tens of
thouisands of Australians onto the dole..
Labor's past performance and present policies make their
protestations of concern for-the unemployed a hollow mockery.
* After. 20 years of full em-ployment xxnder succeSsive -Liber-al
governments they made , unemploymient a major problem, with their
irresponsibility'.~ : their extravagance, their -wages-policy, and
their tariff cutL,* Now~ they'~ re callinq themselves a free trade party
well,-industry~ has' seen through them.-as the Executive Director
of the AnstralianiConfederation.-of Apparel said yesterday:.
" No'industry-could be certain of Burvivl. If a Labor: Party
committed to free-: tradte and the -restructuiring-of industry came into,
power.". I/ 3.
The wor): ing IMvo and women of Austral~ ia have seun through them
that'-3 why Lab) or W'On' t get into p) OWer. We haVe ( given
Austtaliafl industry, ustralian employmen-t, the protection'.
it needs. We have inceceosed proteeticn -for industries with a
total emploNymcnt of ovc-r a q1uarte~ r of a milliun Australians,
We know quite well that. Australia has ciot to focus on the things,
we'xe qood at doing.-Wut to talk% about restructurinq AuJstraliain.
~ iustry at a timo when onernployrnent. is hig4h and the economy, 6
capability is not fully used. just means inore untemploynient,
that's what Mir 19bitlm wants Lo do,
OoY policies have the suppoit of many L~ abor men Pit Dunstan,)
backs our. stand on protection, In Sinclapore last wonth he
said " It's a perfectly proper thing for us to say wo can't
allow our. employment. to be lessened by ilmports which will Simply
throw our people into xihtemploylfeft.".
Phi3 week'l4r ) Jawke gave his unquialifieci support to mfaintainino
ceiiployrrient. in the footwear, clothing nc aprlinutis.'
t~ o a group of long standing Labor supporters and contributo-s
in the apparel industry. Mr HIawke and the Victorian State
Secretary of the 14r Bob 1Mogg, had approached these
Labor euprporters to raise fund,% for Labor's election campaigni.-
but MYr Whitlam, Mr ilayden and Mr Youn( I overraled Mr ) Iawke' s
nSsurance$. They -have ref usedl to qivc any f irm iassuraflue*
tothe&,! industries industriers eriployinq 120,000 pe: ople-.
Wel., in. tchu stry15-rsp~~ hlgwith an advertisingJ campaign
to tell workers what the cnmuneSof Labor. policy would be
q~ n d the sinions are vonaiderilig their po~ ition-aftecr all, its
-their firen-bers jobs that are at stake.
fCa-n Mr Whitlain as Labor's) unemnployment ex> pert tel swic
industries Labor has inarked for the guil~ lotijne. Xst
the footwear, textile, aOnd a) Paxtl industry, employinq.
120,000; the wood, wood produ) ct13 and fxnitlire industries,.
cipployment. of 73,000; paper and paper PlOduct~ s and rinting
eMPlOyment Of 97,000; baalc chemicals, an(] related-prod( ucts
56,0001 basic nietal~ s -88,000; * fab. rica1ted 1" Otals -l4o
-ppliarnces and electrical equipment 8100
industrial m'achinery and scientific equipment 8,000.
I t's no wonder Mr Hawke is going around saying M4r
statu) re has diminished. Yesterday, Mir inawke was roported a
saying, to a -fel-low drinker at 7Adelaide'sr Victoria ); otel t
" Don't worry about Whitlarn lie won't be there: long. ) e ), as said
he'll only be there. two yearn, The Labur Party is not Gough,
Ihitlam. n2-When. the drinker-replied: " I kiow, it isn't bult at_
the moment It is," Mr Hawke dismissod mr whitlain-aqain
saying " No. It used to be." -The drinkter persisted, saying:.
" But all you see on T. V. is Whitlamr". By this time Mr Hawke'spatience
with the drinker W. as eXhausted. -He woond up thle
conv'ersation with-a JkCWid
The Labor Party hasn't. chanqca it's still -the -Party-of confutsion,*
contradiction ano conflict. Labor iiist can'It, gjet jt to~ jothcer.
Rr Whitlarn's policy spech is only two weeks old,-. but evelyone
of his policies has been contradicteo. o01d ismissed7
by one or rriore of Labo0Crzs Own C11t! oft econoifliC so; s
I'll take Labor'fl so called ta policy. Ifirst, O'r Whitlam
Slil( I he would rid the cotrntry* of unCIVIOymerit bY 1brC) Ii-hi)-1
Payroll tax. rioirnst imnediately, a survey tvas undcrtaVken of major
emnployers, and not one. repArted that Ait wouldI : ncrefisx' its staff
if pznyroll tax was lifted.-They wo'uld simnply add this new
rmhsidy to their profits.;-Labor should have Inown this3 would
happen. Mr Dunstan-had tried a payroll tax rernD. ssion scheme in
South Augtralia and found : it bail no effect. On em~ ploymenlt at a~ ll.
iiowo the President of the L. abor Party, Mr Jlawke, has said that,
unleiss compaflies guarantee to ta). on unore staff, the wholo !! Cheme
will be dropped we will have to loo: at other alternative.-,
lie says.
And what alternative does he suq'CF~ t -only one, tax cuts
the very thing which we-offer I-nd Whitlain has Scorned.
Irs . his Policy speech, Mr. Whitlain said heP would take away the tIax
cuts %-hich are now law and will tk efeti er~ Y. Ti
% would Gignificahtly-raise everyone-Is tax. bill and it would force
a quartc-r of a million, widows, pn oesarcohr1wicoe
eal-ners to pay tax.-Pn-ceg-di te O 1cli
lientrl f orqot, about-this quarUer of a milol w: Scom
up snes unti Sr. Ilurford rushed forward Iith last minute patch
itshee Poor MJr. lrfoyd heralded tlis afte-r-th ) ughv s
nelw tax initiativev;.
B~ ut M4r-11itlam, tried -to leave Mir.. ) urfo~ xt in the lu rch ingain.
W/ hen M'r. I tImwas askcd WhY the Labor Party hd. taken oon
' to anmnounce their exemption for mrInjmu icrn s nr. hItnq
ireplied that it had been Lab: or POlicy l aon(; cand-s Mrh h had
inSayingjlit all along.
11r. Burford was saved by Journalists from the most dreadfull
embarasrnent of finding that hiL3 I" newta'' rpslwantn
The ouralists rWutntageC1 through their noteb0Vks,-played back
their tapes, and found that. 1.5fr, Whitlam hd. etondi eoe
ut quite aPart-from saying that. theywolrpe urDebar
tax reform$~, it. was clear that Labor proposed t~ o abandon another
of our vital reformS, tax indexation.
? or* a fortnight, each Labor Spokesman . ha4 -fallen over -himsol f -in
Ais baste to put hlis: views on thissbecaddis! ae isl
fro m the entirely contradictory Stateet-of ach dsoite ohnef
11conOmIc spokeamen.
kfter three days,% mr.: ibitlam'Ildmitted he tiould have to 1posetponeI'.
~ ax indeXation.; Then within houyas be said he migh ae~ pesc
sewl ongy n hisr Next day, hi, ari3 1.1r. Willis % weres ayinq
there would be full tax-indexation -f rom next 3ulJy. . Iell Mr. Hlayden
Raid there would be no tax. ndexationqatil the econonly caudcoe
Mid. we all know holi-soon the economy coud ihacyocpnees. o
$ 1 th -Labor running i:. Jt--neVor.. c ihay ocsi)
Obviotusly, Mt. llawke realised this as h3P got int~ o the act'by syin
fir, Hayden'& s tatelmeflt wA13 just one man's view, and the unicons
which he representc l would acce-pt nothing short of full insdcxation
Through all this, the Shadow-Teas: urer, the official spokesman on
these m'atters, sat in shaking ;; ilence. WThen a : 1ouxnalist finally
caught up with him in Cairns, Mrx. 3nrfo-rd Etaid he could. Wt say
what Labor's-policy was because he had only re~ ad the (: aiirts Post.
Last Monday, Mr. 1Jawke announiced that all conflicts were over, thei
would be full indexation: from July. : Yesterday, M~ r. Whft3am said
' Gabor's position was that there. woold only be fifty percent
indexationi from 1978/ 79.
This he said had been decided in the weeks before his policy
speech, it was just that no one had bothered to ask him about it.
Asked why t-he decision had not been annowicea previously, Mr. Whit
sair, there was a limit to the ntwiber of things which would be
announced in a policy speech. And he topped this by saying: " You)
will remember I was only able to read to the rapturous audienqe
in the Opera House, about hal f of the text of the speech",
The Labor Party Is once again demOnIstratinq -what Austral'a,
leaxnt to their great cost in 197.--75. The Labor Party does not.
understan) d the economy, has no LCIWpolicy, and under its
present constitution,. is incapable of foxcm1ulati11( g -an econowic polic
The Govern'en-t hias clear Consistent -coT1nic p01-iCY 6ecided by
Cabinet. There-is one policy, the policy ifx clear.
rdcnifain the giovernment dfitinite'rOSt, rates anid
ta; ation, by increasing investyment, growth) nn~ d. dcv(' elop) T1eyt.,-
. economic recovery is underway. It is tbi3 new era of proaperity
And growth xwhicb w: i' I prov ida raore jobs for mox e ra -oibn&
jbsthat they can ) jeep. And in the meantim,' we can Ancx-ease
AaMotivation to work and the ~ h~ sof those out of work fio
: tbat they are ready to take new -lobs they ar. se.
TIhin; is the real answqer to 11yem, oymjmnt, n ot 6some Pat( hworK,
tfemnorary, inflationary scheme which is all Labor can devise-
.; This why-uemployment 1qill fall fromn Vebru ary and keep on
falling. This is why only under a Libe) ral (; ovtjrnnent can we get
uinemployment down,, and Ykeep it down.
In the two-years of this government,. xeal Solild-foundations
have been laid for econoynic recoverY ( evelopIitorts are movingj
In every Part Of Australia, COnfidnC-rc Is building up.
Jf WP-ca-n heep to the present course our. future ik; unlimited.
The ingredient IAustx-alia-now needs is certainty-certainty that
AUstralia has a government which-knows what it is doing-and has
0 p'Olicy that works.
Only a Liberal Government has a policy:. tilit ok.-
Fromn now; to next Saturday, -lEa& Yh everyone-here for your
fu21l-hoarted, vigorous Bupport..