* PRESS OFFICE TRANSCRIPT 25 AUGUST 1978
INTERVIEW WITH LAURIE UAKES
QUESTION: Prime Minister, your put the nation on notice that this
dispute could go for a month or even more. Why do you
think it will go that long?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I hope very much that it won't and I hope that
commnonsense will prevail over the weekend and that the
votes on Monday and Tuesday unionists will take Commissioner
Clarkson's advice and reject their Executive recommendation. The
Commissioner has worked very hard to get a compromise
proposal that's reasonable but we do need to understand
and the community needs to know that as far as technical
innovation is. concerned, the members of this union have
got a 10-year guarantee of no retrenchments as a result
of new equipment. Commissioner Clarkson's proposals which
were accepted by Telecom, involve a very adequate
consultation, it involves trial periods for equipment and
independent assessment. Against that background I would
have thought that it's a very reasonable package.
QUESTION: Does this tough line mean that the Government won't budge,
no matter what. That if anyone gives in it will have to
be the other side?
PRI14~ E MINISTER:
We shouldn't look at it in terms of giving in. The Commissioner
has put forward reasonable proposals. Telecom, even though it
had misgivings about one or two aspects of it, accepted them
and thought that it was necessary to do so in the interests
of the public at large. But it's very important that Telecom
be, continue to be able to advance, use new equipment, and
make sure that the total Australian community can get the
benefits of more efficient services and either services that
contain costs or which, even in some of the circumstances,
might enable the costs and charges to be reduced. And you can't
do that if you are going to have some members of the Union
making the point that there are no changes unless we agree
with them. -So it's out of that background that the dispute's
begun.
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QUESTION: Let's assume that it's not settled next Tuesday. How long
can Australia go without telecommunications?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it's going to be very very difficult indeed. That's
very plain now. At the sametine I believe it's going to be
of enormous significance and of enormous cost to Australia
if Telecom were to give in or if the Government were to
give in relation to an issue of this kind because there are
many areas within Australia where a selected group of
people have got a fairly significant influence in what happens
and if they are to be enabled to overthrow the processes
of arbitration and conciliation and of compromise and
discussion to get to a resolution of the dispute, then that
means that those select groups can hold the community to
ransom. The ultimate cost in that to the whole community
would in the view of the Government be much greater than
having to continue with this particular dispute for some
time. That's why last night, I thought it necessary to put
the nation on notice that the dispute could go on at great
inconvenience to businesses, to individuals and to families.
QUESTION: You also said that the Government has no power to force people
back to work. What do you have the power to do? What action
can you take?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't want to go into that in too great a detail. But there
are onviously powers in relation to stand-downs and suspensions
and there are extensive powers under Commonwealth legislation,
some of which has been on the books for a long time, some of
it not so long. No Government likes being forced into a
position of using that sort of legislation but we felt it was
only fair to the members of the Union themselves to indicate
that the Government was determined that we thought
Commissioner Clarkson's proposals ought to be supported and
that we did support them, but if it takes two sides to
support a compromise proposal such as the Commissioner put
forward. Telecom has and if the union is* not going to
support it well the Government just can't stand by and do
nothing at all while this goes on and the whole network
deteriorates. You've got to take action in those circumstances
which are designed to try and get an ultimate resolution even
if it takes some time.
QUE ST ION:
If your worst fears are realised and it does drag on for a month
or more, have you looked at what the armed services can do?
Have they got any expertise?
PRIME MINI STER:
There's a task force at the moment examining to see what
can be done and see what facilities are available tor emergency ./ 3
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PRIME MINISTER: ( continued)
communications. One of the things which I think should be
some comfort to many individuals is that it is believed that
the local networks are likely to your local dialling
is likely to keep in operation for quite some time and that
of course is very important in relation to emergency services
and hospitals and other matters of that kind. So far as
business communications are concerned, going from capital city
to capital city, they are virtually non-existent now.
Q'UESTION: I gather telexes are being affected too? Airlines
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, a number at telexes are seriously affected. You could
get to ~ the circumstances where your airlines are affected
because you've got the facilities around airports which are
sensitive.
QUESTION: Given the seriousness of the situation, have you thought of
calling on Mr. Hawke? Have you approached him in any way?
PRIME MINISTER:
Mr. street has called a National Labour Consultative Council
together. I'm not sure that a time has been fixed for a
meeting just yet but I think it will be meeting quite shortly.
QUESTION: Do you think that Mr. Hawke will involve himself after
( inaudible) with the UTAH dispute?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I'm told that well he's a member of that Counciland
I'm told that he will be attending and I also understand
that he is very concerned about the prospects. I think
everyone ought to be concerned. While I felt it necessary
f or the Government to state it's view clearly and state what
it regarded as the national interest in this particular matter,
we really do need, all of us, to remember that we are
Australians first and we've all got an obligation to this
country and that.... ( end tape). 000---