PRESS OFFICE TRANSCRIPT 9 APRIL 1979
PRIME MINISTER INTERVIEWED ON " NATIONWIDE", A. B. C. TV,
ON TRUCKIES' DISPUTE
Interview with Ted Stevens preceded interview.
Ques tion:
Prime Minister, you heard Ted Stevens say they want " the lot".
What is your reaction?
Prime Minister:
I don't think anyone in the Australian commrunity can demand
to be paid just what he himself believes he is worth. Now*
whether that applies to you or to anyone else, or to me, it
is just not going to work that way. We'd send the nation
bankrupt. Question: What is the Commonwealth going to do?
Prime Minister:
These blokes in the industry have had a problem and State Ministers
meeting with Peter Nixon and themselves on Saturday, basically
agreed to a number of measures which would go a long way
towards overcoming it. The States indicated that the road
maintenance charge would be of f; that they are going to look
at leasing arrangements and licensing arrangements, finance,
restrictive trade practices, better arnd fairer charging
arrangments, competition from State railways a number of
areas Governments have committed themselves, and the
State Governments because they are the ones involved, to try
to meet a number of the problems. Now whatever the merits of
the particular case, it can't be solved by people blockading
Australia's roads, trying to starve out the city of Sydney and
causing immeasurable hardship to families, causing people to
be stood down. Now it is basically a State problem at this
point. State-police are involved. The State authorities have
the general responsibility to keep Australia's highways open.
They would have a capacity to move vehicles. Mr. Wran introduced
special legislation which would give him, one might almost
say Draconian powers.
Ques tion:
But there have been reports, Prime Minister, that you are ready
to use the Army. Now can we find out what stage the Commonwealth
is at? / 2
Prime Minister:
Yes, certainly we can, but let me just make the point that
the general responsibility is the States'. There. are the
State police who've got responsibilities for keeping highways
open,.. for keeping traffic moving. The relationship of the
truck'drivers is basically a relationship with State Governments,
much more so than it is with the Federal Government and on
that interview that was, I think, plain, for everyone to see.
Now, we'vye said that if a State asks the Commonwealth to help
and says " look, we can't undertake fully ourselves, we are
deficient in resources", that we can well provide technical
people engineers, mechanics, drivers that would enable
trucks to be moved off the highways to the side of the road into
a paddock where they could be impounded by the State authorities,
the State police. There would have to be a request from a
State Government and the State Government at the same time would
have to make it perfectly plain that their own police force would
provide whatever protection was necessary.
Question: Are you saying that you feel that this is in fact what should
happen that Commonwealth people, Army I suppose would be
involved, should move in to move these trucks?
Prime Minister:
Let's not make too much of the point " Army" or defence service
or Service personnel. We are talking of people who in fact
would be mechanics to get trucks started; drivers; people
with low loaders or tractors who could pull trucks that could
not be started so that the sinews of commerce, the highways,
could be opened. They are the sorts of people that we could
supply if the States themselves thought they were unable to do so..
The primary responsibility for maintaining law and order is
the States and I have not seen any suggestion that that is beyond
the capacity of the State police whether it is N. S. W. or any
other State.
Question: The Premier of N. S. W. has hinted that you could have indeed
exacerbated the situation. He has said that it is the wrong
time to make the sort of suggestions that you are making now,
when he is very near, as he sees it, to resolving the dispute.
Prime Minister:
I think the States need to know what the Commonwealth is prepared
to do. We have surveyed the resources available to us today
and I don't really think that Mr. Wran can stay with that
particular comment because right at the beginning of this dispute,
instead of talking with the truck drivers he pushed quite
Draconian legislation through the State Parliament which would
give him power to have a $ 1,000 fine, to confiscate trucks.--
nobody knows under what terms and conditions they could be
returned to the drivers and I think if anything flamed the
dispute it was that particular action, when at that point, 3
-3
Prime Minister: ( continued)
at the beginning of the dispute, it should havfe keen
consultation, negotiation, but that wasn't Mr. Wran's
first step.
_ question:
If I could just bring you back to the point that you've
been making that it's really up to a State to look after this,
to the States generally to look after this, what then do you
think of the role of your Transport Minister, Mr. Nixon for
intervening when he did and indeed he has been pretty
trenchantly criticised.
Prime Minister:
Obviously States criticise a Commonwealth Minister if there is
a State problem. That's the normal course of events.
Question: He would have seemed to have put you up for $ 60 million would
be not, by his comments that.
Prime Minister:
That's an old comment, an old attitude, and it ought to be
understood that the States over the last three years have all
reduced taxation in a number of areas very very substantially
indeed. It has not, to this point, been on the States' order
of priorities to reduce or to abolish the road maintenance tax.
Question: Mr. Nixon's statements didn't embarrass you at all?
Prime Minister:
No, not at all. Of course not. There is no reason why they
should because if this particular tax had been in the States'
order of priorities for abolition they could have done it.
They didn't. They had abolished other taxes instead over the
last three years. In addition to that, of course, it is open
to the States if they are only prepared to agree amongst themselves
to have some kind of uniform licensing fee which gets away
from the difficulties of the road maintenance tax but which at
the same time would return the States' revenue.
Question: You are buying into this dispute now after it has been running
for a week. One wonders indeed whether you would have allowed
the States' highways and the nation's highways to be blocked up
so heavily indeed, if it had been unionists who had been
involved. 4
4-
Prime Minister:
A number of disputes are basically State disputes and the
Commonwealth doesn't always get involved in those. Generally
it stays out of them. There have been a numbe9 inh N. S. W.
in particular which have just been a matter between the State
and employees, trade unions, in N. S. W.
Question: The truckies in N. S. W. have been watching you thus far
Prime Minister:
Yes, I know, but if I could just finish answering the question;
I think that the Commonwealth's position has been a very plain
one. We don't want anyone to be denied the right to arbitration.
We don't want anyone to be denied the right to have a fair go
for whatever cause or complaint they've got, but whether it is
the Transport Worker's Union or whether it is the truckies in
this particular dispute, they've got no right to stop milk getting
to families in Melbourne and Sydney, no right to keep hospitals
short of fresh. food, no right to cause immeasurable hardship
and harm to people who get stood down because there is now work
for them to do at their normal workplaces and factories. Whether
it is the Transport Worker's Union, who was condemned roundly
by the Government some days ago, or the truckies at the moment,
so far as that goes the principle is the same. Now whatever
the merits we might feel about a number of the points that the
truck drivers have put forward to State Governments, that doesn't
avoid the fact that the tactics that are being used are wrong;
are causing grievous harm and if they continue that will only
multiply many times over the next few days.
( REPORT FROM SITE OF TRUCKIES' BLOCKADES)
Question: Prime Minister, you've heard that they don't seem to believe
that they are getting their message across, that the public
understand them. Do you feel any sympathy for them. I mean,
would you like to work an 80-hour week for less than the
basic wage?
Prime Minister:
I think I said, when we were talking earlier, that there are
very real difficulties in a number of the things that the
truck drivers have put forward. That was recognised last
Saturday by the State Transport Ministers when they met. A
number of things, as I am advised by Peter Nixon, were basically
agreed. I think it would be a good idea, since a number of
truckies are watching this, to if I could emphasise that
one, that the road maintenance charges will be replaced and
two, that the road limits for the 38 tonne limit doesn't apply;
it will apply, and that has been an important matter for a
number of them, as I am advised. It was also agreed that urgent
Prime Minister: ( continued)
action should be taken to improve the overall position with
respect to freight rates of the owner-drivers -There have
been problems there with cut throat competition amongst
thems eIlves and I think sometimes also some unfair competition
with State Railways systems.
Question:
When you say that State road tax, Prime Minister, is going to
be taken away, you said initially that there was no way
that you would pick up the tab for this.
Prime Minister:
No, we're not going to. That's a matter that the States have
decided. And they have decided that. That was their decision.
But in addition to that, in terms of being able to charge a
reasonable rate we have indicated that we will look at the
Trade Practices Act and also, another point, to enable an
arbitration type system to be established covering ownmer-drivers'
freight rates and conditions and a licensing scheme for
interstate hauliers which might well greatly improve the system
and stop the industry being over-trucked as we were told earlier
tonight that it was; one final point, a road haulier's
advisory service, it was also agreed that should be established.
Now, they've got those points through to State Ministers, as
I am advised by Peter Nixon. That's basically what the States
have agreed to; that package of proposals. Now, why therefore,
is it necessary to continue with blockades in N. S. W, in Adelaide
and wherever else they might be. If milk and eggs get through
to hospitals there is a question of the average family in
the suburbs, there is also the question of people who get stood
down in factories because they can't get the raw materials
to keep that factory going.
Question: The Commonwealth then seems to be basically leaving this up
to the truckies' good nature...
Prime Minis ter:
Well, it's basically a matter for the States; also, as I said
earlier, to do what they can to get the highways open. I know
the States could do that if they wanted to. So far they have
not moved. If the States say " this is beyond us", say that
to the Commonwealth: "' this is beyond us, we want some technical
help from you so that we can move vehicles", then the Commonwealth
is prepared to assist.
I think just one last point, I said the Commonwealth is prepared
to assist but that is in terms of technical people, mechanics,
who can move vehicles. We have never at any time suggested that
the capacity of State police forces is inadequate and I am
certain that it is not. 000---