jJ, AUSTRAA
Pi?] NJE 3V] NSTE
FOR PRESS 17 JUNE 1979
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN STRIKE
Australia faces the possibility of a national strike towards the
end of this week and of bans being placed on Western Australia
that would isolate it from the rest of this country.
Whatever the issue, that degree of destruction,. of damange and of
harm to the nation cannot be justified.
I ask all trade unionists and their leaders in the trade union
movement, to think very carefully before they participate in a
national stoppage before they participate in wider bans which
could damage their own industries, their own livelihood, their
own families and the national economy.
We need to understand that Sir Charles Court has said that the
p'rvisions of his'own Police Act will be reviewed.
We rne-aed to understand that while the case will come before a
court next Thursday it is unlikely to be finally dealt with on
that daie. If the normal course of events is followed, a decision
in the case will be deferred for some time. / 2
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We should also have in mind that there is a certainty of debate
on this issue in the West Australian Parliament, when it resumes
towjards the end of July.
I am aware that the West Australian Government is reviewing
its industrial laws. It may well be reviewing the adequacy
of the protections needed for its tribunals against disruption.
The West Australian Government may wish to consider the
Commonwealth Government's experience in this area.
Against that total background, a national dispute and the
possibility of bans against Western Australia become all the
harder to justify.
I am certain that a great majority of Australian working men
and women do not want disruption, difficulty and conflict.
The price they pay in wages lost is very great indeed and in
many disputes wages lost are never regained.
Australia is'mving forwards s'trongly in ec6nomic recovery..
i is the task of all of us to build on that, to strengthen
this nation, to increase our productivity, to cxport mrore., to
take a pride in ourselves, and in-what we do, so that we can
overcome our problems and difficul. ties. / 3
3-
The Au tralian economy at the present time is delicately
balanced. Great economic progress has been made and the
economy is moving forward. But that is something we all
need to work on. It can so easily be destroyed by industrial.
disruption, by harmful and damaging disputes. It is in all
our interests to put conflict and disputation aside. This
is a time when we need to think of Australia first, to make
quite sure that our actions contribute to the well-being
of this country, and to make sure that they do not damage it.
In addition, I ask all trade unionists to keep in balance the
nature of the dispute and the potential consequences of great
ha'_ to the whole nation.
Processes of the law have still to be followed. We don't know
what the result of those processes will be. We need to weigh
the enormous harm to Australia as the result of a national
dispute, or as the result of bans placed on trade and commerce
and communication with Western Australia, against the
nature of the dispute itself, and its origins.
Aga-inst the background of the review of its laws promised by
the West Australian Government, I ask everyone to put aside
disruption and to stand back and examine the issues quietly
and thoughtfully. That is the way we can advance Austra. ia.
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