~-~ a~ l. MN~ id~ XiiMN1. j-HJ~ OURt 0? R, Hog* K. Jp
Your ft00lleni09s, Prime Hinist'ir, and gentlment
IL have a VerY Simple tusk tonight-I am to propose the toast
of 3omebody who Is heaiily concealed on the book of the 4ords as " our
Distinguished Ouest", ait I must bring him out from behind this
erncealmnent. The Prim Minister of Nowv Z! ealand is, af coara., j al-days
a distinguished 4vest, but he is aliso our aei~ tibour and our friend,
(-$' Pplaua) There have 0eern some amusing Incidents of late Tirime Xinister6
One or two, or, for all I ". ow three membersof the Federal Parliament
h. v suggested t at you ought to join the Coonwrealth of ', ustrisliao
-% nd I an credibly i.. forined that whom you were asked about this at a
? rasai interview you said, I thoght quite clearly, 04ell io're just
dis--hargod our trust to Jest ibAwa and they nov hale their
.16ndapendone. defre quite prepa* rol to conusir niothe,-taleovcr".
( Laughter) Is that right? The Prime Minister iamirds, me the lists
are open. It is a very curious thing, you kflov, about Auitradiih and
liov ., alandt a terrible thing, that -do should have to ,.-alk About each
other as if we . rere thousands rand thousands of m~ iles vway. I hIsv
occasionally pointed out to my Nov &. aland friends that there Is
something quite irrational aiuout the fact -hat if . an Austrutlian Member
of Parliament wants to jo to Perth# or -ants to jo eien into the
remote vild. nessas of vjyndham., or * arits to o up 1Into 6-he north of
, ueensland he just oosj wnd Ministers io are ali~ ijs reluctant,
lik~ e mysl!' 1 LO travel win go to theso pucos. jut I ion't need to
be told that It is m~ uch fuarther from ; jdney~ or ', nberra to Perth than
it is from Sjd~ ney or Canberra to aekland. And yet th.: t is an
ov~ rsoas cnter prise, This is a very odd thing and I ast say* a
very ; tranje thi%,, t rho more you think uaout it l~ e more you .8alise,
that although we have _ vueu idea In Austridlia that New cZoaa is
our little brother, anid In Vowi Zealanid they h. ate a determined idea
hat je re a miserable lot of wvh atev,-r you oare to say in
Australia, the fact is that for aUl the iurposes in this iorld
, pirpostes of existenceg or economic survival* or econamic Srovtki ws
are the same people. '-rdi the proat problem, Prim Minister# is raally
to encourage every ody on both sides of this Tasman, this turbulent
sea, whiah lies east of Sydney, ir even east of eAst 3ydney ( Laughter)
to jet to know each other better and undrstad each other bett.. r,
I bad a talk with the Prime Ministe, 9 Awo is an old friend
of min*,, this afternoon and we agreed in principle ( you kcnow that is
a very good thing, * In pririeipleN this ' Ar I majy tell you Is EAwt I
alvays resist in labinets I say 01 won't haste these decisions in
principle* because once you baire made then y.-u are sunk, yju see but
on the Continent they do this thing r ther bottar they say " an
principles anid It's the ume thing) but he and I have Seedq in
principle that It is very Important that every ye. r some meaers of
Parliament from Australia should ; o to New zealand and dot to meet
their opposite mn~ ers; and that some aembers or Pa& rliament from Now
/ Aealnnd should come, to nustralia and me. tCheir opposite nubers -not
based on some Party conception, but a bulance of people in Parliament.
I think this is of the greatest Importance and I am very hapy to say
that the P~ rime Minister agrees about this, in pr incigle# because vs
realj outt Lo kno moro about each other than we do.
Wihat do 4e e now about New Zealand? we 1Cnop CIvery
histralian knovsp going back to 4arst that the nov Zealanders and the
Australians have stood side by side and have k~ nown no diffarenoo in
the field of aourage.
.4
4e also know in our Waesting fashion t at It is not somaqy yoara ap
that most of the Ministers in the Caibinet in Raw healand came from
kastralia ( Laughter) and# I relgret to say$ a nmoer of them from
iinyhow it doesn't matter. ( Laughter) There they iwere, there they vet..'
And In my own lifetime I have often met som distinguished beadmasterg
so famous pu'ofesaor# same ireat head of a cleg an I have said
Ineautiously, " his is a very pood mam and I have Lon answered Q
yes he cases tm 1ew Zealand". s3o it has been a two-way trafflo
Autrajian politicians to Now : ea1andj scholars and gentleman to
Alstralia. ( Laughtor)
I an reminded by my equestian friend the M~ iister for Trade9p
-4hio, as you well know is of course, a devotes of the race course9 that
eviery time w. have a Cabinet Siveep, a œ CL In -even -aul Hasluck
subscribing ( Laughter) all you have to do Is to run down the list
If you are a scholar oni these matters as I am and say " dhonea has
Safter It?" and you are pretty safe* ( Laughter) that Is what
they do to ua. That's right. Sven Captain Cook having gone to New
heaanddon't fbr.. tg cow to Australia Ast haste naver forget
that. tLaughter) -Mt dirt all these are intoresting aspects of the fact that
we a" r nei1hbours, ve are frinds, we are of the same bloodp und our
fu. ture Is inseparable. our fuiture as survivors in a vrord oonfliet
Detwoen. darkness and light, is topther* ziot one of us can survive
wiithouat the other, And In the great events that are being neptiated
at this time In the world we are toget Xou may havr this at risk
O irna ththeer mneogreo ttihaatino nuss , foanr dt hwee mSauyr opheaavne tChoamt ona tM rairskke t rbautht etrh maotr ew e tahraen you
tog~ itber in having things that are involved a. id, to that extent, are
at risk, nobody can doubt.
I think It In rather a dlmjadful thing that people like myself
who have been to New Zealand a number of times should havo been there
so little; and I was aho*. ed this afternoon when I can* back from
elbourne to find that this was the first time that you9 ai Minister
for nine years in New lealwa# d and a rime Miister for 18 months
and there is something to be said for 18 monthst you make a note of
that ( Laughter) ares visiting Canberra for the first time. Well nov
' Ir, that is to our discredit9p and to our disadvuntape.
Aiut all I runt to say to you Is thist that you ire here
among people who represent both sides of F rliament who represent all
the Comonwealth ountries, you are hore as a frienA and as a neigtibour*
I hope that you will always tol able to speak to us in forthright,
plain, homely terms as we speak to each other . because ' Lstralia
and New Zealand stand together 01r they f'all Lodether, This IB, of
cooirse, a great chaliertis But It is a treznendo-as honour. It produess
immense, pride in all our minds that when It comes to the point we are
together and we stand, or we fall. todathsr, When you stand and
sucoeed It is a very sreeable thing to hav* ocapany. I used to know
something about that, dhen you dont quite succeed, It Is till a
oomfort to know that you have omany isn't It?
I can say quite simply and plainlyr on behalf of the mebers
or the i~ ov-trnment side of this Parliament and for the oppositlon
members of this Parliament we are at one In lookin, Acroas the Taaan
and thinking of you as our brothers anid u~ s our rriends, Not on saw
tenuouis political zip ement, buit beca'use i . jit down in our lood we
are the same people. Flier. ore we are delighted to welo~ e you. It
unfortunately hasn't turned out to je posible for the Leader of the
Opposition, or for the Depuaty Leador, o Cbe hores they haye very
oopelling engagemonts, Sut I am happy to say that a 11stinzUished
member of the Opposition Liecoutiva, Mr. !, an "' raserv is bore and I am
sure Aill 3up, * rt me when I propose tho loast of your health.
( Applause)