PRESS OFFICE TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH DUNCAN FAIRWEATHER
26 FEBRUARY 1980
Question Prime Minister we-heard terms used in the House today that we
haven't heard for some time. Why do you think that the motion
that the Labor Party bought on was argued in those terms?
Prime Minister
I do not know except that I sometimes think that there is a
concerted campaign and a decision by the Labor Party to use terms
like ' liar' and ' hypocrite' and all the rest. For the last two
or three years there have been concerted times when that has
happened. I think they have generally done it when they have not
had an argument, haven't had a case and they have been wanting to,
as was the case today, prevent what otherwise was being said,
from being heard. The words I've used which seemed to cause tbis
C thought were fairly moderate in the circumstances they are
t~ otally accurate. What I said was that there is or seems to be a
-thread in the Labor Party, not the whole Labor Party, a thread
: Ln che Party which wants to find excuses for the Soviet actions
: Ln Afghanistan or if not excuses at least reasons why Australia
should do nothing about it. I do not think that is good enough.
I think that what was said was totally accurate and it remains
accurate., Question In response the descriptions that Mr. Hayden made of you were
rather savage. Why didn't you defend yourself?
Prime Minister
There was nozt a motion before the House. If they had moved that
censure motion it would have been taken and the words, the charges
would have been thrown back in their teeth. But they were moving
the suspension of Standing Orders which we opposed because it was
in the middle of Question Time, in fact I was in the middle of
answering a question,. which I completed after it was all over.
But I can only say that there was no motion on the books. There was
nothing before the House and if a motion of that kind is debated,
or is moved, it will certainly be debated, then I believe that it
will only degrade those who move it.
Question Do you think we can expect to see this sort of debate coming up
through this session through this election year.
Prime Minister
No I would hope not. Because what goes on in the House is vastly
important, just as the Government's view of Afghanistan is vastly
important and carrying sufficient importance to require us to do
something about it. And if the Labor Party are going to take the
view that, all right they condemn the invasion of Afghanistan, but
they seek to undermine everything we seek to do to bring that home
to the Soviet people.' VWell if that'* s-the vi-ew they are-going to
take then I suppose there will be some rugged debates. I think
that is a pity and I only wish, for example, Mr. Hayden had kept
Prime Minister ( continued)
with his original view on the Olympic Games. Because he has said
and I think believes that a boycott of the Olympic Games would be
a very effective way of bringing the abhorrence of Australia and
of other countries home to the Soviet Government and people. But
he at one point said if there was a significant international
support he will join it, or would consider joining it, to be quite
fair to him. But it's not good enough saying that 40 other
countries have to do this before we would consider it. We believe
an effective boycott would be of great importance in bringing the
message home to the Soviet Union and in preventing them moving
into other areas because they know the reaction that it will get.
We are' committed/ ought to be committed, morally and practically
and every way to doing something about it. But Mr. Hayden not
only doesn't want us to do anything about it, by his argument he
quite plainly seeks to frustrate the achievement of an effective
boycott. I just find that very difficult to understand and to
put that alongside his condemnation of the actual invasion.
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