PRESS; OFFICE TRANSCRIPT FRIDAY MARCH 14 1980
DOORSTOP WOOL DISPUTE
Question: We were told you were leavinq at 11.30.
Prime Minister:
Iwas.
Question: Prime Minister, it has been a terribly long meeting. One can only
draw the conclusion there must have been some problems in there today.
Prime Minister:
I don't think there were problems in terms of a difference between
any of the parties. The meeting was a long one because the matters
and the issues that are involved are of immense seriousness and
concern to the Government, and to all the participants at the meeting.
It is important from the point of view of the well being of wool growers,
of the-brokers, important from the point of view of the well being
of people in industry, the strikers themselves whose families are
suffering and have probably lost what maybe $ 1,000, $ 1,500 over
the last 10 weeks, and infinitely important in terms of Australia's
trading reputation and capacity to supply markets overseas, And to
keep a regular supply of wool onto the markets. All of these things
of course, emphasise the importance of it.
Now, a wide range of matters were discussed. A number of options
were discussed, and we have come out of the meeting with a cdompletely
unified position between all the brokers, all the grower organisations
and the Government. There are a range of measures, which the brokers,
because they are the specific employers running this part of the
industry, will be ' implemeniting Some of them are pretty
forthright and determined ' measures, There 2are one or two
very major matters which were pi. qt to the Government and the
Government has accepted.* Specificaiiy, we were asked to bring down
export control regulations that would enable us to control the
export of wool. The regulations will be drawn they should be
ready by Tuesday -and they will apply to all raw wool, they will
cover the export of raw wool because it is necessary to have a
unified approach throughout the whole industry. It also needs to
be stated that the sum of the decisions that are taken, and you
will see the statement that is being dropped very shortly,. does
mean that pending the resolution of the dispute, and hopefully
that could happen tomorrow morning or over the weekend, but pending
the resolution of the dispute, the collective decisions that have been
taken and-~ to which all the parties have committed themselves, will
bring the industry to a halt.
Question: Are we any closer to an end to the dispute as a result of today's
conference, do you think?
1 -1-
2
Prime Minister:
That depends entirely on whether there are the beginnings of
reasonableness in the union itself. But, what has been demonstrated.
today with total and absolute commitment of all the parties present
to uphold the allocations system, to uphold the principles of the
Full Bench decision, and not to be pressed as a result of
a. straight out defiance of that decision into a very foolish result,
You will see the statement shortly, and I think you will realise
that there are effective measures in it.
The request put to the Government and the decision by the Government
in relation to export controls is of course, fundamental to the
whole a frngements. There are a-number-i~ ofvery. significant
decisions that the brokers will be taking, but that, in a sense,.
is the lihcihpin around-which the industry has prepared its case.
Question: Are -you--basically saying sir, that you-have convinced the farmers
now, not to march in and take their wool?-'
Prime Minister:
I am quite certain that the farmers now understand that very resolute
action has been taken, and they are, therefore, content with that.
And that is what they wanted. CQuestion inaudible,,,)
I have'got no doubt that the union will learn of these new measures
very, very quickly indeed.