PM Transcripts

Jjj~. USt At I A I
PRIME MINISTER
FOR ME~ DIA WEDbNESDAY, I. OCTOBER, 1980
" UNIONS AND WAGES-I"
Ek'rZACT. FROMMDURSS AT~ ROCKDALE TOPTN HALL
The Labor Party's " hands-off" policy towards unionls would be
the recipe for economic disaster in Australia.
Unions would be allowed to run riot; to do what they wanted
and get what they wanted.
16t6 w'ould be 1972-75 all over again.
141. Hawke has made it quite plaITI that Labor's irresponsible
approach to unions and wages has not changed one iotaL from the
Whitlan years.
If the Labor Party were in Covernment there would be no
responsible argumient put by the Gov. ernment in the Arbitcatio
Co-inission for the public interest against the unreasonable
demands of extireme unions.
We would have the same massi. ve escalation in wages that occurred
in 1972-75, and with At the samae massive inflation push.
That was et a time when Mr. Hawke as President of the AL. P and
the ACTU was presumably a person of sotme intluence in the union
movement and the Labor Party.
That was at a time when time lost through industrial disputes
rose! to 6 million mn days.
That was at a time when award wagez rose 38 per cent in a sillgle
year, That was. a time. of total irresponsibility by the trade union
movement because they expected, and knew, that the Labor
Government would acquiesce inj their demands.
Labor in 1980 has the same scenario for its industrial reiatlon! s.
Mr. Hawke wantts it al] l over again but from, a differenrt position.
Coupled with Laborls plans for riassive increases in Government
spending, we woulad again se,_ infl~ ation ruied towqavds
per cent,
it has happened before. It mzusL not happen again.