A
CHECK AGAINST DEL1VIRY
PRIME MINISTER
1-tOMDIA. FRI DAY, 26 MARCH 1982
LIBERAL, PARTY LUNCHE~ ON AT CHAUCR'
-1 4m ( d-ighted to be here today to support Lindsay Thompson
-ina isLiberal Government colleag ues. it is a matter of
fhoeheartedly agree that to anyone:-who has had that experience,
-txistotally inconceivable how anyone would eve Want to vote
Lal~ oror think that Labor should be given a chance to show
-th--iuportaceof this election in Victoria. n-''-ho1hks.
doesn't really matter, or that there really int much of a
daffeirence between the parties, simply doesn't understand what
t all about. And I have got no doubt that as the actual
iele-ctioni day gets closer, as the mnoment comes when people
are. inaking the real choice about how their State is to be
4overned -for the next three years, they will recognise the
poDint that's so obvious to all of us here today, that it
Sreally is absurd to think of going past Lindsay Thompson and
-Y1a -Liberal Government for this State. I
Lindsay has dedicated much of his life to serving the people
VT of Victoria. He has contributed significantly to the
achievements of the Liberal Government. He understands Victoria
need s---of ictorians and his leadership qualities
' of in~ tegrity, honesty and courage are widely recognised.
VMh O can forget the courage of Lindsay Thompson when, at
gtiat personel risk, he placed his life in danger to secuxre
terelease of the Faraday school children and-t1; e-r---yo
teacher from their kidnappers?
Wen people look at the parties and the policies, the choice
izs plain. Before pursuing the Victorian scene further,
I want-to talk about the re _ ality of Labor in ofice a harsh,
reality which Australians nationally and at a state level have
had-to face Whenever and wherever Labor has had the chance
to. sho what it can do, disaster has., been the resUlt;:
-h17L, aa bor Government in Canberra took over one
th soudesteconomies 4n the wor-447and cr, e it aot
o+ Ii-pint of ' extinction. That~ was the Goverrnment which
oa6t ed oflits special relationship with the. unions, which had
at: P esident5: of the ACTUas President of its own Federal Party;
~-ch'uppotedmassive-wage increoses and presidea ov-er a
' rfe~ 4~ vergeweekly earnings ? Tin 1947 a3% nres
ti~~ Pderl-mleminimum weekly award wage rate in the*
612 ilis-h0to. March 19757, and yet managed to procduce an
i~ upxrecedented level of indlustrial disruptipA 6(, Ym illion
prlddarsrwr4e --lost thuough strikee-4-4-974-rf-fare-ta
rrI: r. Year:* ince.'' That: was the Government that almost doubled
1(-A ~ ot that-increased thle budget deficit by . four times over.
the, yearis, that more than doubled Australia's inflation
e etiween.-1972 and 1975, and that halved petroleum exploration
~~~ and: dveopment, in Australia at a time when the securityo
~ 2~ Qfereasoilsupplies were under grave threat.
~~ 7. te~~ e~ resofLabor's disastrous years inoffice i
>~ Cnerr -are -fading with time, then the shambles of New Souh-
~ W~ lsand -Tasmar. ia js reviving them. Labor in office means
vhaos in government. -The people of New South Wales are slow
" l~ ingobliged to pay the price of five years of Labor' s
~ msAnagement and incompetence, five years of sweetheart deals
4thpower unosoe and worling hours, five years of
unosovrp~
ligto. face up to reality.
th.! 4e'. Wea n . Governnent's carefully developed glamorous
iaeof competence and vision crumnbles before the weight of
Sr~ ality, the price the people of New South Wales nsut pay is
t emerging j. at times during this--week only one-hhlf of
theState's; alectrical generating capacity % gas functioning.
t6-proposed pwer zoning came in, as it did for part
Of his~ eekand if the 500,000 workers talked about were
46own--f or one day a week, and if each of those workers
E some. $ 32 million could be lost in wages each
~~ wekand $ 60 million in final output.
3Z-' r
efii~ o: Apil~ e in New South Wales have suffered mir than any
~~~~> rther" Australians from crippling strikes. Almost half ( 46%)
~ w~ th jo~ n g days lost through strik~ es and indutildste
j. Australia In the 12 months to last November were in New
4 7So0thWales.' Vhey hi6ve had to battle to find food in the'
u~ rmrkets an. petrol at the service stations. They remember
bn: without trains and buses. They feel the economic impact,
S~ Z~-P person al1ly In generally, of Wran's navy-dznso hp
anchred~ ffth-rrested-coal ports of New South Wales,
:~.. i.: tcosting millions of dollars in lost export earninTgs.
:... Victoria may -be an hour behind of -New South Wales in time,
bUt. inGt. nienLidsy-Thomhpson and his Liberlta r
light years ahead. Chaos to the north and chaos to the south.
I arnatLaohas shwn. its inability to govern. It
b* i sh own itielf incapable of dealin with the ajor issues
0 nf routingthe-State. It-trails the nation wYith Australia's
rate of 9.2% in Feburary 1982 and its
to-tal Inability to handle the issues has been set against the
ami~ r. Lba ckground of overriding power of the P. rt
3
a6hine and the dicfebae of the union leaders.
' c'TeVictoriane lection on 3 April is very much about these
iss, about Labor's disastrous failures in office. The election
isalso about objectives and achievements, te J1b5raJ. 6b23e cti
t;. bbu ld up Australia, and the solid, documented and uncontestable
achi~ eveznent. of Liberal Government in Victoria.
: ibeals believe that the way ahead for Aus~ tralia 4 bthrough
2' 1" idivdal achievement. Australia grows -and prospers when
gvernments enable people to set their own goals and to
yve for the things they want. As Liberals we offer
' Clear and ' contetMpokary directions that are proven and accepted
th~ e vast majority of Australians. Oxir grea political
Sobligation is to enunciate those directions clearly and
~ 7-Ccof~ n. Our % so'cialist opponents must not be allow. ed to
conceal the irrelevance, personal interference anid constraints
ndvda initiative whi6h are the featares f~ p4
Ssocialism.
-Lib~ erals seek to govern not in t1te interest of special jrivileged
roups but of ' all Australians. Liberals seek to underpin
adilevemernt with the-~ maintenance of a strong economy ased on
pxivate enterprise in which people can choose, as consumers,
aB-buisinessmen,.. as investors large and small, as developers
-of our human, technological and natural resources. Liberals
believe in encouraging excellence across the rancofh-
16e believe in a strong, secure nation, a society which is
cocre~ or the family and cares for the needy and undexr-
2piivileged. We believe in tle-istrength of a diverse, multi-cultural
society of people commitLted to Australia. We believe in
. corscrerving Australia's rich heritage for future generations,
-j: moderate and evolutionary constitutional reform.
ese are the enduring philosophies which lie behind all
LIberal Governments in Australia, They have underpinned
-" the. 4ofsistently successful Liberal Government in Victoria
whf-re-the choice on 3 April is between individual enterprise
aznd Stultifying socialist -control. The record of Liberal
Government is outstanding. Living standards in Austalia and
in Victoria have doubled over the last three decades. Victorians
a have the highest average household income of any state.
They have the highest level ' of home ownershi4 fai~ e
whidh-mfeans. Victoria just about leads the world in home
V17c1tozria has been for many yeara, and remains a fine example
-of.. haqto-develop human and natural resources to -the full.
Coal and oil resources are being utilised effectively. One
Sthird of Australia's manufacturing employment is in Victoria.
A quarter of the. total value of Australia's agriculitural
output is produced here.
-4-
indsay Thompson has shown that he and his team plan to build
. further upon their successful years inGoverrnent. His
! oicy-package aims towards continued economic growth. It
. takes account of people's aspirations and their needs, with
initiatives in such areas as education, transport, health
d* social welfare.
he Cornuonwealth and Victorian governments complement each
other-in their policies and actions. In housing the Commonwealth's
pakageis designed to assist young people to buy their fir~ tf
homeis, and, oncet' they have done so, to help them, in the
ea* lyYow4, to cope with repayments on what is a central feature
la o ' ost Australians' aspirations their own home.
Our dphoces to industrial relations are also complemenitar.-
Weboth' seek to. encourage negotiation and conciliation in the
resolution of disputes. Lindsay Thompson has been at the forefront
:~ K'in. recdent. attempts to achieve joint Commonweal th-state efforts
find solutcom to waterfront and demarcation prblm At
thesame time,* we appreciate the need for firmness to deal
~*. jfr~ siuaiosand circumstances which affect pol hog
S tienmus tral dsrupionand longer term damage to the
he6 ViCICtotian Government legislated to protect the public j
inte'res t. ecaiise those firm and responsible measures were
available in law, the Newport Power Station was built and
Victoria has been spared an electricity disaster JenAV.
iev-Scuth Wales has been experiencing. Because of those
~ laws'-Lindsay Thompson also got work on Loy Yang going again.
Be cause of those laws, he had milk moving agai-n when there
* Was ac rippling transport and waterfront dispute.
' r:. ai ha'ozntted Labor to abolishing those laws. He would
litt protective shield which Lindsay Thompsons Government
r~ sput in place. Mr Cain has not been playing s t aiht.
le ha-s scattered promises over months and months,
ga-thered together and considered carefully, they represent
huge-potential burden for Victorians in both cost and
Minse~ uences. Lindsay Thompson has calculated that the ALP
, proiiisesI would cost an eytra ,0000 million in additional
GverMent expenditure over three years, or a minimum Of
~ iI~~ y 21.009 a week extra for Victorian families.
tl~ Cain would turn back the clock by re-imposing Probate
U : and Labor policy is committed to abolishing per cap-ta
' to noni-Government schools, and giving the Government
' 4 the power to oblige these schools to accept new Governument
-req ~ rements as a condition of receiving any State aid.
And, of course, his promises to repeal the vital industrial
rei~ atdons legislation would lay open Victoria to the kind of
disruption which the wran Governmnt invited ad hsepience
InNew-South Wales.
Wh-a PthaetLy abo lavesunsid ad wht poplesimpy 1
-& chnnot overlook.-. is. the. power. of... I Zin
Labo. Goernmnot. cTiahies tLefts ifiuece cn besee
infltete Labo art leaesin sai' nderain ptopesmpls
IT $' 675-milliono-cisltedpowertofian developaeit Lft wic
ul palundoer et. he socasaatutoeyfu'tsi ti. esc, scalibsee
i~ r~ an'dpriseto inictoiae ngotiaon torae th
w~ xi : with of. bVicontrovel etemlye.. utai
cabo afovrdmeredae awakin hooursg fot gimeiwkhsw nys
00in e iswra ys of eetin aron ain Cuntaing troestablish A
estab-cled Vcorona grevement fuwentd hCi ea
Andthestter tprvetautormbauthor fis, oase
j~ pe 1ro nteres~ th racteosin t afetrol. oefrm
aor vrnmmenatas re lwysrlooeitg fora giemeinksb awaysh
Loon fonwaiy fsg ettaiaer ondL opean Coucsi thyr
' eilprocesekinetabliec by comron aoremets bateent Cohowat
Wil forgdt htaees or reveen aCrabenrf ra' fundspt eae97
press-ue a$ 9inbtielorne int rate ttafeteveory from-te
dbgesofn busineses, to the' smale of histauerLao
iGovecrnment mayt paeihervca toe thene agreee by-wCouci
the Cob the~ r Stlaeteo tabithe autnoeas uttheytare
lay eig obrtehaec h spirit of thoe agreements. hWhogoen
wi; o fatoget theLao Covnint ind Ceanbeoraews ateptrins197
i, tp frraneveryobllonbeow. ortmprry1ngtn
Vi> deveoria it puroses ortnhi s kidn of hiaism Mtttry:, k a
auztlheodrtyi. e. fs. aitLf akrinteLbr1' r n
hotihte ins. m istaie aboankt 4that hasC no o5e cio-t. o. e
aNOVTiata buet eoilermb and the ecpnre of oe Los Councs
i. orroith betyotl the Parto-mathinole ad thunhretat,
brealiamethesprit ofthemrebntetrsgven. h
Tohrea thievomf etth e~ CoclondL erad toverente pressure
q. r. anteae of hatrd pefrmsectle. Thieianel s Prtin hasee-~-
vsbenryspnasinl efodrive, iot
~~ bVictoriia dosa uowt ant thiste kind ofvc~) icm. rin an hes
pod oifh ht iachtivaeanke muthaa not ben ewacised.
' Libea i boernt Sciasmoande te cont polipeps livesh
-n-peopl cofrmitylicets of thisSae reL ao Patyw north
&-he e o Lihevmnsaofyh Thompson foLibera oenen r h
gurne ffuuepromac. TeLbea at a
d e a b l t a nd. i h a s be . n sp.... le o r