JUNE 1u83
President, Delegates.,
Whi'-n the dist~ ng', 1h ed F'e detote rnhYi-bi
* Francois ' Mitter. and, 30 ' memoreliy this Assembly ' IIn
'.-n~ cSe idiet : r~ yewr oabsfo fForhua nndcdeeed w~ t oIn acot1em9n1e 9ti. toOnt ht o It* rh-et erP" anraatidoonxa lt haLta bohue ." wCa'r-, g atnhjLe faitr j6C~, t
Given Australia,=-record of f! r upr o h ITO C r)
r: euoslrdpe eeo hm0 Satioiv, vveee mt . ec, nhO te'" fI OhPo0fn1 oAlAuu. rts itcroIaa fml lip'bpAoeerf) rnt ascnurI tca etsh iiose b ny , hf iaSrrausdncdtlcy e ? gs.~ srl-eivAVseisnee 1taAh 1 u1pisantrsirastadtreleoirnax n go tfth'hG aAotovs trfrn aI,~ mthjce-S
zldress this august. Assembly.
Not, of course, tL-hat this i~ s Iby any means first acdr-es
yoU in other ca~ ac-Ities.
oluOmiunr eaxftceerl lecnotlu mrne s'o,/ fr' tethrse Ranedc ortdr arfnrosml, ano :~ hlavaes had the t-ask of
: iw! thout d' f* fcuitvi ut always peddy
fCr'ce~ rcafhvuA lnI d ebx% chehni alnegP Fr e-s, a, v ~ n yI eo ' k notwht, oe thitmaaktp eo t-o-caa--v: h1 ere evheanvam e ohng~ TEh tvcfriIv'ci. edended sbv t; zeo-rsnoou , t'-n
m any cf V . those
relb -nd' ' n awlli . t hC o-shcolea-cte,* t tmoe zd ~ anad~ eors, r1-n-ogrltayn.: ssuezs,
tan.-k yo-, u D1 ecI ."-Genr your ircs't generous
-14 Of we e~
T his is, 2-1mr e a k J. d c fc
You have been kfI:
n -6w4a. zsi but-lkon~ tooc th-" oWr or2b7e*-.: Cf S Is rgn IrT~ arej cz Ct~-0 ner!' I h to0 ld eec ?., vktKe
SUnions anid aL-, i ke' r eei Ct ~ ari 2t~ A~ ip A. crkraYm ber oZ Cthoe, nlir
.' ning oof y the", o
AOrjd-w~ c cavse it represent, hz\ vc rch) y re-1Pald rjQ Por such
LI I' may have be'en atU1c to rende.
It has been an association which I value' higphly as any In
AAilc career. Above all I value the endurl, 11 friendships I have miade,
cending di ffer e n e of op In Icn an d d I ffe r enrc es cf por-it Ical
sophlcal, or national allegiance.
Mir Pr-esident, alt-hough 1 now have the honour to address this
: 7, ly, not as a Delegate or as a member of lthe Coverring Body, but
" ie~ nis-' eor f Austral~ a, a eped to begin m-. y renr n
: e terms: " As I was saying, delegates, before I was rudely
interr-upted...* 1
Because MEr ? res-19dent DeleEtes " much of -Yha1t wish to say
avcontinues the themes I have raised on m-= ny olccas~ ons during my
De,. rship of this body.
Thne three principal matters I vlslh to raise are of fundaa3.
irpor'tance to us all.
They are:
freedom of associat4on;
the 17= ort n ce of raTfin ) L Conventions;
* and thijrdljy, . wlthin the context of the world
economic S~ utoAuzstralia's response to
its current ecoroc-c problc'ms wIhpa-ticular
reference to t,-e runtdamer-tal issues of
emPloyment and unemployment.
Au; tralla has been a rembe.-of the IOsir~ ce its creation
919. e~~ a mnember, then and--we have rem ine enber bez: aus,
believe t: at the 7LO hn-S a malor1 to lay in uV&--gthe
sj'Ilenable r4Ishts oI' humna; t, life, ltocrty and th-e pursuit of
.; piness, and that the 1LO ' e-Fs -, naor role-to pli-y in the-pursuit 0 f
has rimany L. w os been referred to US the soca corrcience of
d e vaopme nt, a descniptl~ of ee ntre ' Iy endorse.
The Pr-eamble toteIOCis~ u~ nrc~ ss and T
:; te -" unlvekrsal and lating peace can be establ~ shed only If it Is
sed on social justice" U. Th e JIO proocaIms as a œ unda-,-ental principle
~ labour i. s not a mere commod0 -1t Y Labour is not sometcning which is
m-ly bought. and Bold i. n the mnarket place. It Is not ' ust means by
indiv~ dual workers earn a living. Wark Is .3 fun~ damntal part of
.: an l ife. For th-e sreater part of tZhe huMan race, the quality of
~ e depends very largely orn the dignity and security which comes from~
Sopportunity t.-o work and on the quality of the working conditions
environMfent whIch they elther enjoy or endure and 1t must be
: nowledged in all but the mrost prAIVleged nations mostly endure.
It follows, therefore) that the1-re is also a fundamental. huzian
fht to spea : k out o. n, the many is sues which de! termi,. ne t1h, avaiIability
wo.-k and the conditions u. nder which work Is Performed. And that-,-1.
freedom of associat'lon is all about.
The International Tabcur Cr. glanisation proclaims this funcaand
universal ri-ht. We have reaffirmed and wor': ed tireessl y
teh rd c b Iec t 1, e Car. f fre ed c e x P-e ss io n a fre ed om of' associa-1
: n or ala mankInd for more than sly. de-cades.
We inl Auszlralla have fully supported the tenets of the ThLi ~ Z
none do we guard more vI; I1lantiy tvhan freedom of azsociation. W. 1
-cort the work of the ILO wh-ich, a!-s tofu:' t'. er foste" -freedom of
_:-clation, and we support .* thc work of Olo verrnn Committee on
2doin Of Associat'Lor Jn idnrtfyJn cc'r~ lng to r'tct', fy breaches of
basic htumran right.
Wile thne existence of w lt. 5 s i not dend-_ ent on the
s-tence of ' Conventiocns or th-e -r ralf io y goverrm-ents, the
_ ntic-s of the ILO do set, exemplary starndards to wh-ch tne nations
-: eOPleS Of the world shcu'Id asplre.
T 1, t C onv P t o ns reIl-4nz to freedom ofassocilationn -re of the
-portance.
7' Letwe mus I not c wi th con ce rn Vh a t. therc ar c s t .1 ify
~, cnme r S. a tes who ' ha % e not rPat 1 '! ed Con-vent Ior, Number 87; and
rty~ 3-j) r1h who h), ive not, yot rat 1 11ed Cornver~ it Aon Number 98
I a) so note wi th cons iderablt-uneas iness t. he staternnt in
Ais yea, s " Report by the Corimmi ttee Of & Experts or, the ApplicatZIon of
j) nvL'jt ionsr and cintcn1-c S as 41022CWS
II ver-Irceasir., economnic prob-lems confronting States
tend to cr-eatve real diffic-ulties for the promotion oifl
fr:' edomr of association."
This passage seems to me to carry very serious implicat ions.
The fundanental ritht of freedom of association is not someing
cond. tional. It should not be qualified or deferred by reascn
f economic difficultlies.
Th'is body surely cannot, endorse any -ropos_'; tion or lend its
," thority t%, o any opinion~ wihil could be. interpretl-ed as Justifying a
? mniai of freedom of association in the name of econcmic prcblems or
* or the sake of economic ext., ediency.
. reedom Is indivisible.
Mr deni al Iof f reedom of as soc iat Ion on political
* r eonroo~ ucd s i ma'~ ounries around thre wcrld rena'. ns a source
cc o n. fIi c t an~ d tensi~ on an. d of potential d4-saster.
in this context, 76 sadly note tnat th-e Director-G1eneral has
ound Itnecessary to withhold an, ILO >," sslon from Poland in the current
: Ircumstances In that country.
1-is also to be regretted that as a result ofL the Folish
: overnrnentA s recent decision, ? ola: nd is not rer,,-esented at this
2c-nference. This Cdecisdon Cannot " Cut h-eighten inter-nat.-ional concern
_-otthe s'Ltuation, In 400oland. We can only ho-pe thAtt d-es -Ot fore-.
, h'ado'w ever, harsher times for the Polish workers or set bacK stillurterthe
pl-ospects for freecoin of ' associat" bon I. n Polandl.
Poland's record_ of co-cpei'at ion with th 1LCG might notaiy
2. Lve satis fled aaU members of the Organlsation, but1 I am rur1the over
. VpO eromar et~ rein lgof nuSgle, ln yS ew Ii2no f2 ItrteshS eU acNCt~ o' nVcfi eo trnieejntasc(, et wWhiethn 1th ee x1pLD-e sta, n dt hep sh-rotpjetc -tah tteo aadrnd Co-
Also iet us eAD-ess the hope t a i i o Pd n x
webye k~ Hs
Prospects for national h10rn c econciIl i4alt johne lpI nl hte% a-hla t thceo unw~ toruyn. ds and
riisg FhOtfV s caoruer sWed heTiblmye onnthost e.-mabselalytn us aatntihjo en u noaniclnyc ePpcctloaa. bnldty redmeLnaiiienwds . iOhf bgsrecat crondc ern, n oit
utni-ieosn sh. ave bIne ena llu se1d", o asr eag ipornest, C exPto lflotirc asle, v ereec onMeoamsiucr -eaSn d agsoacin~ astl t* ijafe'~
authoritl. y oBf~ astihc ist raOderg aunniiscant iornig hbtlsa tahnatleyb edeen'f iewdi. thcrawn and the
gcverm-ntsO ncaend-frMeaen ~ panudi ae to jdeldiePnots eu nPioonlsl ih. aavle abnede n ecu-sounropm4e, d cbyon'troit.
refused the Wroirgehrts, a -to, e prevented fro0M forming infldepencdent uni~ ofl3,a~
cetteln tt! ioe" s Oro n Jbimephrailsfn no" e4fe. g ott t hweiirt hofeubltel ottwter ri aw2co orkanse& rnsa. d result oafr0e1 , s ufufear~ irc
to the aunn io-tn41o l0 m eOonfv emouuse ntrha ee rnine gztt hoe--rea iyrr n nhaatvielo nas . deustyt orteo% bwaosrik c tor igrehvtse rsaen d 4tfhriseedolm
One Of the most serious exampTles Of th~ s trend and orLo;
acazlplasr tohff oerit-rd a. Ud-re-g e" ncuton ioanc tir jojn; htsi . s isSo uat hk eyAsftroicnae. in It het hamto nsCioruounst redy, t;-ecee p'oo.
This Confere-ne befoe It the Repc-, t on Apartheid. A SCD1
zath. Worker-s Groun is 1-old-l. p jl. s Third Sp. clal Conference c.-
L take-,, h, toy expr~ ess m: y f'ullest -e'S n A). L
u: POrt and the,: Support oI e
Of YSC~-2nt f or thl efr.
on anc A u. tr 1a'Ia ', n fCR T IrQCcorTL
/ It is my 0ovrnm-en*' F-b:' i that, he maj1o untio o
I LO through Its OJ arndv n CO. r oshras been the
:-velopmnt or a comprehen5$-vu set of . ritratn l--cu stna
Ich serve as gullde1~ ne5 fo-r me be" coun,-tries sce~ n optit
2, Ilon poles and pr'ogramrz which 41" 11 1n-rrove -wcr7krng and l~ ving
-nd itions erhan.-& e: mpl cymern oppoitunit 4 e an,! prom-te basic human
lzhts. 2t is appropriate toreflect upon thei-wI sdom and ' he fore.-
. gthotosef who oundd-te internatIcna' Latour Organ~ isation and
hs e who have shaped itsdveomn oe'teyas
In the early years of the ! LC, its concerns were to tackle
. unarrnental prcb) ems suchi as ch. Id labouir a~ nd hcurrs of Nwork. Our con-
-erns over the years have evolved, r! S* Tht through\-the establishm~ ent of
-asic human rights such as freedom of associa-lon, e ~ i~ t nof d Is-
2riminatlon, and Ih ablt~ S ocd1aor to the point now,, j
:'-ere you have before you at this Ccrference ILssues such as vocational.
~ ehahI11-itat iofl a-nc e: 7p1 cv: 7e r. Policy. * Clearly, through thnis process of
7-volutiof, we havye to address ou selVes not s't i pl1y to0 basic stani4ards
which me;-mber co-antr. ies should be Seeking to adopt; but rather
~ e re a~ k abou the iterd,, e-endence of zoverr. ments,' ceran
,: 2-ployers i~ n the develop-ment of cohs-erent policies which will put into
effect-the provisions of the instrumr s row b(--ing ad'-opted.
. he Fedea nature of the nts
certain difficulties in h process of -atificatloncr of ! LO Conventlons.
We n usralla have adoplted e polJicy " hat ratiffcatior c~ n
onl y occur whe* n wcare, f sfi" ed that exi stir. 4T l aw , an-practice In bo-th
visions o! th Q Cornv,, rTtlono~
As a Federal State, we have patdulrfficuleIs in
arr lyving at that poin t hreall State. s and Te-ritor'Ies and the Fed-ara2
G'overnment ca= n agree to rat i fication.
A ustra 1iaa h s -, atif-d Bc he 158 C onlv 4ntAons a" d rX
say that In re cent y ears re-: ord Inas no--t to en onc t~ o IVe pc L'Y
proud of. Between t-, e yea-z 1S) 72 to 1975, tzt-EYears of -, he a-l
LaboTr Goie rnment Au rzalA. rat I no l e ss than r '. re Cc,, nvent oO;-.
thcfurdamr~ a Ccvnt~ S Ns. 7 9 8 arnd. a Itions
whlch) dea! wit), the basIc 71& hts of œ:' Cedor ofascCto
elimination of discrImination. SIn ce th at tIme only o ne Co r. ent on
-~ been ratfied by Australia.
a r. a d s e h1t w.; e are now; very clos e t o rat fy In;, two
-ore Conver~ t ons No. 150 on Labour kAlii. stratk: ion alnd No. 151X on
Public Ser-vice La~ bour -Relato. n s. Rat 1fI cat 1cn of thcs e two Coinveritions
should occur before the end of' this year.
Two further Conventions which are not quite so Close to
ratification but which my Government has committed itself to ratifying
as a matter of prior-Ity are No. 155, On COcoupati ona2. SafLety and Health
and No. 1515 or, Wcrkers with Fml e~ rsb1 is
h the case of No. 155, although It Is a recently o~ pted
' Conventicn, i. t is nonetheless of fundamental Importance because it
goes to the very heart of workrng condi". tions and th4', e basic need for
safety and securiAty ir. the workplace..
In order to ratify this Convention, Australia needs to adopt
a coherent na:-tIonal nol-! cy on ccujati'onal safety and health dn I
pleased to be able to say that a policy of that ind was form= u1la , ed by
my party, the Astralian Lalbor Party, before ccoming to office three
months I am mo^ st anxIous that -so ti-me I1. s lcst in obtVailr. ng the.
full agreEI-et and co-oeration ofr all of our State GovernnILMents so
that we can r-atifyv this fu-damentally imp-ortant Conventilon as soon. an
possible. Convent. ion No*. 156 dealing with Wor~' ers With Famil'y Fespons~
bllitlen 13 anothier Convention w; ith press-inf-human relevance in my
c oun% t ry Tu pu!-sutu rzuti-: cal. Jon of thi-s Coilvent'bon 1.3 a loglk-al
extension of our cc nitment to eliim. inate dsrim-i-atlon -Ina-l l1 its
forms fromn employment and occupat~ on, as embo4' ed in teh tn
Convention No. 111.
My Gcvernment recognises the need for a m~ ore equitable
zharing of family addcmestlc retr-bliste ' vI0ls-Cf
support services, anid reo: Inin wor'-r. conditions of'
family r osb ' sto enatle wco~ t atcpt n e-lyrm
on an equal basis with men.
nFc Iudi : nl; The f u nen ta" Of'cn~ mSs 98 rn 1
-nventio-s wh'A oh deal with1-the bailc rih f c-e d om o f assocja-;:
and e Imnt ion of , Atsc.-mIat 1. noi . ic e tnt tie o n oc ne Cn ve
a been ratlfieaI by AustriaIA
Iam acdvi'vec that we are n~ ow very close to ratifying~ two
more Convert'on5 No. 1.50 on Labour A~~ itaion and No. 151 on
Public Servicen Labour ReiaC-Ions. Rat'" Cat" C-of those two Convent., zns
should occulr before the end of lthis year.
P. wc " urther Ccr-vent lont which are not quite so close to
ratification but which my Government has Comrntted litselr Ito ratifjyinas
a matte.-of priority are No. 1.55 on Cccu-lti onal Safety and Health
and No. 15 on Workers wñ th F& M, 11y RiespOrnsi ', 1-1i i e s
. n the case of No. 155, althouLgh it Is a recen~ tly adopted
Convention, it ILS nonIetheless 0f runlamental) imnort:-nce because it
zoes to the very heart of working conditions and the basIC need Posafety
and secu'r-4ty kr th) e workplace.
In order to rat! fy this Convention, Atala needs to adont
a coherent natbcrhal poli1cy" 1 on occupat~ onal safety and' heal! th a d a
Pleased to be abl. e to say that a policy of th k~ ind was fo_-r nul at1d 0 y
my-, partyt the Australian Labor Party, bef-re csming t. 1o off-ce three
m on th s a o.. s am mos t a nx Io u s that no time is I c st oont a rn ng thie
f ull azreement and c-coeraclion all1 our State Go v ernmerts so
that we can ratlfy th!~ s Pu-damenitally Conveant tion as scor. as
possible. C onvent I cn No. 156 d ea. lin g -4ith Work ers w ith FamiIy R espcns~
blltlen; 1z anoth-r'r Ccnventlon with eszinrr human relevance In, ry
couitry. To jpu!' suc-r: til'ication of thl-, Colivent~ lon I s a loglcal
extension of cur cc.,-. mitment to elm: aediscrim~ nat1on0 in all its
fortzs froi-, employment and ccupatlon, as embcOdLed in t he historic
Convention No. 111.
My Government rcecognisees th'e riedn for a more equiltable
shal'int of family a-nd dcmesli_' c re: D: s 1 4es, tlie prov13i'cn of
support Eervices, and recmlrAon In wrn condions, of worz er
familY rc5POnsibil1_ 4t -e s to enab Ie wcm. on tc ps:' Uipatle in employre:. t
on an ecu al basis with m'en.
' t. Y Lfle UN Cc-, vent ion
on. EJml nat 1on of al2 or of D. cr'.-1. nati cn aga'.. nst Wc77n andu the
1e~ is' 1., on out2awlnF, Sex D' 1rni itlit I whi c" was lnt' ed Into
th~ c Fede'ral } Thrlare. last inlrlt F o ' a long; way towar-4 er~ urin--,
that Aust'.-a Aa meets 11, s ob) IFations udrthat Convention.
As I said, th,-e n-ature of Astralias ~ dr~ ss ~ raise2
difficulties In the way of -atificatilon certain Ccflve'. ns~ n.
These difficul. tes call Okr ar. e2,. aborate process cf suta t Icois
between sevenl -ovcrnrments nation,* al an~ d State uqually of differing
pol JtIcal comrplexions.
And as by the ,, rocess of' evo' , tion to whiCh 1referred
earlier, ILO Conventions move be:; cnt bas~ c riht and stan-dardz) the
process of' consultation must be broad,-ned to include ,; ncns and
employers, if the rat 4 cation of a Corventcios is to be 7-ade f'ully
effective. This pzocess of * onsultatior is scmiething which, 1 he nei-
Government of Aus-. ralia wisbes to develop Over a-wide r-ang e of"
economnic and social issues, We wish to m~ ove f'rom~ 1.-e czoncept that
exclusive wsdo,--resides wlth" n Overn e nt. and a closed tbureaucracy.
A more open demioCracy w l11 be a better democrac* v and a ~ ceqeual
democracy ajn* o the ; oal of genuine ecuality of opportunI'ty rernainr
lo.-us, the ultiMate goal and expression of our socia1-democrat~ c
M4r Preside4-nt, the noble doct-rne of open covenants, coenly
a. r'ived at, was the fountatiOn stone of the League of Nal-:. ns, ofwhich
this Or:-anisation was th'e cff-BsDring, That human folJy and
human evil. destrcyed the-1, enFrue doez* not 1nvalidate th e doctrine as
Sf'orJc ; irnd : rPilty bovcnn nzit irin
SU Withir i uniltion, we belie~ ve that th~ c ovei soclety w~ kll_ test be abin
to reach consensus, -c-operat-_ or. and unity Of CUrpose 11, t proc eeds
on the bas; Is of open, covenant! s, openly at.
in o; 0Ur r ' eIa ti s w ith11 b u s Ln es s an d -jnI o s Y, cwf ~ o ve rn en
in deepl y co~ mItted to t1-e-p: rcip, CoPf zra i a-P0-1oten t
~ h Ich1, n n, Y ow n Case, h as b e 9n n u rtujr e d by my lonsg asscc-' aticn oith
this Organ! sat--Ion, Itsel~ uouvocally 1-a Z d on t] hat -prcile. it
is o ur b e c I th nrt n. 4ma o r e o n o mI po l c or c u-lt szo ulId
de vi . ed anrd; im1 1er. cn , ed wI tC t f J. r : 0 o~ I wIh t 0 io 2ru p C
.1 be: otafected. mM . ItC Y Upo su~~
y . ovcnmelt cnvne a \. ar~ 8 cc IC. Sum~ Confernc;,. c on-
J stlnc of represc-itat Ives of Au..: tr6U. Qfl nz~ Us r the Austra'.'& n
o-kforce and other Sig" I fl-Car" teoo~ 50C lal t~ C~~
urpose was to create a climate fo. r comm-ron urnderstarid.: n& of the sCLI
: nd scope or our * preserlt econo-mic Crisis, to explore po,-licy
, nd to ensure that thewoecr. rU-yappit3te rule will
~ ae oplyin copin wth the present eccnoni,% c crisis.
Our-sur7. mit Conference achieved a c-onsideratle m. Es-. re of
uccess~ ir, attaillin those objectiyes. lt proceeded on a basis cf
-zowlede-acquirl-S and y cwl edge-shar~ o a scale never before
~ t t c n;) ted In Australia.
It h a specL co; be c iv e s o f w h 1Ch t 1) e e EtabIIsh er t C',
an a-reed bnasis lor a prices and incomes poli cy was theche. t
2chieved that accord.
The Sunit was m~ arked by a sicirtt of coo ainand a
desire to establish consensus probatly unprecedented. in Australia
in peace-time. The contributions cf employers and unionrs w~ ere equally
constru. ctiv. Mzany not. able presenta,' 2-ons came from emp-loyers
representat iv e s
This did not -cnthat either scli a sl-dt
sacrifice any basic vie-wpcint. The search for comprom-. s e in its
pract~ ical mearing did not involve ar-Jy ccinPrcmi se of p~ rcipl.
W) h; Ii W-i 1nvni1vc~ d wa3s n v'ero7 n~ jiAnn hy 03 1-rtic'inants
01, the? lliet,'. 11udc Aust.' ia's ~ U iXndch I: uC, acc ptance
of the need for restraint or. all sidjes ff those -eroblems are to b~
overcome. Mach inery 1 s b eing. e s tat' llhed opu t the w: c-k b! 2
Svnmit crt a. perma-nent basis.
Shaveest-ablished an Eccooic ? la nn -ng A~ v~ scrv -' rI
r e pre s ent In; ge nm e n t s b,-s In e un i Ons r . ErS a n J Cc7m, 7 n~ Y
iSeT O P n eo d omL d vece " I n ro L i
CQIr. Mrunt consultaton on r. añ tional e-cncm!" c and4 scc
Li ~ Sm to tissess P,
iol'ns na~ c by the n1. r8a1% CgiC pnic.& St'~ In both tne pi-va'-and~
Dlic o~ ctors. But beyo-ld specific purposes, the auc'~ hii eved a ao
. neral goal arnd tihat was to create a wider Public Uderstand-: ng of-
Sgcrriafvcietsyw hcifc hA uwst~:' lahl. aav ' es teoc-: boe nom. aicc cespfttu2adt zliof n wea ndi n oAf uthsctr ar'ieas traarc: ntt o laincdr
; et" her to c'. ercom~ e our diff~ culties.
I rnow wish to deal with some Other aspects of contempor-ary
zcnomic protblerrs as tChey affect Australia alo, so . c I % he
: tof the world.
Smost p'rTohe aonIgnetde r-rncaet iossnlaoln escionncoem y t. ise c1-9, u0rr, e nitlyA cysltc2ldfwf-etlrrnlg th e Aze ep-s t
zing fr-orm th,^ e 1979/ 80 oil Pr'ice rise iS s1, pe'_:-pcse_ a longer term
;-uation of hIgh ucpoyetconmb0, ned " aitehshCo fg T! lat.
In 19082 world trade declined by-, 2. Z. in rea, t-erm7s fclljowirig
.~ years of virt1ual stagnatior.
While the oil Im,= or ting dev elo: nnc countr-ies htave had th
assures up-n the: m eased somewha-t by t" e morc: e -rec-rt Ellev'at* io,-of the
: st of the hish oil prIces and irnterest rates, the denressec3 Inter-
: Icna2. environment has resulted In Ercwth rates fPor these countr-j-es
ch t-arel1y keep pace with their popcula't'on growth.
~ oreoerI te lenc-th of the re -esslon, ccm-': Ined wit..~ g
:-. erest rates, has led to a pro-blem of " international indebtzdne
There are, hcowever, scome signs of Im-p: roverment. Ifat6ion1 ' h a
-' en markedly in a number ofcountries, ait,' og I ano etUclude
cwn in this category, nceed, Seven. years cf econcm~ ic policies which
Z' to " gh 4~ reI ato-first" ' nave achleved an Inlt~ nrate onl~ y
: sinally lcwer thF4n at the beginning of the periof and twice at gh
-, ost other hI~ zh-Income count ries. hr are zigrns of a g: radual, an d
m: phasise Eradual, recovery i. n the United ' States.
However even v; ith an early r~ tncf' _ trongl econonic
,4-h the effects of alr-ost a decad! e of r:, sin nepovc-, cannot b,,
: ckly nwoundi.
We ne~ ed to th'inkaA out unempic-ment not only, In terrni
' nutn ve ipint: t in timp but 61so the dura~ tion
,21ciyrne~ t for each nipo~ esn
Australi'a has seen the emr~ rence of groups Of people,
) articularly older male workers, who have been out of work for
.: xtended periods since unemployment be-an to rise rapidly in the
id-; 970' s. There are over one quarter of a million people-who
nave currently been unemplcye6 for at least six months, including
s: ome 140,000 who had b2een unemploye4d for more than a year.
We have to face the fact that there are disac~ vantaged
-7roups who would not benefit. autornatical~ y from añ ny recovery and4,
.; ithout special assistance, woulAd conti-rme to amass lengthy periodc*
, lithout work experience, despite a genera!. reoovery.
in Australi-a, we have addressed this Aneed by a comamunity
-mployrnent program, designed to provide some work training and
: xperience to enable these disadvanitaged workers to take uip the ir
: igh~ ulplace as me. 7,! ers of the working community.
For the individual, long pericds out of work lowers self
: steem arno cenerally affects both physiCal and mental well-hbeinq.
, Zack of wOrk experience daaes employment, potential; problem~ s
,77f sui~ cide, rzAritaj breakdown, crime and mental disorder become
Luch more likely.
For society, a long-term unemipicyment problem heightens
zocial. and class tensions th)-rouch increased questioning of the work+
-? thic and -the structure of1 our polit ical and eclcnom~ ic System.
My Government sees a prices and inc'mes policy as providing7
an essential part o! the frarmework, and mechtnism for achieving
200-nomic recovery. Such a policy will embrace collective restrai-nt
all Parties. This policy, und--erpinning nriacro-eccnomic policy,
is specifi cally cdes~ cned to allow the red_' uction of unemp2. cyment and
: nflation simul1taneously. The prices ane. incomes policy of my new Goverr'r'ent has its
zenesis in the edemonstr-ble failvure of the previous GC) Ver,--. ent's
e conoznic strategy whi'ch relied entirely on restricti-ve, fiscal p01107u
moneta ry policOy which, by its VerY rna ture, is clijrsy, IEr': 7
The pol5Cy or, rtj. ng) g ' sn 2to th-0uUg heoa
Indlrect Im 5 umrIts c cul2 d on ay warY an d Wa rO~ r',' e to
by b a er In S A us tral . La n I abCo~ 2 LtF r subm s c) t hrcou g he
2at Ion of ever higher levels of unernp2oymwnt. Ti-s clf roitation, 6
. Droach h as con tributed gr-eat Iy to ou I' currX'n economlc d if ficul tiJes,
the ot~ her-hand Governme~ nt alsc, acknowlecli-s that any
. empt to fIh I~ lv~ plmy by mcans of ar expansionary
7omj c pl~ Cy woul. d m-ost likely result In lbalarce of pay-et projns
.: reased rnfa t on and e ,, entu al 2urt a. i11 en t if not collapse, of ' the
DansirIy policy Itself.
We seek therefore, a policy for susta i red and sustainable
: wvth which will simultaneounly attack the twin proble: m. s of unermoyr-,
t and inflation. This alte= rnat.-1ve of Influencingincoa, c. lms _~ etaynd)
p art i cular a consensus approach to ach V" Lng 6greater consistency of
come claims, was endorsed_ at the Economic SuYt by the maJor
2ticipating groups.
e4 nt rTohbel eiSsu. 7 mn ti oroelccccganbieseede cdt hat there is ton o dqeuli~ vcke r resnuebdsyt anfo-t4i alo urand
: ting redjucticns I n , ref-Plcy-nent unless It-co: mnd he co:= unity
-nort necessary for its consistent applIcatic-over several years.
The co.-nerstcne of tL-his orl_-cs and incomes pol icy is to be a
ntr-allsed system of wage fixatjkon 0: erat-nri thrcugh nat~ icral wage
: eS, These cases provide the Opportunity f'cr assessment by a well
ablished and in, 4 nent Trit, unal of t scope for Increases In w a ge
. mcipally or the-grounds of ir. reases in t, 1he co0st Of living], and, w h en
talnd ecngoorcw thJus~ f~ e, o ntfonnal or-tuctivity growth.
s~ rnultanccus and equltable treatment Of all wago and salary ea:, nern
Afund ament al to the e ffIect -ve cp era'. icun of a centr-alised zsseM.
The Egeneral adjustmen~ t of wages for-prices and prcoductivity
uF~ natIonal cases means that the scope for other wagc inetscs
tbe strictly limited indeed, Increase s i. ' labou-r costs for whatir
reason Cutside the natior', l cases .7us t .1e regalgiIt:. The
7tralian tCrade unlons ar, t tC thl s ceitzralise. wagf e-sy s em
all unions M~ ust be Phz 0 ht sm
1UU.' cit1onS areC z : u , I r I 2 sut ed,
. nhce of a cent aII se d GY Et e m, tttISrhy stemn, there
be no ' room fran In@ r-yIdsr Ppro: ach with the " strong"
. rat.-. ng outside the sy stem and exe0rcising thi r nd us t ri MUsC Ie
the market pl ace while the " weax attempt to catch up through
. Iona! wage cases. Witt. such an approach, is easy enough to
, rtify winners and losers in the shci't-ter~ m. initiall~ y, the strong
-stronger and the weak get wea~ er. B ut t. mt tiher-e are no iiI. I,
-ner, inte ergsr woftshustir-2.!
The Auist ral ian Gcvernmnent ' s attitude to sectional claims and
: cedures to deal with ancmalies anc! Inequities Is bcir~ g spelt out and
sure That lncreases outz e n at " o nal waige c.-ses a:' e negligible,
* Gover. r, n'n will stress that procedures must be rigorously observed andil'
. y genuine and tightly def~ ned anomalies anC. Inequlties will be allowed.
developing the system the Government. w1l1 encourage the rmaximum degree c
consensus between the~-iAn-ieetd
lh e P riC e s and in cor,.,, s pOlicy a s InCde ed all a reas of
.:: cmlc pollcy, mus t seek balance short and med =-rer~ m
d erat'Lcns. U!" nrately, a successful long-ter-, polI cy w'Ll. 1 b e
: entlal fcr' sus'tained economl-and e77oymie--Frowth i Austral-la.
-rt.-terM, PO. LiC. es must be onsi-stent lcnzer-tle-2m goals.
In addtlon to wage restraint, Ini tiat1-1. ves are c-urrerntly 1r,
; in regard to price surve'!" lance End ccntmirament of -~ on-wage
z: mes to ensure th-at Th'e exerC~ ise Of restaL* Isunersal1 and
-table. Onl,-y wIthl-such restraf. nt can there be scope for g-eater
lsto thne economy. 4. 1' i '-I
I I. i
J 4. 3-
The s'Jcccss of the pricc's arid . corcIcs pollcy w'. 1 be
f'! e te In~ slower growth In roney wa, 1, wh-1cht w~ ll be -z-Vched
a fall In the raeof Inf2. atlon a,-d will aajOw the CoVcrnment
stimnulate the econory,
And, at all times, po c!, y-rr~ akXers and declsicn-makers
who p~ lrt"-pate In those procelsses must keep to te foref rontC
-~ realisatlon t'hat th-e economic envirorrment in whlch economies
i-. ate will continue t11o change siznl . cantly,
inl particular , to achieve over an extended period the
cwth rates of o ut'put necessary to get unemployment don economies
ff erig from high unemployment will nee,! strongl--y growing induz1tries.
: h of this growth will take p~ lace in the non-tr-ade-1 servi-e se~ lor,
has the b,, lk of Astrali an employment srowth in the -ast However,
ecnes -sc w! l a' so need inte-rno l cnoneI t ive manuf act-u-4n
Sservice industries b ot h to Cc r e ate n e qjob opprtun it Ies d i e ct
St'o ensi. re that our ability to purchase 1in-c'rts cces not constrair
:-wtn elsewhere -' nth economy., M--e protection is not a solUtion
* cr e at ing tLh e arge = ube rs o f lobs nc ce s sa ry to0 reduce our
alt e d u n e! 7iloy ment.
ven the le ngthy ti-, 1me p eriods invol v ec we must locok to the
cr ao-tori; which in-f'ueri-e competit-v-ness. Theae w1' l vary from
: tr cntry with BVZ resource en cwments ano. taiics ad
rtl4cularly w t i stockaof human sk illIs. A strongly developed
ill1 base erables relativ; ely high cost economies su. ch as thIe Austr-alian
adjust to the d evelonnr cc-metitivenetss of lower labour cost
onomies over th. e lengthy time period necessary to get unenploymeh't
A strongly dev: eloped s'nl-base enables economies to expand
t o activitiles wh-ich are ccom:-2 men~ tary to developments inl their
2dia~ rt er an, n; 2eed, to capitalise upon these 6ev-lopments to
eate mor-e Jobs at homie.
To further emphasise the point, in hi~ h labour cost economies
e employment1 nrospects for the less hlighly sk" hlled sections Of' the
soufrr ce, ad thjlose in ithe non-traoded service sector, lopedino
all mreasur,! ' uporn Our ab: 2. ity to prod-. oe suff'c ent sklsto mantin
tePrnatioflal c ompetlens.
Alt hour, the re ar-now fr; ro~ c op tm tt tho world
~ nomy it hcadQ6 towa-ds, re-. overy, t'nero r no grc.,, ndS for e peci~-
sz r ! c o v e ry to-b r IF 1b ac 1 th c ful em-Io; c.' n t en J oyec i n te a dvan c d4
": uslrial ccunt ' rle; r, the 1 ; 3s a nc .10cUs. Go0ve rnment s I n all Pcdvar) cced
2: iieshave had to ." ace t-e uInpies at al ha hecnonin
cour m a r ket 1 s u k elIy to exparnd rap-dl enouigh to s-pply Jobs tor
-Who want theim. The re a! it ~ rp e. a h~ r sanno tr when we
2. ect, that rew entrants to the w o-k fOce, e spcc al. ly y ou th ard wo!) en~
~ Ci2s Dr op o t 1o , at e y d1a mag ed by t. s fallure Ccnventional
Thijls disastrous prospect of high Unei ployment even 4 n the
se of ecconc!.. c-recovery req,. ires irnoaiv olicy rezpc es ? rt
he response can be--d irected at icreasIng the num-ber of Jcbrs suppl.! eci
thc conventional economy, esp) ec'Aall-y to dis-advantageA grOups 0of
>: ers, at any given level ofeconomi~ c aCtfvity. Th e new 11ust.-allan
r. u nity Emp! oyment ? rogram whijch 1 menti oned earlie . n myaddressi
example of' this type of response.
Bulk the unemoloyment Isi aoef su-ch 7nazn tute thatt even
Is will not. be eno-ugh. We s~ tca Ca~ V oe o
t~ i Sup~ y o Cn\' Cfll jobs
tobalance wI th thNe dem-and for them. increasingly over r-ecen-, years
naecome to the v~ ew tha,--t we snuld Co wl. hat we can reduce the
ndfo-ccnvent" onal Jobs, at the spame lime as we do ev rthing we
Lo in-crease th&-e supply.
The iudea of seekn--banlance betwe-en the number of people
n-, irs cnvntona jots, and t4' e ca-ac tY 0 the-ecoooy to provide
eby reduc Ing th,-e d, e mand f o r Jo b s as wellI as th A I-Supply Is not
-to p eo p'Le Vo n d e o pIn S co, uin tes s S w de, 4ly ur-4erstood that
2-mploymen-arises in evelopf ng-coun-. es when ore peo-p e frm rural
zas want -urban jots than-can b czndt by the urban economl CS.
-Dr tv. e l-aS 1. decade I-t has been re cognis ec; nmn eeopn onre
: t urceam poymntcan be hyo btIme--p rovlrg income-ea. ring
: runitLes nf rural ar" eas, so that lesrra ) eep lp ree ubant
er-p= 1o y Tenr, aS W Ell a rC S Mcroe0syrfean 3~ e S
~ so 1-Vy th L ave cor--rbut ed a E-reat deal tCo thi S new. une
: dng of -urban une-P! cyent The el -nnemoynt5tud12 s of
: va and ths Ph p-1re! are t0 o f 2. 7 ex
T' 41e re s ee m -e-to b e 1i14 7' e en e t to a d cDt ) pa= r1la1 n-I= p pro ache( Ds
t-ne ad,\' zn ced An du,, trJ & 2 econom' I C-when f'u2 2 aa'ycnnng th
of-the esr'. y postwa-r decade c rm 1r. e, W1t~ r nei n to) d ay
.; appy c1rcumrstances, we shoulOJ aS'X wheth-L%, we should be seek! -g to
.: lue'nce the demand for as well as the s'uPPlyY f conventional jobs
in the Industrial
I s ' udha sten to say that What, have in min s quite the
: posite of the reo_ 4uct ion ifl the dc'ma-fo jobs through deora] Asatlon
i 5CouraR-Tmflt that has ' ed~ work f'orce particJpatjon rates to fall
many countr-les thrcush the* recentC recession. Ce: rtainly high unemplo.-
: nt discoulrages potent. I-Aal job seekers fro0M attenmpting to join the paid
r k for ce Tn_ -r-y owln country at present there are s'One S0,000 hidden
? rmployed, who have stopped wanting a ob because hey have given up
offn. goe* Nnt percent of this 80,0010 are women) and Itw
them have had any e-. Ployment In the convenclcna2. economy Over t* he
. it six months. Thc h " A en unemplo,. ed are a part of our mcmderr unc-. moloyment
edy. The reducton In 4de7-n., 4 for ~ cscould only be counted part
t Sseo lution I f So '_ e C tCzeS saw alternat! ives to conventional
: 71oyment pcoitively as offerins a life of similar or greater quality.
In recent years, some young peop~ e in all countries have
z. onded to the crisls in Czonventlonal emplcy ent by building alter-
* tesof ' their own. Some of these h* ave -been, deaid-end--, that ? have
c~ pdcl sigdown rather than opening up opportun-mtles and, Cho* ices
pepIllv e in_ then. ut some h?-ave be built on so-lalJly
* nstructlve as well as econc'icalIly -roductive ac t lvities.
Government budgets in thl-e advanced ndustrial countr-Ies are
w heavily ' burdened by the c.-nsequences of the demand14 for lobs g reat-ly
*. eelgthe supply. Th e ost--bvious costs re th-) e h-ge outlays on
employment benefPits, But cart of '% he ch arge on soc iety for welfare.
us n, health and law and ord! er are -r-pe rv attrbtbet h
em" ployment crisis.
I find challen gin; the possibilit y that gecvernnments can help
ruce c6emand for conventonal jots by Fsssting som,, e . tIe o
4-1d alternative types of socially ccnFstru. ct~ ve employrnt. rov0i 6. e d
ere are Procer safe Feuard s ag7a! nst the obv_ ous ooocrt-uni tes fr abu, 3o,
' ernments Should te ahje apply no: ythat would oterie e
17-
r unemnploymnent benefits to assist grouPs of citiz~ ns to build
:-ternatives to conventional em~ ployment.
In Australia we are still thin~ ing through the possibilities
r tackling the unemnployment crisis, not only by doing all we can to
z: rease the supply of jo! bs, but also b.-y reducing the demand for
zby help~ kng to provide socially constructive alternati. ves.
Accordingly rniy Governmrent will be cOnsulting -with th&
.& 3e unions, the busin-eSs cor-uity, vo.-ntary orzaniJ. sations and
er interes ted parties wi; th-a view to0 identifying ways ir whiCh
e demarc for jobs mright be reduced in Australia thr-ough
-tiatives outside conventional avenues.
I hope that in a few years I shall beable t6-o report
: rthwhile progress in Australia in addressing what I 1believe has
come a question needing urcent attention th-e demand s~ ide of
c emplcyment equation.
President, Delegates,
in the finaml analysis, ' the sucCess or failure of" the various
licies 1 have culndwill-depend or. the rr--rt nd intelligence
the "" ustrallan people. in pa.-t cular, it will provide a test . and v.
allenge for the ustralian t--rade u-inmnv en as severe as any irl
. S long history. And it is certainly a long and honoiura1ble history.
formal irns~ titions and structvres are well over a century old.
. examrple, the Trades and Labocur CounciAj. of" New South" WaleS WaS
med 112 years ago. The political wing the Australian. Labor Part" y
*-18
f ~ OLib~ urMovrn~. t n he world ca& a, i a 2. ne ra
a -r s h ae 4 r 2. ieadhsoyo na t on to Which It
~' onLt. 1t I S th s re mah able m~ cmnt whcse politijcal winjg nw
:! Ve the privdl ege of I e ainC, All my kowied and unArsandigo
. at movement cc-v_' 7nccs me ta t it wil m-. eet th. e challer~ 5es and rep-e
-blte now befor-e it, az i has so often n the pas-, i a r
1 have no doubt t~ nat many nations with problem's s4 m! ar t
~ se C f s t -a Iia1 and union m-ovemecnts whi ch 5hare experiell: es
c), sr cu rd s 1, T. a r to th.-e ',, st:-alian mcvement will vi~ e-r with
; Cprgrsso our pcilcies and the success of our experlmen's in
-e mnthis and years to c: ome AdIas I deeply hope wi 11 h pp en in
, er years, s .1 d agatn h-ave t-ehonour o f a ddre s s. Lng th" In
. Sembly, hope it wi! 2 b) e possj bleZ for me to ay n ot only that we
~ tra L n s particularly tseof ' us cb= . tted so de~ yto the
_: stral ' an Labor >-lover-ent, Bol ved Our Problems bty cu:, exertions but I
that,-other nations andA e,; ceet were able to p rof44 11 by cu.,
wefrtea to ccme to pass, It Wou, Ei.' e me personall Y
p:' ofcurd satisfaction that my own par" t In t-. e D. rocess h-ad enabled!
Scme sml ,-asure, torpay a of the de bt whj; I h o01 C,
. rough al-that -L a%' e gain-ed, from = y lonz and close a: Ssoclat~ on
-h ' his great l~ rarnaticnal Ta-rCrganisatlon,