SPEECH BY THE PRIMIE MINISTER;~ THE HON R. J. HAWKEr-AC, NP,
AT THE QUEENSLAND ELECTION CAflPAIGN OPENING
BRISDANE
2 OCTOBER 1983
THERE'S NO DOUBT AT ALL THAT THE ELECTIONS ON THE
22ND OF OCTOBER ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN QUEENSLAND FOR MORE
THAN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY.
THAT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT THIS ELECTION MEANS
TO QUEENSLAND, IT'S WHAT IT MEANS To AUSTRALIA,
BECAUSE, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE AND SUSTAIN
THE FULL ECONOMIC RECOVERY WE ARE WORKING FOR IN AUSTRALIA
FOR THE WHOLE OF AUSTRALIA WITHOUT THE MAXIMUM CONTRIBUTION
AND EFFORT AND CO-OPERATION FROM THIS GREAT STATE OF QUEENSLAND,
AND ONLY THE WRIGHT GOVERNMENT THE WRIGHTr LABOR
GOVERNMENT THE KEITH WRIGHT LABOR GOVERNMENT CAN GIVE
THAT CONTRIBUTION, THAT CO-OF%--ATION.
AND I DO NOT SAY THAT IN ANY NARROW PARTY POLITICAL SENSE.
IT IS JUST A STATEMENT OF FACT,
IT'S NOT ONLY A MATTER OF THE PROGRESSIVE POLICIES,
THE LABOR POLICIES, THAT KEITH WRIGHT IS PRESENTING TO THE PEOPLE
OF QUEENSLAND. s s a/ 2
-2-
AND IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF KEITH WRIGHT'S COMMITMENTAND
LABOR'S COMMITMENT To CO-OPERATION WITH OUR AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT TO SECURE~ THE BEST POSSIBLE DEAL FOR QUEENSLAND
AND QUEENSLANDERS, AND IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF THE REFUSAL BY THE
FORMER COALITION GOVERNMENT, AND NOW BY THE SO-CALLED MINORITY
GOVERNMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN-JOB CREATION SCHEMES AND THE
RECOVERY PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY OUR GOVERNMENT, OR EVEN TO
SPEND THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WE HAVE PROVIDED FOR QUEENSLAND
TO CREATE JOBS HERE.
ALL THESE MATTERS ARE IMPORTANT AND SERIOUS,
BUT OVERRIDING THEM ALL, IS THE FUNDAMENTAL FACT THAT
ONLY A LABOR VICTORY ON THE 22ND OF OCTOBER CAN RESTORE STABILITY
AND DEMOCRACY TO QUEENSLAND.
EVERY QUEENSLANDER KNOWS THIS AS WELL AS I DO,
ANY OTHER RESULTr THAN A LABOR VICTORY MUST MEAN EVEN
MORE INSTABILITY AN EVEN WORSE CRISIS THAN THE ONE WHICH BEGAN
TWO MONTHS AGO.
AND UNLESS THERE IS A RETURN TO STABILITY THE
STABILITY THAT ONLY A WRIGHT GOVERNMENT CAN GUARANTEE THEN
QUEENSLAND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET O'N WITH THE JOB, ALONG WITH
THE. REST OF AUSTRALIA, OF BEATING THE GREAT PROBLEMS AND
DIFFICULTIES WE ALL FACE TOGETHER. a B / 3
-3-
AND THAT IS WHY THE ELECTION ON THE 22ND OF OCTOBER
IS SO VITAL FOR QUEENSLAND AND AUSTRALIA FOR ALL QUEENSLANDERS,
FOR ALL AUSTRALIANS., AND LET ME STRESS THIS POINT: THE OVERWHELMING
NEED FOR QUEENSLAND AND AUSTRALIA AT THIS CRITICAL POINT IN OUR
HISTORY IS GENUINE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS, BU. INESS
AND UNIONS, AND SPEAKING FOR THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR GOVERNMENT,
THE CO-OPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN MY GOVERNMENT AND
THE AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS UNPRECEDENTED CLOSER AND
MORE GENUINELY CONSTRUCTIVE THAN AT ANY TIME IN OUR COUNTRY'S
HISTORY$ AND IT S THAT SORT OF CO-OPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS WHICH THE WRIGHT LABOR GOVERNMENT
WILL BRING TO QUEENSLAND$
IT S TRUE THE TASK AHEAD FOR KEITH WRIGHT AND THE
LABOR PARTY IN QUEENSLAND OVER THE NEXT THREE WEEKS IS MASSIVE.
IN TERMS OF SEATS WE HAVE TO WIN, IT IS A BIG GAP
TO CLOSE, I
BUT AFTER NEWPORT, THERE'S NOTHING DAUNTING ABOUT
THAT. s/ 4
WHAT COUJTS IS THE BEST SKIPPER AND THE BEST TEAM,
AND CAN THERE BE ANY DOUBT THAT THAT IS JUST WHAT WE HAVE IN
QUEENSLAND WITH KEITH WRIGHT AND A LABOR PARTY, VIGOROUS AND
UNITED, READY FOR ACTION, READY FOR GOVERNMENT?
IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE PEOPLE AROUND AUSTRALIA HAVE
SHOWN THAT WHAT THEY WANT IS THE STABLE, MODERATE, COMPASSIONATE,
CO-OPERATIVE, PROGRESSIVE GOVERNMENT THAT ONLY LABOR CAN PROVIDE,
NOW IT IS QUEENSLAND'S TURN.
THE 22ND OF OCTOBER WILL BE A GREAT DAY FOR LABOR,
IT WILL BE A GREAT DAY FOR QUEENSLAND.
IT WILL BE A GREAT DAY FOR AUSTRALIA.
KEITH WRIGHT WILL BRING TO THE GOVERNMENT OF
QUEENSLAND THE QUALITIES OF VIGOUR AND VISION, COMPASSION AND
CONCERN, UNDERSTANDING OF THE REAL NEEDS AND PROBLEMS OF THE
PEOPLE, AND NOT LEAST, THE INTEGRITY, THAT QUEENSLAND SO
BADLY NEEDS. THERE COULDN T BE A CLEARER CHOICE, A CLEARER
CONTRAST, WITH THE ALTERNATIVE.
AND I REPEAT AND EMPHASISE: THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE
TO A LABOR VICTORY AND A WRIGHT LABOR GOVERNMENT ON THE 22ND
OF OCTOBER, IF YOU ARE TO HAVE ANY SEMBLANCE OF STABLE, DECENT,
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN THIS GREAT STATE OF QUEENSLAND.
QUEENSLANDERS AND FELLOW AUSTRALIANS, I HAVE THE
HONOUR TO INTRODUCE TO YOU THE LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR
PARTY IN QUEENSLAND, THE NEXT PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND KEITH
WRIGHT,