CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EBRODUTL1PM
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
LAUNCHING THE MORETON BY-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
BRISBANE 26 OCTOBER 1983
I am delighted to be back in Brisbane to launch
Labor's campaign for the Moreton By-election.
It is less than 8 months since the people of
Australia'elected a Federal Labor Government.
We were elected:
to arrest the economic decline and then restore
growth to reverse the trend towards greater inequality
to bring Australians together
We are meeting those commitments.
We promised to convene a National Economic Summit
Conference of unions, employers and governments to lay the
basis for cc-operative solutions to Australia's economic
problems. We have done that.
We promised to establish an Economic Planning
Advisory Council to provide, for the first time, an
integrated basis for consistent, long-term economic
planning. We have done that.
We promised to establish a Community Employment
Program to directly create jobs, particularly for the
long-term unemployed.
We have done that. EMBARGOED UNTIL 1 P. M.
We promised to introduce a First Flame Ownership
Assistance Scheme to enable lower income families to buy
their own home.
We have done that.,
In fact the housing grant we are providing $ 7,000
-is a full $ 2,000 above what we promised.
We promised to put in hand arrangements for the
introduction of Medicare a simple, universal, equitable
health care system.
We have done that.
We promised to increase education allowances and to
distribute education resources more equitably.
We have done that.
We promised to introduce legislation to outlaw
discrimination against women.
We have done that.
We promised to arrest the decline in employment
that was occurring under the previous Government.
We have done that.
We promised to create 500,000 jobs in our first 3
years of government.
We are on target.
No Government has moved so quickly to meet so many
of its election commitments as this Government.
We are keepingj our promises.
There is one promise that is perhaps more important
for the livelihood of Australians than any other.
That is our promise to restore economic growth.
Within 12 months we will have implemented that
commi tment. During the last financial year for which the
previous Government was responsible there was negative
economic growth. Real non-farmn product fell by 2 per cent through
the course of the financial year.
3.
Durinq this financial year there will be a dramatic
improvement. No longer will there be negative growth.
Instead, growth in real non-farmn product is
expected to be at least 5 to 6 per cent over the course of
this financial year.
This is the largest turnaround in Australia's
economic growth performance since the Second World War.
This growth forecast is not the Government's
forecast. It is the forecast of the Government's official'
advisers in the Treasury and the Reserve Bank
disinterested parties with no axe to grind for this
Government. They say: within 12 months Australia will be back
on the economic growth path.
This would not have occurred without the Federal
Labor Government's economic policies.
We are turning the economy round.
We are putting Australia back on the path of
long-term economic growth.
This return to sustained economic growth will be
central to achieving so many of the aspirations of
Australians in the 1980' s and 1990' Is.
Growth will create jobs for Australians young and
old and take people off the unemployment queues.
Growth will finance increases in pensions and
social security benefits.
Growth will make it possible for governments to
ease the burden * of taxation.
Growth will mean an expanding cake so that workers
and employers don't have to turn on each other to meet their
a sp i ra tions. Growth will mean rising productivity so that the
living standards of wage and salary earners can rise without
fuelling inflation.
We promised to restore economic growth.
We have made that promise a cornerstone of our
economic policy.
We are keeping that promise.
The Labor Party is the Party of economic cjrowth.
A Labor vote in Moreton is a vote for growth, for
expansion, for development, for the future.
The Liberal Party is the Party of stagnation, of
depression. Fo r seven yea rs the Li beral s i n fli cted the ir
Depression economics on Australia.
For seven years the enormous potential of Australia
was squandered. For seven years Australia lived in the past.
Of course we have not been able to move on all our
promises as quickly as we would like.
-A ' Case in point is our commitment to lower personal
taxation. The reason for the delay is simple the deception
of the previous Government.
Within 24 hours of coming to office we were told by
our officials that the prospective Budget deficit was $ 9.6
billion not the $ 6 bil lion the previous Government told
the Australian people it would be.
That was their leg~ acy a $ 9.6 billion deficit
John Howard's poisoned chalice passed on to us.
Mr Fraser, Mr Peacock arid Mr Howard grossly
deceived the Australian people about the size of the
deficit. When we discovered that deception we had no choice
asea responsible Government we had to delay the taxation
changes we had proposed.
It has taken the Federal Labor Government to
implement policies to get Auistralia moving, to meet the
challenge of economic growth head-on.
A Government of unity, of strength, of purpose
A Government that will allow Australians to plan
and build for the future with confidence.
Under Labor's policies the first signs of the
econom ic recovery havce emerged.
We have already turned round the housing industry.
We have create~ d 80,000 new jobs since April.
Confidence is returning to the business community.
Confidence is returning to Australia.
M~ eaniwhile the Liberals have learnt nothing from the
events of March
They are confEused.
They are divided.
They are leaderless.
They are a shambles.
They need to be told in the clearest terms that
they will not even be considered for government while they
lack unity, while they lack policies, while they lack any.
semblance of a vision for Australia.
The Liberals' much-vaunted Valder Report exalts
them to aggressively present Liberal philosophies and " win
the intellectual debate".
Their problem, however, is that they are
deeply divided on basic policy questions and are in no
position to even carry on a debate let alone win one.
These divisions have prevented the Liberals from
adopting any coherent policy on Such fundamentally important
issues as the wages policy appropriate for Australia today.
If there is one lesson that is devastatingly clear
from the Queensland election it is this.
The people of Australia do not want in government
pQlitical parties that are divided among themselves.
The Liberal Party in Queensland is split down the
middle. The Liberal Party federally is also deeply divided.
That is just not good enough.
The Liberals' stand on tax avoidance is a scandal.
Their recent: re-jection in the Senate of the
Government's tax recouIpment legislation shows breathtakingly
their duplicity and double standards.
The effect of their action is to protect the tax
avoiders and rip-off merchants of this country
to the tune of $ 60 million this financial year and
$ 270 million in aggregate
That is Andrew Peacock's bill to the ordinary,
law-abiding taxpayers of Australia.
These funds lost by the Liberals are equivalent to
7,000 new jobs under the Community Employment Program.
These funds would have enabled a one per cent
reduction in personal income tax for every taxpayer.
Instead the Liberals have handed the money straight
back to the tax avoiders of Australia.
I know there has been a degree of concern among
pensioners about the Government's proposal to reintroduce an
assets tesit on pensions.
There is no need for this concern.
The great bulk of pensioners more than 80 per
cent will not be adversely affected at all.
In addition, the Government is at present carefully
reviewing the proposed arrangements.
We are looking at possible ano-Malies and other
concerns that have been brought to our notice.
The Social Security Minister, Senator Grimes, is
having extensive consultations with pensioner organizations.
If we find changes are needed, changes will be
made. We want to make the assets test as fair and
equitable as we possibly can.
And we want to protect the position of the vast
majority of pensioners who are not wealthy and are not
exploiting the system.
There has also been a degree of unw.. arranted concern
ab-out the taxa tion o f supe rannuat i-r lump s ums
The new measures will be phased in very gradually.
Particula-rly low rates will apply for at least tho
first 10 years anid quite modest rates over the long-term11.
The return of an employee's own superannuation
contributions is to be wholly tax exempt.
And even that part which attracts tax is to incur a
concessional rate of 15 per cent on the first $ 50,000 with a
tax rate of 30 per c-ent: thereafter.
The Government introduced these measures because
only a minority ( 5f the workforce have been able to take the
special and excessive tax benefits applying to lump sums.
By commencing these measures now the Government is
ensuring a fair and secure retirement can be afforded for
all members of our rapidly growing eli'erly population.
Here in Moreton Labor has an outstanding candidate.
Barbara Robson has stood for Moreton three timesin
1977, 1980 and 1983.
Each time she has improved Labor's vote.
Last time she almost won.
This time she will win.
There are already six Labor women in the Hlouse of
Representatives. She will make it seven.
Barbara is known as the shadow Member for Moreton.
She has earnied that title through strenuous efforts
to sort out people's problems housing, social security,
immigration, education.
Barbara's ties with Moreton date back to her school
days at Cavendish Road High School.
She taught for many years at schools in jMoreton.
She likes challenges anid helping people.
Her opponent has already collected a very generous
parliamentary lumnp SUM S~ iperannUation payout $ 276,000.
Now he wants another go.
Mr Cameron has no commitment whatsoever to the
electorate of Moreton.
He has already converted t1wo Federal electorates
into Labor seats.
Ile won't get another chance.
Barbara Robson has worked tirelessly in Moreton.
She has earned the seat of Moreton.
She deserves the seat of Moreton.
On November 5 she will be the Member for Moreton.