47 i PAR UMLEN l. STER
TRANSCRIPT TODAY SHOW 13 JULY 1984
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
LEIBMAN: Today sees the end of the 1984 Labor Party National
Conference in Canberra and most observers agree that the
Government has emerged with a range of moderate and flexible
policies even though the Conference wasn't all smooth sailing
uranium, East Timor, and to a lesser extent foreign banks
provided the controversy and decisions on those issues didn't
all go the Government's way, providing small embarrassments for
Prime Minister Hawke. Nevertheless Mr Hawke has every reason
to feel more than satisfied with the outcome of the Conference
and I spoke with him last night and asked if he was satisfied
that the Conference's decision on uranium reflected the community's
view. Well it's not a question of thinking about it. Every poll
that has been taken of the Australian community shows that they
agree, if I can put it this way, with the position which I
have been advocating now in Australia since the end of the
1970' s. I've been steadfast in advocating this and every poll,
including the latest which was taken on 29 May of this year by
the Bulletin, showed these things. Firstly a clear majority
of all Australian voters, secondly the majority of voters in
all parties the majority of Labor voters, the majority of
Democratic Party voters and the majority of Liberal/ National
Party voters, and thirdly, as the issue was put as though women
are different on this issue, a clear majority of women in favour.
And that poll is confirmed by the most recent research that we've
done within the Australian Labor Party.
LEIBMAN: Why then limited mining and export of uranium.
I mean, as Tony Gray has said, if it is good enough for
South Australia and Northern Territory, why not elsewhere?
But I quite frankly concede that you could point to
limits of logic in this position. But you have to move in a
way which takes account of the current realities. Let me make
this point that it's my assessment that with Ranger operating
which I remind you is the second largest uranium mine in the world
that's operating now in the Northern Territory and with Roxby
coming on stream which will be the largest mine in the world
than Australia is going to be able in the foreseeable future
with the resources it's got to meet the contract requirements
that it's likely to come up for. Now the Party has made its
decision in those circunstances and I believe the overwhelming
majority of Australians think it's a sensible way of going about
it now.
LEIBMAN; Prime Minister, one of the major factors at this
Conference was the emergence as a voting block, if you like,
of the Centre Left and at least one leading member of the Left
wing has said that the Centre Left is really just ' a wing of
the Right. Do you agree with that? Gerry Hand was the man
who said it.
Yes well I've never been one who believes that the
application of tags as IVve put it, exhaust. your intellectual
responsibility in analyzing political events. Some people
. seem to think if you just say I'll put this tag
on, that you've really said everything, and of course that is a
nonsense and always has been a nonsense. I think the reality
Steve, is essentially this, that the votes that we have won,.
the Government has won, that have won support for the positions
that I have espoused, I think those votes would have emerged
at any rate. But I think to the credit of the Centre Left
grouping., as they describe themselves, that they have been,
able to impose a disciplineupon those votes. And so where
there imight have been perhaps one or two who straggled over
the other way I think the existence of the group has meant a
more tightly disciplines vote and so we have tended to maximise
or go close to maximrising, anyway, the votea5 for what I regard as
the sensible positions, the ones which both reflect I think,
fundamental Labor positions and the aspirations of the Australian
people, so I think that's been the advantage of the disc iplining
of those votes.
LEIBMAN: How do you think Bill Hayden has eme'ged from
this Conference? I mean , ome sections of the media this
morning were suggesting that he is now the Party's elder
statesman. PM: I don't think elder statesman is the right word, but I think
that Bill Hayden has emerged with considerabl& credit in the
period leading up to the Coference. Bill and I have had a number
of conversations, and it really reflects what I said in answer to
a previous question that we agree on issues. I;: think he's
played an admirable role within his group, particularly if
I may say so, on the uranium issue. Because within the Centre
Left, there were a few, five, & bout five, who were regarding
themselves in a somewhat difficult position about
voting for us on this matter. Now Bill and others within
the Centre Left, in the meetings-that they held on this
issue, held a very tough line, and a persuasive line.
And that is to their credit.
LEIBMAN: Mr Hawke, on the DAvid Combe decision, you said that
you hope the affair is now a thing of the past. But do
you really believe after what happened to Combe that he is
willing to forgive and forget?
PM: I can't put myself into David's mind. All I can say
is this: that everyone who's been ulose to me from that day
in April last year when I had this situation put before me,
everyone knows that at no stage have I had any personal
animus against David. How could I? He's been a friend
of mine for very many years as I said to the Conference. I had
saved him in 1976 at the time of the Iraqi affair and had
incurred the wrath of people across the spectrum in the Labor
Party. So how could I have any aniraus against him as a person?
And at no point have I had that. I've noticed that he's said some
very tough things about me but I can understand that he was
hurt. His family was hurt, and its human nature in those
circumstances that he's going to say some tough things. All
I'm saying and putting the proposition that I believe its in
the past, is to say that there is no blackball on him and
what he feels towards me, how he feels, he can conduct himself,
towards me is a matter for DAvid. I have no animus and the
relationship is really a matter for him.
LEIBMAN: Would you give him a job?
PM: Well, what we've said is that there's no impediment,
there's no blackball. He has talents, qualities to bring to
bear and I would think that if he saw-fit to apply for some
position that may arise, of some contract with the Government:
that should arise, he'd obviously be in a very good position
to get it. What's been clarified is that there is no impediment
there and what's important in respect of his business is
that the private sector should not see him as being less
qualified to conduct his business than others because
of anything that's happened.