PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT MELBOURNE, 10 AUGUST 1985
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you confident that the
Labor Party will stop this factional problem that has
been going on in Canberra?
PM: Yes. I believe that they realise that the Opposition
hasn't put a glove on us this year. And we have been very
much tied up with our own problems of tax and so on, and a
bit too much factionalism. There is a very good feeling
now in the Party. And the problems in the Liberal Party
are e, -rmous. We will now get the benefit of the economic
runs wnich are increasingly showing on the board. 410,00n'
new jobs, record housing starts, about 40 percent higher
housing starts than the in last year of the Liberal government,
inflation down, and retail sales up. We have got our third
year of 5 percent growth. it is the best economic performance
in the world. There is no other country to match it in
economic growth or jobs.
JOURNALIST: why isn't that message getting through?
PM: Well it was partly our own fault. But partly because
we have been tied down in Canberra since the election. Two
things, the tax issue and the May economic statement where
we had to effect a lot of savings and that meant that I and
my senior ministers were tied down there. But we have broken
out of that. And all the good runs are on the board. We
are going to have a marvellous package for young people
which is going to offer hope to the young people of
Australia. I will be announcing that in the very, very
near future. And we have turned Australia around. And I
think all Australians are going to start to be proud of
the fact that the world is recognising that we have got
the fastest growing economy. We have got jobs growing
at a faster rate than any other country in the world.
And we are doing that at low levels of inflation. Now,
the troubles are behind us. The good things have been
there, they are going to be more obvious. And particularly
for our young people. I want to emphasise that what we will
be offering in the package in the very near future is going
to give hope to all the young people of Australia.
2.
JOURNALIST: If that factionalism broke out again Prime
Minister would you be rrepared to suffer
PM: Well I have written to Ministers and said that they
have got to operate within their portfolios. If they
operated outside that either in a factional or a nonfactional
way, yes they would go.
JOURNALIST: Has that factionalism caused your Party
much damage?
PM: I think it has. There has been a feeling that we
have been, particularly around the tax issue. That was
the thing where people felt strongly about that. And they
were making their points publicly, and that didn't help.
But that is behind us. And they understand it is behind us.
It won't be tolerated, any public disputation. It is
legitimate in a party like ours, if you are trying to
improve and change for the better Australia. It is natural
that different groups are going to have feelings about the
way they want to go, the emphasis they want to give to
different points. But they have got to do that within
the Party.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, could you find a portfolio
for Mr Valder?
PM: Could I ' Lind a portfolio for M~ r Valder? Minister for
Communications. ends