PRIME MINISTER
E. 9 PROOF ONLY
PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW, REGIONAL TV, 25 SEPTEMBER 1985
JOURNALIST: Have you been speaking to Mr Hayden at all this
morning? PM: NOt this morning, no.
JOURNALIST: Or last night at all?
PM: Oh, I could have been.
JOURNALIST: What about the possibility of a Cabinet re-shuffle?
PM: Not
JOURNALIST: what about a domestic portfolio for Mr Hayden?
PM: No, look. I love the Australian political media, as you know.
They are delightful people. They have this tendency which, sort of,
sparks up occasionally to beat-up, is the phrase. And this is a
real beat-up.
O'NEILL: yesterday that there would be a re-shuffle.
PM: I was talking about now. Well, it's not on.
O'NEILL: The re-shuffle is still on by the end of the year?
PM: It may be-I mean, the question that annoys me that
because you get asked a question here you get a great beat-up
about re-shuffle. And I'm saying it is not on now. I may be
looking at it at the end of the year, but I'm just not going to
have a situation where because I respond to a question from a
regional person who has got an interest in Mr Hayden, and I say,
well yes, I might be looking at it. Then I get faced with this
beat-up story about, you know, re-shuffle.
O'NEILL: I just wanted to clarify it.
PM: Yes, I know. I wasn't having a go at you, but that is my
reaction. mA.,'
HARVEY: So it's r posibilityf not a probability?
PM: Yes, it is something that I would think any Prime Minister
at the end of the year in reviewing what has happened, will
look at. And if the situation were there that there were a
press ' ing desire on the part of someone, and I'm not saying there
is on the part of Mr Hayden I want to make it quite clear
there is no pressure or suggestion from Mr Hayden about this
in any sense at all before me. And I put it toughly like that
because I think people do over-react a bit:.