, j> A USTALIA
PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW ON 4 CORNERS MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY 1986
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: The Hawke Government is entering its fourth year
with the economy looking pretty good and the Opposition not so
good. But there are a few clouds on the Canberra horizon
nonetheless. Prime minister thanks for joining us. I suppose
the biggest cloud must be the mood in the bush right now. You
massaged the farmers in Western Australia for all your worth, and
yet they still showed you the door.
PM: Well you're wrong on that. You don't want to believe
everything you read in the press in the immediate analysis. From
what's been indicated to me, in fact the vote in rural West
Australia has held up. So I would hold your fire on that one
Andrew. JOURNALIST: Well Brian Burke seemed to be impressed by the
figures too, because he lamented, and it was quite a sight on the
night, he doesn't know what a government has to do to impress
those people out in the bush.
PM: Brian's reaction immediately was as you say. I'm suggesting
to you before you make this assertion now you have a good look at
the figures.
JOURNALIST: You can't afford to have the people in the bush
offside though can you?
PM: Of course you can't and I don't want to have them offside.
We are very concerned with the troubles that are being faced by
very, very many of our Australian rural community. And I have
the Minister, Mr Kerin, coming to us with submissions to Cabinet
to see what extra help we may be able to give.
JOURNALIST: Is the real problem that a lot of their problems are
really beyond your control, that they're to do with marketing
overseas and yet you're still expected to deliver the goods?
PM: Well Andrew that's in part right. The international markets
for the products they're selling have been corrupted by the
practices of the European community and now very unfortunately
the United States, in retaliation against those corupting
practices of Europe have brought in their export enhancement
program under which they are mandated to spend some $ 2 billion in
the next three years. And unfortunately unless we can do
something about it Australian producers, the most efficient rural
producers in the world, are going to get another slap behind the
ear as a result of those things. Now there is a limit as you say
rightly to what we can do there but I can assure you I have got
Mr Dawkins who has just been over there coming back. We will
do all we can to impress upon the United States the impropriety
of making Australian producers suffer as a result of their
actions. JOURNALIST: And cross your fingers. But, of course, there is one
thing you can do here and that is drop the price of petrol. The
farmers say that that would save them something like $ 850 a head
in a year. When are you going to bite the bullet on import
parity? PM: My relevant ministers will be meeting on Thursday and they
will be coming up to Cabinet. I will have a Cabinet meeting on
Friday to consider this matter. And all the relevant factors
including the interests of rural Australia will be taken into
account.
JOURNALIST: It is a nasty choice you face, isn't it? Political
credibility or economic credibility?
PM: Well, you shouldn't be in politics if you don't realise that
there are hard decisions to be taken. And I realise that. You
said in the opening of the program we have been in Government for
three years. I think all Australians including rural Australia
will look at that record and share with us the pride in the
achievements there have been. We have had to take hard decisions.
We will be prepared to take them again but I'll certainly be
making decisions with a very considerable degree of consciousness
of the needs of rural Australia, I can assure you.
JOURNALIST: You're in something of a cleft stick on the petrol
one can I put it to you though. You promised to keep the import
parity but you are also, of course, committed to the trilogy and
to tax cuts. Something has got to give surely?
PM: I think you will see that we will manage a decision which
will take into account all the considerations to which you have
referred and which will be consistent with the three years of
sound macro-economic policy decisionmaking that's given this
country the outstanding record of growth that it has got. And the
prospect for 1986 of virtually double the OECD average.
JOURNALIST: Of course, there is one other option and that is to
slash spending. But your Caucus Committee Chairman doesn't seem
to keen on that either?
PM: Now, when we are talking about slashing spending, let's look
at the political realities. The people who currently attempt to
pass for an opposition in this country make some noises about
that. When they were in they had all their noise about the Razor
Gang and they came up with some miserable $ 300 million. Now what
we have done since we came in, we inherited a deficit in prospect
of 5% of GDP. This year that will be down to about Whereas
they were all talk, we have been action.
JOURNALIST: Yes well I'm wondering if Caucus isn't getting a
little bit restless about that though?
PM: I have the privilege of being in the Caucus. I was in there
again today and I can assure you a very harmonious, constructive,
united Caucus.
JOURNALIST: They haven't had enough of this fiscal restraint. I
mean it's the fourth year in a row.
PM: What they do say they like is the continued endorsement of
the Australian people. I mean afterall if you want to look at
what's happened since we rose in the Parliament at the end of
last year massive endorsement of Labor in South Australia. The
same thing in Western Australia. A very good result in Scullin
and in Tasmania, well we know that they've been out of the
mainstream of Australian politics since 1982/ 83.
JOURNALIST: There's certainly an element of Caucus that is a bit
restless though over the question of land rights. A Caucus sub
committee is meeting tomorrow, as you know, to discuss your
comments during the Western Australian election campaign, now
that that election is over where do you stand on land rights?
PM: Well it's not a question of before an election, during an
election and after an election.
JOURNALIST: Well Mr Burke made it clear he couldn't win with
that sort of policy.
PM: Well let me make it clear that on the question of land
rights, Mr Holding, a very, very good Minister for Aboriginal
Affairs will be coming to the Cabinet in the near future with the
policy proposals which will be calculated to take into account
the needs of the Aboriginal people, not only in regard to land
rights might I say because that's not the only issue which
concerns the Aboriginal people, but take into account the
interest of the Aboriginal of the states and of the mining
community and of the agricultural community. We've made it
clear, and I've said this in the Parliament so has Mr Holding,
that we'd like to see a situation where the states would
themselves handle this matter in a way which is consistent with
the broad principles which we think should apply. We believe
we're capable of bringing that situation about.
JOURNALIST: I suppose one thing you would want to avoid, of
course, would be another rural backlash and that is an issue they
haven't been too keen on the land rights isn't it?
PM: Well, there are some people in the rural area obviously who
have fairly strong feelings on this issue but we have shown our
capacity to talk with the various groups that are involved. And
that is not only rural people but the mining interests, the
Aboriginal people themselves and the states. And those series of
discussions are going on with Mr Holding in charge of them. I
have a great deal of confidence in his capacity to produce a
result which will be appropriate. An appropriate judge by the
criteria of the interests of the Aboriginal people themselves
and, let me say, in terms of the interests of the Aboriginal
people themselves it would be against their interests to have
something imposed which of itself would generate a greater degree
of antipathy and antagonism towards them. So we have got to work
this out in a way which will meet the legitimate concerns of the
Aboriginal people and the legitimate concerns of a range of other
people in this community. we will do that.
JOURNALIST: At least, as you say Mr Hawke, you are prepared to
take notice of the voters. That's something that doesn't seem to
be troubling President Marcos at the moment. I am wondering if
you're very worried about the implications to regional security
of the current events in the Philippines?
PM: Obviously it must be a matter of concern on that score but I
think much more a matter of concern in regard to the internal
affairs of the Philippines itself. And it is clear Andrew, that
those independent observers are saying that the election has
clearly not been a completely fair exercise. It is our hope as a
Government, and I am sure I speak for the overwhelming majority
of Australian people, that this will be resolved in a way which
is going to be able in the future to sustain a democratic process
within the Philippines.
JOURNALIST: Well, we have all got our fingers crossed. Mr
Hawke, thank you for your time this evening.
PM: Thank you very much indeed.
ENDS