E 0 E PROOF ONLY
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW ON 7.30 REPORT 5 MARCH 1986
SINGLETON: Today the Hawke Government turned three years old. it
is not surprising perhaps that most Australians are very divided
on the Hawke brand of Labor politics. Depending on your point of
view, Bob Hawke has either abandoned Labor's tradition roots or
he is the most brilliant politician since Robert Menzies. Well
Bob Hawke is speaking with Pru Goward in Canberra.
GOWARD: Mr Hawke, looking back over the three years Labor
started with a commitment to national land rights. It now seems
to be settling for anything that the States.. will accept which.
gives Aborigines in each of those States some land. Now do you
described that as a necessary sacrifice of principle, party
principle for the sake of being a pragmatic government?
PM: No I don't describe that way.
GOWARD: How would you describe it?
PM: Well, what I said at the Press Club again today, I think, is
the appropriate response. It is the case, that for a range of
reasons, Australians seem to have a different attitude now than
they had in 1967 when they, by massive votes, gave powers to the
Federal Government in this area. Now any government has to
operate reasonably within touch of prevailing attitudes. It
cannot go away beyond them. Now what we have been able to do
through negotiations with the western Australian Government for
instance is to bring about a situation where there will be secure
tenure for Aboriginal people over a significant area of land in
Western Australian. The Western Australian Government has agreed
to that. We in turn will be putting with the Western Australian
Government in to providing infrastructure to provide better
facilities for Aboriginal people. Now Mr Holding has assured me
that in respect of other States the negotiations are moving
towards producing a situation which is the objective of the land
rights situation, that is secure tenure for Aboriginal people in
regard to land with which they have a traditional association.
GOWARD: Mr Hawke, there are people on your back bench who are
unhappy with anything less than national land rights
legislation and there are obviously Ministers of your own who are
unhappy with these Budget negotiations. Is that evidence of
serious philosophical differences within the party which you will
have to really fight to contain this year?
2
PM: 140.
GOWARD: Mr Hawke, surely the leaks and counterleaks from
Ministers this week over the Budget are some indication of the
seriousness of the cuts you are having to contemplate?
PM: Well, I don't think that follows as a matter of logic. As
you heard people say at the National Press Club today, leaks have
been a feature of political life for a very, very long period.
They are certainly not unique to this Government. And as I said
at the Press Club I am proud of the fact that my ministers in the
areas of welfare are going to fight as hard as they can to try
and protect the people, the interests of people they represent.
That is what their job is. I wouldn't respect them if they didn't
do it. we will get the right outcome.
GOWARD: Mr Hawke, just finally looking at the problems in the
bush. What do you think your talks in the United States over the
export enhancement program could realistically achieve for
Au st ral1ian s?
PM: There are going to be two parts to the talks. one is
concerned with the export enhancement program Pru, and I believe
on the indications that we have that the President and his
administ-ra-tion share completely our view that this program should..---~
not operate in a way which would be to the detriment of
Australian producers. And so I hope that we will be able together
to, and in discussions with correct congressional leaders, to
ensure the sort of protection to which our Australian rural
producer are entitled. The second part of our talks will be
concerned with trying to ensure that, in the summit meeting that
is going to be held in Tokyo in the near future of the seven,
that President Reagan will take into those talks a strong
position in regard to international trade particularly in regard
to rural commodities.
GOWARD: But Australian farmers really are pretty small fry
compared with the competing interests of the United States and
the EEC?
PM: No I don't accept that. The United States attitude towards
Australia reflects a number of concerns and not just as a
comparative judgment between the position of their own farmers
and their fight with the European Community. Their relationship
with Australia is important in a whole range of areas including
international relations, security considerations. And I don't
believe that they want in any way to prejudice the relationship.
GOWARD: Mr Hawke, just finally on BHP. Are you confident that a
ministerial inquiry will clear the way for BHP to change hands if
that is what the market wishes
PM: No that is not the way it sees it we will clear the way. I
from the beginning have been totally consistent about this. I
have never used the word public inquiry by the way. If you just
watch...... GOWARD: Ministerial inquiry.
PM: No. There is some suggestion that I have changed position. I
am simply saying that I have said at all points what needs to be
done and that is what is going to be done. That is that the
Government is going to monitor and look at those questions which
really directly involve the public interest including
particularly the viability and integrity of the steel industry.
Now I and my Ministers will be talking to both BHP and Mr
Holmes-a-Court to secure guarantees and undertakings about these
issues of the public interest. If we are satisfied that those
interest are protected then, I believe, it is a matter for the
market. GOWARD: And by public interest do you merely mean the bounties
and subsidies
PM: I don't merely mean that. I mean a commitment to continued
investment in the steel industry, a commitment to the
continuation of the steel industry in its existing locations, a
commitment to expand the steel industry to take advantage of the
opportunities that have been created by our steel industry plan
which have transformed the Australian steel industry from one
which in 1982 was going to be closed down to one where in which
now the productivity of the steel industry has been doubled,
where instead of-boe-ing struggling,--perhaps not going to survive,
it is export competitive oriented. We are going to ensure that
that's maintained.
GOWARD: And you don't think that concern with that sort of
public interest might make share markets and international
finance markets a bit uneasy?
PM: On the contrary, I would think that any sensible judgment by
the markets and by international finance would welcome a
determination on the part of the Australian Government to see
that there was going to be retained within Australia a strong
viable competitive export oriented steel industry.
GOWARD: Mr Hawke, thank you.
PM: Thank you Pru.
ENDS