TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE, TOWN\ SVILLE, FRIDAY 19 DECEMBER 1986
Question: Well, you must have had an early Christmas present, Sir, with
the OECD report that's. been issued?
PM: Well, it was very good. We're pleased with it, but not ent irely
surprised, because I've been saying, as has Paul Keating) that
we've had the right policies In place, and we've expressed
Cautious optimism for 1987. I'm pleased that the OECD has
confirmed that. It shois that they expect quite solid growth
rates in 1987.
Mr Howard said on radio this morning that he thought that...
PM: Who's that?
Mr Howard.
PM: Ohl I just () heard.
that those figures were too O+~ ASh.~
PM: Yes, well what do you expect, they are dedicated to trying to
write down the Australian economy. They weep tears whenever
good news comes out. That's why Mr Howard is treated with
contempt by the Australian people, because Australians do not
like people running their country down, and that's all that Mr
Howard does. That's why he won't be leader for very much longer.
Q. He-. cl~ i~ ed;-in tact., that thote-figures actually reflect the
Treasury view?
1.
I I PM: Oh, does he? Well, I don't think anyone takes any notice of
Mr Howard anymore. The facts are quite clear we have been
saying on the basis of the statistics that have been coming out
in regard to investment, to trade, exports, imports, that the
policies that we've put in place are workinbg, and that judgement
has been confirmed now by many people, and the OECD report Is
simply the latest confirmation of what we've been saying. I
repeat, it's a tragedy that Mr Howard has a vested interest
in trying to run his country down, and he's paying a very heavy
price for that lack of commitment to,. the welfare of his countrymen.
The OECD did warn that unemployment would rise cy acout
percent? PM: Well they have indicated that it could be at about 8.5 percent.
There's going to be rising employment I refer to the increase
in the workforce we would hope that we may be able to bring
unemployment down in 3987. The major thing we have to do is
to ensure that we don't allow too high a level of economic
activity, because if you do that you will put an
unbearable strain upon our external account position. Now
it would be easy to just pump prime the economy,
lift up levels of activity and thereby, perhaps fcr the shortterm
increase employment activity. But you've got to have
the right timescale. You've got to make the tough declsions
now still exercise a degree of restraint, so that we will
get on top of that external accou't problem, and when we do
that we'll ensure that we have a lowering Interest rate regime
during 1987, and we'll put Australia into a position for being
in the strongest basis, the strongest possible basis, for secure,
long-term growth in output and employment. We are not going to
sacrifice the long term for some cheap political stunts now
which might up the activity, the oLutp4 levels, up the emnployment
growth but then lose the external account altogether.
Cri" nt& ~ i-
Mr Hawke, businessmen here isay that the QANTAS reciprocil
rights agreement is stiflifng tourism...
PM: Stifling tourism?
Yes. PM: In Australia?
Yes* man.
Well, en.
Q: o
S8couse there aren't as many tourists coming to
PM: Well, if there's one thing that isn't being stifled in Australia
it's tourism. I mean...
Q:
S But it could be better if there was an open air agreement.
Any chance of that?
PM: You can't just simply say we're going to have an open air
agreement like that. The whole question of international air
agreements between countries is a complex situation. Australia. Ldro. bev
itself is not able to lay down the law as to what will apply,
and I simply go back to the overall question tourism. It
is one of our oustanding successes, not least because of the
activities of the outstanding Minister for Tourism that we have
John Brown. We've had a position where now in this last
year something like one-and-a-quarter million overseas arrivals
we're aiming for two million by our Bicentennial year, 1988.
We're very pleased that, as a result of the efforts that we've
made in promotion and investment allowances, thatQueensland,
and northern Queensland in particular, is sharing very largely
S in that tourist explosion something like a third of those
tourists over 400,000 come here to Queensland. And that's
good.
P-^
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