PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF PRIME MINISTER ON 2WS -WFIAh STEVE RAYMoND 19 ) AN
1987
R b 0 E PROOF ONLY
sk: and if I press the right buttons here I shoul1d hn'
able to talk to the PMI of Australia.
PM: G'day Steve sorry to keep you waiting.
ST? No dramas. Happy New Year.
PM: TFhank you v. much Steve and the sasme to you and all your
listeners have a happy and prosperous 1987.
SR: Four years ong, is the job getting any easier or is it more
hard work?
PM: Well it to a mixture Steve. AUSwork in thc sense that you
know arid d" PPvL-eiatL1 tev. tough economic year last year and that
required enorrious airiount of extra decision making and that was hard
work. It is eas~ ier in the other sense Steve. that I sucss whatever,
work you're_ yours, mine or whatever, the longer you are in it and
if you a~ re Intelligent you learn the ropes and things come efiter.
Its a mixture. I think the actual doing of the job has become
easier but there are et few more things on the plate.
SR. Any timc for an JIntrospection.
PM: I do try to take the odd t ime off just to think how things
are going. WhUL ings have happened over the recent Past, how wC
( 4
have handled them. Whatv Lite sort of way we should be joing things
now and for the rest Of the Yeav.. SO I do think about my performanceib4
the performance of the 8OVL11UJ1nI. in that. way.
SR: Do we have you ( inatAdiblQi) tQ ridiiiir iny % jciruat ion
that Paul Koating will be mnoved from Treasut-y?
PM-Yeg. While we are in tha -t Yes/ No mode is it possible to lock
in a PL-ozfi-e No election in 1 87?
PM: Not early 1ma ae. jUta h alaetwill
go full ternm and that means STevc, that at the end of ' 87
or in thc early part of 88.
SR: Ok. For somebody who really believes in the benefit. s of
coflcCTsus you must h ave. taikenr heart front p1' ogrecs = ade in the
pastj couple of days by Simon Creani and Charles Copenian an unlikely
double, but they seeni to have tictually thrashed out some advances
in the Pilbera dispute and 1 guess that. is the essenice of concensus
& s you see it?
A11-1 Tl%& t-~ ly LLS1. t i-s-wna-t-fl-ave-iv-ad--oni
all my life from the tisitt: I wab president of trne AUTU, I never took
tho attitude that we were & lWdLy. LighiL. Or any industrial
dispute risht(?) was always on the side of the trade unions. I
think it 4A like lirt. whelther donicttic nrgiime-ritt or dlsputet;
in football clubs or iii tiny groups. Its v. rarely that absolute
right iS on one side aind so I have always taken the view that the
sensible thing to get the best out of the situation Is to get people
to silt down and talk And then see whether you can work I'& cyic Lhiig
out t1: 6tiacr. And that iti the principle 1: have had to try -toapply
In Govt since I have been PM. And yes you are right I am pleased
to see that Simon Crean sat down and talked to Charlie Copcman
nnd that thwy beeuicd to ha~ ve worked buinething out because that Is
IMPOrtait Riot only for the workers and the. company up ' there but
It is tmportant 44 the iron ore industry but It Is also V.
important for all Australiaio because that is a significant part of
our export Income. And. Lundiahime flm impact on the ot andard vr livingU
of all or, us.
SR: PM. I know you plan no intervent ion in the Rupert Murdoch
takeover of the HWT but woul d you comment on the publ Ic perceptiJon
that the reason both Labor and the Coalition are so quict on this
subject is because that you are all scared of off~ ending R. Murdoch
who will soonl control unparutdled political clout.
PM: Oh, no. I can personally comicnt on thait. Let tre say these
things.... . As far as I am--concerned gefl-CL'afl-y-, t sm hn
applies when the question of Holmes a Court raid on BlIP WaS. concerned.
I took the view that it was best left. to th e-market and thiat
was interpreted then as Hawke arid the g. ovt. atnllvuzo
If a Court. Now I find exactly the same rule on this occaision
and said.. tt should apply to the narket.... Weli that was deerncd to
bc acting for Murdoch and against H a Courtwith th e same principle
but different players. It we are going to lbe a free enterprise
economy which is based on the operation of* market forces then I
think that that has to work its way through. Blut it is not absolute
and we have done 2 things.... . tfhe trade practices commrniozci and
the requirements there with regard to monopulisation and Mr Murdoch
will have to meet the requirements as fielias indicated that he'
will of' that legislation. And also we havc brought in aid
proposed and we will be b ringing -h rough-411e-P&-ri amen t,-l eg-is Iat ion
to stop cross-media monopolisation in areas. In other words, the
same person~ not going to be able to in u patzticular area, have
v, newpapers and radio. And I think that is a v. forward and
progressive step so that will require Mfr Murdoch to divest himself
of certain parts of what he is acquirIng-. and in this way I think
the legimate interests Of the Aust. comnmuntity will be protected.
SR: ne other thought on that subject. What hapjliens some
time in the future if Rupert Murdoch * decides onice-again to turn
his editorial armioury against the AL. P. Will you stand accused
of hielping him load the gun?
PM: I suppose people might do that. what you have got to
say basically it you look back over the history of this country
and the attitude or the owners of the Press to J~ Ldor they haven't
historical ly, any of thein, been our friends. So i f Mr Murdoch were
to shoot the gull t us what would be new? It is-not as though
the lerald, if Dmight say so, has beer, a friend of Labor.
If there has been a viol enmt, vir-ulent ant i-labor jour-nal in thif
country in the last few yeayrs, its b~ etj the Meib. Hecrald. It has
been viciously ant i-Labo.-. Sc, if Mr Murdochi were to fi ic a fewg
salves at us it couldr bhV, thn WL':& e than--VA dt haveL been
endu r ing.
! 6H 5St ill hle will have yu.-ric p r et ty i nptcs f; i ve weapon t o f ire
f r orn Al r i h t I'M t harik you foc) r you r t i me th is mornig B0. fo0re
departing On your' Middle East totc later ihi-! wecck, -Ilke to tip
theC Oo tCcO ffle Of t he Ancr ic a ' s CuIP?
PM:" A us trali a t o W i. And It looks as though we %, ill1 be
f ight i ng the Yank s and I think that i s the sort. of outcome that
most Au-stralian's want to see We will bo fighti~ ng Connror,-and I
think he i s going to be d V. v. worthy opponent He it; a tough
tough relent l ess f ight er A rn n wh c b rrig en c. rinou q ex pecr ien ce
t o 12ni sa I lirig I think it will be a v wouthV finaul arid with
Au stLraIi a emerging the winner.
I think he has been b" edging too.
PMV: I think they all dio a bit of that Steve.
SR D~ o we get. Ole pulbl i C hol iday th i 51 t rie i f wc w in
PM: I will leave that onie oper-.
SR Thank you fr' yIOUr time.
cnd s