PRIME MINISTER
EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
VICTORIAN ALP CONFERENCE
MELBOURNE 23 AUGUST 1987
You have done mn a great honour by presenting me with this
badge reprecenting my forty years as a member of the
Auctralian Labor ? arty.
Forty yoaro ago I was a student at the University of Western
Australia aod became the foundation President of the
University ALP Club.
The decisi'o to join the Party was probably the easiest
political docscion I have over made. I had parents who had
instilled in me a deep sense of the social values which the
Labor Part' represented. E had an uncle who was a Labor
member oœ the Western Auotralian State Parliament, who went
on to become Premier. And I had before me the example of
that greet ' ootern Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin.
John Curtin had led the nation through the supreme challenge
of war and his successor Bon Chifley was setting about
rebuilding and reorganising the Australian nation to meet
the challenge of peacetime.
So in that decade of unprecedented challenges for the
nation, La. or was providing leaders of strength and wisdom;
Labor was providing and successfully applying policies of
relevance and farsighted vision; and, accordingly, Labor was
repeatedly receiving from the Australian people their
support end their trust to manage the responsibilities of
Federal Government.
And not juGt the Federal Government. In August 1947 Labor
had just Aost office in Western Australia but was still in
office in four other States including of course Victoria,
under th. capable leadership of Premier John Cain.
Forty yoarc later, Labor again holds office throughout the
nation in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
we are again implementing relevant and vital policies, again
providing leadership and, as July 11 proved most decisively,
we are again receiving the trust of the people.
That victory last month confirmed for me, in the deepest and
most personal sense, the faith that first inspired me to
join tho ALP forty years ago. () 000620
2.
Xt gave me new hope that our work as a Party and a
Government will inspire young people today to share our
idealc and vision and hard work, by joining our ranks as
membeos. This iG the first major address I have given since that
election. It is appropriate, and indeed I deeply wish to
take this opportunity to exproos publicly my gratitude to
all thoa Party members who devoted their efforts to the
task of returning the Government.
It is pa: ticularly fitting that I pay this tribute in
Victoria for any analysis of the voting figures reveals
that Victoria contributed hugely to our success on July 11.
In the jouo of Reprosentatives, Victoria registered the
highoot ( wo-party proferred vote for Labor of any State in
the naton; and in the Senate too, Victoria registered
Labor'es ighoet vote of any State.
Parts of Melbourne and of rural Victoria which the
concorvativce once counted among the jewels in the crown of
Libcrali. c we have now won and held at three successive
electionc and that is a tribute to your hard work and
dedication and to that of our branch officials over the
years. It's a pcrticular tribute to the work of our outgoing
Presidnt, Gerry Hand, who has been an effective and popular
leader c the State branch. I will of course be working
closely with Gerry over the next few years in his new
capacity as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and I know that
he is leaving the Branch in safe hands under the Presidency
of Go'ff Bird.
But oven more important than the partisan fruits of victory
is the neaning of our success on July 11 for the whole
nation. July 1I was not only a victory for the Australian Labor
Party but a victory for the whole Australian nation.
The choice on July 11 was a choice between moving forward,
together as a nation, to fulfil our great potential, or
sacrificing that potential and sliding backwards into the
past. It was a choice between equipping the nation for the task of
reconstruction or sacrificing the gains we had already made
on the altar of the politics of greed and division.
By refusing to be bribed, by choosing instead the realistic
path of hard work towards the goal of economic
reconstruction and job security, the Australian people again
demonstrated their faith that Labor has the capacity to
formulate and implement policies for the lasting prosperity
of all Australians.
In deraonotrating that faith, the Auctralian people have also
offerod Lo'.-or an historicallyj , Important mandate.
Our oppononto arc busily pcddling the myth that the aloction
outcomo x-yapzu rely a verdict on their own disunity.
It is cer-tzinly true that their pgofound divisions and their
disastrousr~ policy prescriptions completely involidatod the
conservativez' claims to essure the responcibilitieo of
office. But lot us not forget the bZsic fact of July 11 -we won the
election we tron it on our own merito.
We won it 1because of our unity and strength.
lie won it because of our auperior campaign effort.
We won 4. t, mozt importantly of all, because we had proven wo
had the zn. awerz to the real challenges facing the nation.
So the Th~ lrd Termu iG not about recting on our laurels, or
allowinc' our roforming spirit to flag, or pretending that
the worli began during our, 2irst two terlns ic complete.
We ashed the Australian people to atick together and to coo
it through.
They r-copondod, wyith the clearest affirmation, and gave us
theiir n : nClato to finioh the tash we have begun.
It iG a n-andate to work to the beet of our abilities
refachion-Ing our economic structures, meeting the challenges
of the acui world economic environment, maxioising jobs
growth arnd cecuring our prosperity for the future.
It io a mindato to ensure to the best of our abilities the
fairness and compassion of Auetralian society by applying
cquitably to the whole connunity the benefits we reap from
creating a stronger and nore competitive econouy.
And it in a mandate to provide to the best of our abilities
the Gtab'el, strong, competent and united government which
the rAuct. alian people eg-pout of us and which they fully
deserve, So loohing ahead to the ne;,, t three years of government, we
have a kull and a testing agenda of reform.
During the campaign I outlined the next stepu we must take
to im~ prove our national productivity and competitiveness, to
eliminato our economic weaknesses and to exploit to the full
our potential strengths. 0O0 03 022
Isaid wio iecdad to continue to improve the performance of
specific eTdutries by neans ouch or. deregulating the
airlino Iiluctry and crude oil marketing; by boosting
tourisa, value-added processing of farm and mineral
producto, and high tech manufacture of communications and
computer equipment; and by ensuring opin-offc from our
submarino Dnd frigate construction programs.
I said vic needed to improve our individual performancoG
improving wiork and management practices, upgrading our
research oa: illa, removing unnecoeary regulations which
hamper cur productive effort, amalgamating unions.
I said wo neoded to continue our export drive, espacially to
tic ourcolves in further to the dynaoic growth of our
irinodiato region.
And I caid that as a special Priority we would furtter
address thea training and education needs of our greatest
resourco the Auctralian people.
Labor hco been the pioneer in this task of national
reconctru2,. ci. on. While the Liberals elevated government by
neglect to an art form, Labor vecognised that our terms of
trade criolc demanded urgent solutiona and that those
colutiono could only be applied if Auatralleno were to work
together.
Throucoi': the life of the Hawke Government, tho political
and indu3t:: ial wings of the Labor movement have cooperated,
in the ta of restructuring the econony especially
through tliu nechanism of the Accord.
The moot rocent example of this cooporation ic the ACTU
report 1,% 33itralian ReconstructedO.
I do not iocesoarily endorrc evory single proposal in that
documont. 3ut I believe it le a sophisticated and welcome
addition to the national debate about the key iosues the
nation cuat: resolve.
And it ce tainly deserves ant equally sophisticated response,
rather than come of the ill-considered knee-jer% reactions
we have wiAtnessed. I will be making a more detailed response
to this raport when I addrecs the ACTU Congress next month.
Delegates.
We won the election because the Australian people were
prepared to put in the hard work necessary to achieve the
goal of . reconstruction and they accepted that Labor had
the only. realistic plan to meet that goal.
But we won also because the Australian people accepted that
Labor has the proven capacity to reap the benefits of
reconotruction to build a fairer and more compassionate
society. 00013# 233
We prozaiivoc voters a ne VaiyPO 9 to accist battling
families P-oct the costs of raising O~ ildren.
As we pronioed, that Packaige will bo Introduced fromi later
this year which means we will bo building towards our goal
of elinidnnat2. ng child poverty in AuftIlalia by 1990.
We are QlOe applying the lossons Ok 10 construction to our
public ce:: vicc,
In the dayo itimediately following Z'ho election, I announcod
the raoct oignificant restructuing cver undortalten og the
departwontc~ l rtructures of our public service.
Labor's frinistry is now bettor cqoppo to tmanago th,
increacincg corMPleitity and interrO1nAioflhip of Governmecnt
Policies thece challenginq tinco.
I said o tcn enough durineg t~ 010-* ton campaign that the
outgoing 1,7.. niatry was the beot any P910me ! 1nicto7 could have
had. Aa rczu! i; of the rostructuring ot t~ dopartoonto, and the
election~ oc a new Ministry by Catiotif; the high standardsacst
by those n., lniotao will be maintti) d a nd ourpacoed.
Victorizu ' UiiterG have a m~ ajor L010 in the lire up for the
Thir: d Tes7A. Anyone who lists t1( 1tmD of the previour,
Victorira z.[ InisterosButto,., ovano, Willis, Dowo, Jones,
Duffy Ci: Uon1 ol. ng adste of Joan Child, the
SpeaIhcr o the nouse, and then od~ lTh the nares of the new
Ministers Staples, Ray and Nana mit our now Whip Barry
Cunning:, a., must realise thlat thO LLty in this State
exercisos an enormous influence onl tho afizirs of the
nation. Let me alcc thank in public tI11 0~ toing Victorian Minister
Gordon JCLoles who haG been a loyal nnd diligent worker for
the Part-y in many capacities ovez, -riy yeare.
Delegatec.
As we iiic'to progress in thiG tank of reconstruction, the
forumS 02 our Party and , he menibogo of our brancheo have a
very conis. derable role to play.
The ? artyl has always been and romftin the engine room of
this Government's success, both ji iselecting candidates for
office and in debating and formuljqing policies.
In the smonthe ahead, as we load 111 to our next Federal
Conference in June next year, tho varty will again be
involved in a major debate, concrliing our policy on public
ownership. When tii issue was raised in 140t": h, I said we would not
sell of' Government assets suclh a Australian Airlines in
contravcyition of the platform of our Party. L0 0i
That reains the case today. The Party Platform will not be
hijacked. But I believe the time has cone for the Party to embark on a
comprehenive debate of the issue of public ownership.
The principle of public ownership has a long and in many
ways a distinguished history in our Party.
For many years, Labor Governments have accepted that
principle as an appropriate means of advancing their goals
in a widec range of economic activities.
Of course no one here will suggest that public ownership has
no role to play in the Australian economy.
This Government must and will continue to apply resources to
achieve essential goals through public ownership.
But equ2 ly we are obliged as a Government to ensure that
our recourcoo aro not being aisdirected.
That oblijation arises because we are a Government and a
Party oZ Koform. As such we must ask ourselves whether the
solutions of yesterday are still the best way of achieving
our goals.
And the obligation arises because we are a Government and a
Party deeply committod to social progress and equity. As
such we Lshould ask ourselvooes whether public resources are
being efficiently directed towards achieving those goals.
We are obliged, in short, because we arc a party of
principce, not a party of dogma.
Our Platform is not and must not be immutable.
When I joined the party 40 years ago, one of the most
time-honored planks of our platform was that which committed
us to a White Australia.
I make that analogy purely to point out that we can only go
forward as a Party if we hold our principles not as items of
blind faith but as relevant and effective means to achieve
our goals.
In the public ownership debate the two tests we must apply
are these:
First, does public ownership of a given enterprise mean that
significant functions are undertaken that would not be if
the private sector had the responsibility for funding,
owning and operating the enterprise?
If the answer is then, second, what are the
disadvantages and advantages of retaining public ownership
of that enterprise, as opposed to transferring it to the
private sector 0UO 2)
In other words, the question should be not ' Why should we
sell a Siven enterprise?' but ' Why should we continue to tie
up our resources in it?'
I do not vant now, to develop those questions or arguments.
Indeed, I make it clear that my own thinking on this whole
issue, and on the future of specific enterprises, is not yet
finalisod.
But I do know that the time has come for the Party to open
up a rational, mature and intelligent debate on these
questions and to do that on the sensible basis of
acknowledging honestly to each other that no-one has a
monopoly of wisdom or integrity on the issue.
Delegates. Our victory on July 11 was not achieved by any one person or
group within the ALP but by all of us. So the task ahead of
us muot be the task of us all.
We have won a great victory but we must not be lulled into
complacency. There is a great job ahead of us.
It will call upon our deepest resources of ingenuity and
determination, and our finest traditions of cooperation and
fairness, to complete the task successfully.
We are in a position not only to govern the nation
succesBfvilly throughout our historic third term but also to
win reelection when we again seek the peoples' mandate.
If togother we exercise our responsibility, if
co-operatively and constructively we meet this challenge,
then Labor is poised to be the Party to take this great
nation, transformed and revitalised, into the 21st Century
a shining example of a people successfully committed to
social equity and economic efficiency.
And, finally, we will be a Party and a nation which will
have played a role far beyond our numerical significance in
moving to create a world more at peace, and, with the
realistic expectation of being able to divert its resouces
increasingly from the destruction and possible obliteration
of mankAnd towards the elimination of the scourges of
poverty, malnutrition and infant mortality which so
tragically characterise the condition of too much of the
human race. 0O0J0 3 2G