TRANSCRIPT OF DOORSTOP, FATEHPUR SIKRI, AGRA 11 FEBRUARY
1989 E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you left Canberra hopeful of
opening all sorts of doors for Australian business on this
trip. Have you succeeded?
SPM: Yes, in each of the countries we've been. In the
Republic of Korea and Thailand and Pakistan and India
without any question there are very very many more
opportunities now. In fact, during the course of the visit
specific contracts have been signed and accelerated even
beyond the expectations that we had when we left.
JOURNALIST: You were critical of Australian businessmen in
Thailand for not making advantage of the window of
opportunity that they had. Do you think that this visit is
going to make them do so or are they going to fall back into
bad old habits?
PM: I think that this will have a useful impact upon them.
Certainly those who've been with us on the trip, the
businessmen, have seen the opportunities that are there.
The fortunate thing is that in all of these countries, and
particularly here, including in India, we've got the impetus
from the top. My counterpart in each of the countries that
I've visited is equally committed as I am to the stimulation
of the trading relationship between our two countries. , So
it won't be a transient thing at the Australian level. Our
impetus will remain and in each of these countries from the
Prime Minister down through the bureaucracy, I think there
now is a commitment to enhancing the relationship. So the
opportunity is there for Australian businessmen in each of
these countries. There is growth in each of them, economic
growth, growing population, and in each of these countries
the opportunity not only of the substantial market of the
countries themselves but as a base for the regions around
them. Very great opportunities.
JOURNALIST: Considering the competition that we've got
though from Japan and the United States, do you think we're
up to it, we can do it?
2
PM: I don't think we have to speculate about that. Take
the case here in India with the contract that we were
seeking for the significant development of the Seabird naval
project here. We had tough competition from that, the
French, and we've beaten them. So we should because we're
better. JOURNALIST: Has that been confirmed?
PM: I think you'll find that we're there.
ends
9