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TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH GARRY WEST AND CRAIG MOORE,
RADIO 3BA, BALLARAT 8 JUNIE 1909
9 0 1 PROOF ONLY
INTIRVIIWZR: We have the Prime Minister of Australia, Bob
Hawke, in the studio. Good morning, Mr Hawke.
PM: Good morning, Gary, nice to be with you.
INTERVIE MR: Nice to have you in Ballarat I might add too.
PN: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: It's a day visit today, you're doing a lot of
running around. you've got a lot of people to meet I know
it's a meet the people sort of a tour, Craig, which is good.
CRAIG MOORE: it is good. At one o'clock this afternoon at
the Central Square Shopping Centre is where you'll be.
INTERVIEWER: That's one of the areas where a lot of Ballarat
and District people can meet the Prime Minister if they'd
like to. We're running short of time this morning. There's
a nuber of questions we wanted to put to you and we've had a
lot of listeners ask us to ask you certain questions
PH: Sure.
INTERVIEWER: over the past few weeks, but China has to come
up first. The situation Is worsening over there, we're aware
of that. Can you see it going any further though at this
stage. PN: No-one can say with accuracy, Gary,, what's going to
happen. The reporting out of there is all qualified and
saying well this is what we think may be happening. First
thing to say, however, is that our Embassy is still saying
that there is no firm evidence at this point to substantiate
the stoies of massive and serious fighting between different
army units of the People's Liberation Army. That's not to
PRIME MINISTER
say It won't happen but I'm merely sounding a caution,
there'Is no hard evidence yet. The most tragic thing I think.
apart from the obvious tragedy of the deaths of thousands of
people which stands out as the worst element of what's
happened, but for the future the most disturbing element Is
then question of the Secretary-General of the Party there,
Zhao Ziyang. He's a leader that I've spent a great deal of
time with, he's a force for moderation, a magnificent man, I
believe, who I think is simply central to the future of
China. But they seem to have pushed him amid., there have
been some stories that fates worse than that were possibly In
store and I really think the critical thing is whether he's
going to survive and be able to come back because I can't see
anyone else there that's got the capacity to revive China.
INTERVIEWSR: Your Department hasn't been able to find out If
he is OX or not?
PM: No, it's not only our resources, but no-one is able to
say, none of the other countries with whom we share
Information on theme matters, no-one is able to say with
certainty what his physical condition is. It's quite clear
that he's been shunted aside from his official position but
as to what his actual condition is we're not sure.
INTERVIEWER: But Mr Hawke this tragedy seem to have happened
so quickly it just hit the world overnight really, didn't
it? I mean, we woke up, read it in the press,. saw pictures
coming in via satellite and it doesn't look like its going to
be over very quickly. As far an Australia is concerned what
else can we do at this stage?
PM: There is nothing that Australia can do to alter the
course of events. I think the sensible thing to do is
precisely what we are doing, and that is that we have taken
immediate steps to evacuate Australian citizens there whose
interests were at risk, we're keeping, however, a skeleton
staff of the Ambassador and about a dozen other people
because that's important for two reasons. One, to try and
keep a handle on what's happening so we can be properly
informed and secondly, to watch our interests there and to
continue to say in the strongest possible term that we
deplore what's happened and that the interests of China, the
region and the world are going to be best served by an
abandonment of forces. Because force, killings, the
restriction of human rights may provide some perceived
temporary solution to the authorities there it will never
provide any final answer. So we've got to keep getting the
message through as far as we can with others around the world
that their own Interests are best served by abandoning this
course of action.
INTEKVIZWfl: Mr Hawks. apart from China being in the
headlines. Interest rates too, they've been mentioned quite
frequently too. They're at record levels, Its been
disastrous for many Australian homebuyers. I guess people in
Ballarat are no exception. Now I know you are aware of theme
hardships that people are facing, but can you give us any
indication today as to how long these high interest rates
will last?
PM: Well, they will last not a day longer than is necessary.
I mean, I'm sure Craig and Gary that you understand that
there is no way I would have interest rates higher for a day
longer than Is necessary. We haven't got them there for fun,
we haven't got them there because we want to hurt people. I
mean, I've been In office for six years now trying to Improve
the lot of the Australian people, to create more jobs, which
we have, and to bring the inflation rate down and to look
after people who are in hardship. That's what we've been
doing for six years and we're not doing this now, as I may,
for the fun of it because we want to hurt people. We're
doing itbe caue9 It Is what must be done I don't want to
put this in economic jargon terms because I know your
listeners won't want that but the simple fact is that the
level of activity In Australia Is that high at the moment, it
has been f or some time, which has had good features
associated with It, more jobs and more investment. We need
that. but we are now with that level of activity bringing in
so many imports that we can't afford to pay for them by our
exports, so we've got to lower activity. That's why interest
rates are high. As the level of activity comes down, as I
believe it will In the month. ahead of us, then of course In
that condition Interest rates will be able to come back. But
then worst thing we could do for Australians now would be to
may oh it doesn't matter, we'll pull interest rates down,
aotivity go upt more Imports and in that situation we'd loss
the dollar, the dollar would just go through the floor and
interest rates through the roof. so we've got to keep it
tight for a while.
O INTZRVIRWER: Otherwise the situation would get worse?
PM: It would got worse and I know that In a sense it's
politically unpopular to have interest rates now, but I'm not
going to dodge the hard but riaht decisions f or some
perceived temporary political popularity. I mean, we must do
the tough things and, look, I want to say to your listeners
there's not a day passes in which I don't think about this#
try and work out whether there are some sort of things that
can be done differently which would make it better for
people. Because I can remember when I was a young bloke who
went first to the ACTU back In the fifties, I can remember
the struggle about meeting repayments on a mortgage. I know
the pressures that It creates. So I just say to your
listeners, as soon as its humanly possible those rates will
be coming down. But in the meantime, as I say, I remind them
that within a matter of just a few weeks now from the first
of July thoue very substantial tax cuts will be coming
through and they will be substantial and it will be a real
help. I hope that those tax cuts will help your listeners
who are particularly suffering from higher mortgage
repayments that those tax cuts will help them through the
toughest period in the period ahead and before the rates come
down again.
fITfVThWIR: Well, Mr Hawke. as far as the unions go and the
wage-tax deal. you're not tempted to back off there at all?
PM; No, on the contrary, if we were to back off there, if we
were to say the tax cuts are not on, then the uanions in this
situation of high economic activity have the capacity to just
take wages through the roof. I mean, in fact, what the trade
unions have been doing, to their great credits Is resisting
offers that are being made about massive wage increases.
They've been taking the responsible course and said alright
we'll accept relatively lower wage increases as part of the
wage restructuring deal on the basis that we know that we're
going to get tax cuts which is a cheaper way for the
community, a lees Inflationary way for the community of
maintaining their real Income.
INTERVIEWER: Mr Hawke, with an election coming up and
possible in the next twelve months or so, do you thinkc the
changes taking place as far as the Opposition is concerned
with the parties, will that mean that you'll have a real
fight an your hands when you go to polls?
PM4: Well, I'm not coming up here In Ballarat just to pour a
bucket on my opponents. I just make the obvious point that
Mr Peacock was Leader before and hi. own Party regarded him
as inadequate, they threw him out. Then they had Mr Howard,
they regarded him as inadequate. But then the important
point Is there was no-one else around, their resources are so
poor that they've had to go back to a man about whom they
had made their own judgement, about whom the President of
the Party, Mr Elliott, has expressed In the past
extraordinary observations about his inadequacy. So you have
the Liberal Party having no-one else to go back to, putting
in a fellow that the Federal President of the Party has
spoken most disparagingly about in the past, so is a man who
wasn't before able to got their policies together, they still
haven't got their policies together, all they're living on at
the moment is the understandable concern in the community
about high interest rates. Apart from that they've got
nothing going for them and we're a Government which has
0 created record employment increases, bringing inflation down,
putting more kids into a better education system these are
the fundamentals that will endure in the judgement of the
electorate I think.
INTERVIEWER: Well there wasn a friendship for a time, Mr
Hawks, between yourself and Andrew Peacock is it still
there now that he's the opposition Leader?
PM: Oh, look. I'm not going to create a situation in which
jim in a state of personal enmity with Andrew Peacock. I
don't like operating that way. I like, in the whole of my
life, including the political aspects of my life, I like to
have a decent friendly workable relationship with those on
the opposite side of the fence. I think that's the way it
ought to be as far as you can. I think the differences ought
to be on the basis of policy and perceived positions about
the best way you govern the country# and as far as I'm
concerned that's the way I try and make it.
INTEIRVI3WER: Well who would you prefer to n* an the
Opposition Leader, John Howard or Andrew Peacock?
PM: I really don't think It makes very much difference
because you've got to remember that when Andrew was there and
had been Leader of the Opposition for some months, his
standing with the electorate went down to the sort of level
that Mr Howard's has been at. So I think he'll have
something of a honeymoon, I think that's always the case, I
think he'll have something for a period, but it won't last
terribly long. In the end I think people are going to make
Judgements about records and policies, I don't deny that
leaderships have got something to do with It, of course it
has, but if we've got a story of good government to tell, as
we have, and they've got a story of a bad record and not very
relevant policies, I think that's what will determine the
election.
INTERVIEWER: Well, it it wasn't Mr Peacock or Mr Howard, is
there somebody else you'd like to have a challenge from from
the Liberal Party?
PM: Well, Its interesting you know Craig, if you look at the
way the cycle's gone, who did I come up against first, it wasn
Mr Framer
INTERVIEWER Who may well be listening this morning, of
course PM: G'day Malcolm. And this Is not a plug for you mate.
There was Fraser, then Peacock. then Howard, now It's back to
Peacock. There's a certain logic about this. The next one
ought to be Framer. Perhaps we'll have Malcolm back.
INTERVZWM Or will It be John Elliott?
PMt I know there is a God there and he couldn't be that kind
could he?
INTERVIEWER: Mr Hawke, if you are returned to government
what do see as honestly the biggest foreseeable challenge in
the years ahead?
PM: I think the continuing challenge that we an Australians
have got is to be tough enough and Intelligent enough to
realise that we live in a world of enormous change, that
we're a very small nation in numbers of people we're loan
than 17 million people in a world of five and a half
billion that we can't live as an island uñ nto ourselves,
that we've got to restructure the way we do things so that we
can become competitive. The world doesn't owe us a living,
we've got to be able to go out there not just as we'll
continue to have to do to be the beet sellers of wool and
wheat and meat, we're going to have to continue to do those
things, but we've got to be able to manufacture good. that
the world will want at competitive prices, provide services
that the world wants at competitive prices. That's going to
require toughness on the part of the Government, the trade
unions, employers and the community generally. Provided
we've got-the intelligence and the toughness to do those
things, there's nothing that's beyond Australia. 2--
INTERVIEWZ: We'd better leave it taere . L % nanK. " w
apologies everybody for the news this morning but it's not
every day we have the Prime Minister of the country In the
studio and it's about the only time that we'd drop the
national news. You have a busy schedule today. We would
like to mention some of the areas you're going to because I
know a lot of people would like either to say hello to you or
tell you what they think of you and I really think they
should have the opportunity seeing that Bob Hawks is in town.
The Prime minister will be at Grevillea Primary School for a
tree planting ceremony.
PM: I'll be at all these places with John Mildren, my friend
and colleague, the local Member.
INTERVIEWIR; And also at Central Square which I think is a
good one at one o'clock today because it's a brand new
complex we have in our city and it's proving extremely
popular, particularly in our climate because it's all well
under cover as you'll no doubt see today and It's also
heated. I guess you're probably used to a few cool mornings
in Canberra.
PM: Yen, yes but you've got your own particular brand of
cool down here if I may so.
INTERVZWZ: It grows on you, it you come back and spend
some more time with us I'm sure you'll get to like it. We
hope you can do that and we do appreciate your time this
morning. PM: It's a pleasure being with you Gary and Craig, thank you
very muchi indeed, and to your listeners.
ends