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PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF NEWS CONFERENCE, HYATT HOTEL, CANBERRA, 22
NOVEMBER 1989
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, Mr Farley has said that the
Government's abandoned its policy for short term
political expediency?
PM: Well he's wrong, of course.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, did you offer an inducement
to PM: I categorically deny these totally bizarre and
unsubstantiated allegations. As I said last night, if
anyone has done that from within the Labor Party I would
move for their expulsion because I'd love to see him
here. One of the things that's interesting about this
bizarre Xrogqr-, ou-tbucrst is the curious silence of Andrew
P eacock. Have you noticed, curiously silent? I wonder
why Andrew won't say something about it. I wish he
would. So why is he silent? It's a very, very seriousto
coin a phrase of his a very, very serious allegation
has been made. Now I categorically deny it. Why doesn't
Mr Peacock say something about it? What about Dr Hewson,
the standard bearer of purity in political campaigning?
Here he has his Victorian President dipping his grimy
hands into the buckets of mud and throwing them around,
unsubstantiated allegations which I categorically deny.
Now why don't we hear something from Andrew? Why don't
we hear something from Dr Hewson? You know I'm
fascinated. JOURNALIST: as * to where who, if anybody in the Labor
Party, has done this?
PM: As I say, if anyone has done it, if anyone has done
it and I found out, a's I say, I would move for their
expulsion on the grounds of political ineptitude as well
as impropriety. But it's just a nonsense. I mean you
don't need to be very politically astute to understand
it. They are being hurt and properly hurt by the
accuracy of the way in which I've hit the target about
their capital gains tax and the name of their President
has obviously been associated with this attack. Now this
is a desperate attempt to divert attention from an area
in which they have no defence. I mean in life if you
have no defence on something what people tend to do is to
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( PM cont) divert. But this will not be a diversion.
They will have to face up to reality that their capital
gains tax policy represents, as I have said and will
continue to repeat, the most socially obscene and
* economically insane suggestion that's ever been put
before the community. It is a massive pillaging of the
Australian public, a transfer of billions of dollars from
the 994 of Australians to the wealthy 1t. It's in that
sense that I've said that their President, who has openly
boasted about his involvembnt with the formulation of
this policy, it is their President, John Elliott, who
typifies that obscenity and that economic insanity. Now
that's not an attack upon Mr Elliott personally. He is
their President, he boasts of being associated with the
formulation of their policy, he would be a beneficiary.
Now I have zeroed in remorselessly and will with that
attack. They have no defence. You noticed in the
reports from their party room yesterday, they are worried
about the Hawke attack and the Keating attack because
they should be worried, because the Australian people
will not accept, as I say, that social obscenity and that
economic insanity. Now what do they do in those
circumstances? Make these bizarre, unsubstantiated
allegations. Well come on Andrew, come on Hewson, speak
up. And also John Elliott, when you come back you,
please, speak up.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Pr-_ 1SoY7__~ i1n& UtVLS
recommiffndat ons, the abD-F-." the end
of the century. What's your view on that?
PM: I'll be speaking tonight on that subject. I can't
pre-empt that. I suggest that you should be there and
listen to what I've got to say. Let me say this; it is
very, very clear that in the whole of my public life I amn
one who believes in liberalised trade, domestically and
internationally. So you will see that I'm not
unsympathetic to what Dr Garnaut is saying. But for the
JOURNALIST; inaudible
PM: NQ, no, no, no. I'm not saying anything more than
that. For the full exposition of my response and the
Government's response to the Garnaut Report you'll have
to contain yourself in patience until this evening.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, forty thousand farmers don't
appear to agree with your policies.
PM: You should've been in there listening to them.
from us and what we're doing.
ends