PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF NEWS CONFERENCE, SMITH FAMILY-TRADESMEN'S
UNION CLUB, WODEN, 6 DECEMBER 1989
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, what do you think of the ACT
Government? PM: It's not as good as the last one.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, another election.
PM: Look I'm not intervening in those affairs. They've
got to follow their own processes, make up their own
minds. JOURNALIST: Isn't the whole system a farce though, given
that this could happen?
PM: Well I don't think you'd call the whole system a
farce. What you'd have to ask about some of the
participants, for instance, those who run on the basis of
No Self Government and then grab the seats of office.
You know, there are some questions about them I suppose.
JOURNALIST: inaudible
PM: Let me say as far as the question of the ACT and
what's going on there, it's not a matter that I'm giving
any of my thinking to. There are others who will be
fully involved in that. I'm not really thinking very
much about it so you won't get much from me of interest.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, the NSW Government has had a
fairly lukewarm reception to the road plan, saying
putting conditions on the road funding is like pork
barrelling. What do you think of that?
PM: This isolated Government, the only non-Labor
Government now amongst the Australian States, I don't
regard as very representative. Mr Greiner seems to find
it impossible not to play politics on issues of
fundamental importance. I believe that the responses
from the States generally will be as it should be. That
is positive and constructive.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, is the latest intelligence from
Manila causing any concern about the safety of the
Ambassador or any of the Australians caught there?
PM: I'm being kept constantly informed. As soon as I go
back this morning I'll get another update of the
position. We are monitoring it very, very closely and
obviously you must have some concern.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, Clyde Holding commented this
morning that it's just a matter of bums on seats, this
new alliance and that in fact they might hang together
purely based on self interest. Would you support that
view? PM: Well I've really nothing to add to what I've said
before on this. I've exhausted my observations on the
matter of the ACT.
JOURNALIST: That $ 7M, is that still going ahead as
promised or is that just pork barrelling under the
previous Labor Government.
PM: No, if there's a commitment been made to a
government it will go ahead.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, how did last night's strategy
meeting of Cabinet go?
PM: Very, very well. If I could describe it briefly I
would say it was one of constructive but not complacent
optimism and commitment.
JOURNALIST: Have the Ministers come up with lots of
suggestions? PM: I mean, look you don't want to get your mind set in
terms of some of your colleagues in the media's
misunderstanding of things who say, ' Hawke begging for
new ideas'. This is just a process which I've gone
through in all lead-ups to elections that I've been
associated with. It just makes sense to have a review
with your Ministers of the way issues have been
developing within their portfolios, how they see them
being developed and presented at the next election,
there's nothing unusual about that. That's what we did,
as I say, in a very constructive way.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, there's been suggestions that they
may not be able to get the tourists out of the business
district in Manila at once, it might be a three or four
stage withdrawal and that some people may be held
hostage. JOURNALIST: Well of course we would be terribly
concerned if it were to develop in that way. All I can
say is that we will be constantly and I mean
constantly monitoring the situation. Reports are
coming in with regular consistency and that we will, as a
Government, take whatever steps are necessary in terms of
3
trying to ensure the safety of those for whom we have a
responsibility. JOURNALIST: Do you have any idea of how many tourists,
Australian tourists, are caught up in it apart from the
Embassy officials?
PM: No, I don't at this stage but I have an arrangement
for another full briefing this morning and I'll be in a
better position to answer that question then.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, if NSW refuses to go along with
your road safety package does that mean there'd be more
money available for the States that do go along with it?
PM: I don't believe that in the end that NSW will adopt
that position. I mean they have demonstrated a capacity
for very silly attitudes in the past but then they, under
the light of reasoning, tend to change. I mean that
happened in the case of what they were doing about
charging for hospital beds, for instance. I think that
they will see that they would be in very bad odour if on
an issue like this where the offer of the Commonwealth is
direct and related to a matter of fundamental public
concern and it's calculated to try and improve the
terrible carnage on our roads, that's not an area where
you should be playing politics. I think that they will
become more sensible on it.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, there's been that the two
labour officials for that damning report in NSW be
sacked. Would you support those calls?
PM: Read the transcript of yesterday's press conference
will you.
ends