PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF DOORSTOP ON DEPARTURE FOR NOUMEA AND SOUTH
PACIFIC FORUM, RAAF BASE FAIRBAIRN, 27 JULY 1990
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you concerned about the
possibility of a special executive on the Telecom issue?
PM: There's a meeting of the executive coming up some
time in September anyway. I don't think there's any
special one likely to emerge.
JOURNALIST: Premier Cain says he would decision on
telecommunications should be dropped until that September
meeting, do you think there's a chance that would happen?
PM: We'll make the decisions that we think are
appropriate. JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, does the latest balance of
payments figure concern you? It was worse than expected.
PM: It was at the upper end of the expectations of the
market, but if you have a look at it, it's quite clear
that the policies of the Government are working in that
the lower level of demand is bringing a lower level of
imports. If you look at the June quarter, seasonally
adjusted and, I hate the phrase, endogenous imports,
which are the ones that we are really talking about,
those seasonally adjusted imports are down 10 percent on
the March quarter. So the policy is working. If you
look at the current account deficit, it's now, in this
quarter, running at $ 18 and a half billion against the
$ 22 and a half billion of the September quarter of last
year. So the policies are clearly working.
JOURNALIST: Do you think people can expect interest rate
falls after the Budget?
PM: I'm not making any comment about interest rates.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, how important are
environmental issues at this year's Forum?
PM: They will have a considerable significance. I think
the Forum will review with a great deal of pleasure the
significant advance that's been made in the area of
banning of driftnet fishing following the Tarawa
Declaration that we were involved in this time 12 months
ago and I think we're all entitled to take a great deal
of pleasure from that. There are other issues that will
be on the agenda which have environmental implications.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, Mr Greiner's visit to China
are you happy with that, do you endorse it?
PM: I haven't given any consideration to it at this
stage. JOURNALIST: Is the row over the telecommunication
industry damaging the Government
PM: No, if you look back over seven years you'll see
points at which there have been arguments about this area
of policy and that area of policy, but we, we usually
have sufficient good sense to be able to work these
things through and I'm sure we'll be able to do it again.
JOURNALIST: Is it possible that there can be a
compromise between the Beazleys
PM: I'm not going to the specifics of it. I've made it
quite clear that, as far as this issue is concerned, I'll
discuss that within the Party.
JOURNALIST: Do you expect this matter to be decided next
Friday? PM: Well, we'll see.
ends