T19 C58
PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW ON ABC GRANDSTAND, DARWIN,
OCTOBER 1990
E OE PROOF ONLY
INTERVIEWER: Well let's talk about sport. Politicians, of
course, enjoy a high profile in sport. I think in the last
couple of weeks we've seen Robert Ray on the front page of
The Age.
PM: Not the most elegant picture was it.
INTERVIEWER: No not at all. Another politician, I think,
on the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald and
Paul Keating of course joining Collingwood. Is that because
politicians like to get away from the hurly burly of
Parliament and their electoral responisibilities; or is
being involved with sport good for the image?
PM: Well, I think it's different things for different
people. I mean, in my case, I've been a sports fanatic ever
since I was a kid. It's been part of my life. I played
first grade cricket in Western Australia for about six years
before going to Oxford. I played baseball for the
university and have always been very keen on tennis and now
golf. I just regard sport as an intrinsically important
part of a fully rounded life. I just love it. So it comes
0 naturally for me. For others I think perhaps they think it
does them some good to be seen with sporting people. You
know, it's different things for different people but with
me, I mean I just love sport myself and I love being with
sporting people.
INTERVIEWER: inaudible
PM: Well I suppose with Paul he's a New South Wales bloke
and getting involved with a Victorian Aussie Rules side
gives him an extension. I know from talking to him that he
really does like the game. With John Hewson, although he's
my political opponent, from what I understand he's got a
legitimate interest in sport. I think he's been a pretty
good golfer in his time. So politicians, you know, when it
comes down to the line they're not that much different to
other people in terms of their likes. Australians generally
are a people who like their sport.
2.
INTERVIEWER: Sport, of course, being one of the great
levellers, particularly up here in the Northern Territory
with football. Football has always been regarded up here as
the showpiece, perhaps, of Darwin society where Aboriginals
and people from interstate and Europeans etcetera all mix
together. Do you think that sport sometimes has more to
offer some of the social issues than perhaps politics or
legislation does?
PM: I think it's a marvellous part of bringing Australians
together. You mention, for instance, our Aboriginal people
there's just so many of them who just seem to bring a very
special gift of timing and fleetness of foot and agility to
football. Not only this code. We've got so many that come
from here [ Maurice Rioli]. I was just having a yarn to
Maurice out at the races today. I saw him in his last game
in Perth in 1981. I saw him then and I said to people,
God he'll be a star in Victoria. You see them in other
codes too. Since I've been Prime Minister I've got to know
about Rugby League. I've been living in Canberra and we've
got the Raiders team there that's now won two years in a
row. They've got that magnificent winger, Chicka Ferguson,
I mean, just a magnificent athlete.
INTERVIEWER: Fabulous player. Not only for his fleetness
of foot but his fitness for his age.
PM: Fitness for age. I know him quite well because he's
the electrician at The Lodge. He comes in and he often pops
in and you see him and you never pick him. This lazy loping
around way but you see him on a field and he's the most
elusive bloke you've ever seen.
INTERVIEWER: Yes. He's in fabulous form. In fact, his
form in the Grand Final was terrific. You just wonder,
for how many seasons will Chicka Ferguson go on?
PM: He's not going to play. He's finished now.
INTERVIEWER: Yes well he said that at the end of the season
but he said
PM: No I think he meant it.
INTERVIEWER: inaudible
PM: That's a bit rough David.
INTERVIEWER: inaudible
PM: About accurate.
INTERVIEWER: inaudible
PM: Yes. It's been a significant part of it. It's been
pleasing, in one sense, to get the acknowledgement from
President de Klerk and other, for instance, the head of the
Reserve Bank there though. They've made it clear that the
I
pressures that have been put on by the rest of the world,
including Australia, is the thing which has now brought them
to the negotiating table. Of course, from my point of view,
I hope that as soon as it's reasonable now we'll be able to
lift the sanctions. We'll want to do that as soon as it's
clear that the processes are irreversible. We've always
wanted to not bring South Africa to its knees, as I've put
it, but bring them to the negotiating table. It looks as
though those processes are getting to the stage where they
may well be irreversible and then when that happens well
then these sanctions will be able to be lifted and they are
a talented sporting people. Of course, when you get the
integration of the much larger non-white population fully
integrated into their sport well then you'll see a much
stronger South Africa in all fields of sport.
INTERVIEWER: It's quite awsome to consider even South
Africa's ability in cricket, for example, and it was
segregated. If they open it up to their entire population
they may well be unbeatable for years and years.
PM: They could be. Of course, they're great rugby union
players. So if they, as you say, fully integrate their
society and develop the talents of all their population they
could be very, very formidable opponents.
ends
0