PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF NEWS CONFERENCE, VICTORIAN UNIVERSITY OF
TECHNOLOGY, MELTON, 2 NOVEMER 1990
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, how Important do you believe
education reform is?
PM: It's the most important single reform that any
society can undertake. As I was saying in my speech
here, you cia characterise a society as to whether it's
truly democratic by the measure of the equality of
opportunity -to education. That was one of the great
disasters of Australian society before we camne to office.
As I said, only one in three of our kids stayed on in the
education system and these great conservatives who after
seven years in office had increased the retention rate by
I've doubled it in my period of office. There's now
two out of three of our kids staying on and we've
reflected that in vastly increased expenditures for TAFE
and in the educational area because unless you have a
situation where kids, whatever the income level of their
Parents or wherever they live, unless they've all got an
equality of opportunity then you haven't got a democratic
society. JOURNALIST: Well if this is so important why was it not
then on the agenda of the Special Premiers' Conference?
PM: It was.
JOURNALIST: Well Mr Dawkins says that the PremierB
rejected
PM: Well it just goes to show that if you ask a question
you should always be sure of your facts. It was on the
agenda and it's listed on those items which will be the
subject of review and report to the Premiers' Conference
next year.
JOURNALIST: Well Mr Dawkins says that the Premiers have
picked on him by
PM: Well I'm not getting into that. I've told you the
answer to the question.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, on the old subject of opinion
polls, the latest one shows a substantial erosion of
support for Labor, particularly among blue collar
workers. What comment do you have on that?
PM: Well as I've said before I wouldn't like to go to a
poll now because there is some hurt in the community from
some hard things we've got to do. But let me make this
point. You talk about blue collar workers. It you
wanted a perfect illustration of the difference between
Labor and the conservatives you've got it here. You're
right in the middle of it. For most of the post war
period, the overwhelming proportion in post war period,
certainly from 1949 on, they had control of this country.
The federal level and certainly at the level of Victoria
here. And what was their legacy In education? A
pathetic level by international standards, as I've sala,
where only one in three of the kids stayed on in school.
It you were a kid who came from well to do parents or if
you lived in the right part of town, you had no problem
about access to education. But If you came from
relatively Low income families and you lived in the
western suburbs your chances were near to zilch. Now
we've transformed that and I treat with contempt the
people who i-ay we haven't got concern for our roots and
for the ordinary people. This is living proof of all the
years of conservatism and the western suburbs have
nothing, they were treated with contempt when it came to
educational opportunity. I committed myself when I came
to Uovernment with my Party in power that we were going
to change that. We've changed it here in Melbourne,
we've changed it in Sydney and this Australian society
is now characterised not by privilege in education that
you had before we came but now it's characterised by
equality of opportunity.
JOURNALST1: Mr Hawke, do you think that the Kirner
Government will have to lift its game dramatically in
Victoria if you are to hold office?
PM: well obviously Joan and her colleagues realise that
they have beien very seriously hurt by the events of the
past year in Victoria. It's hurt them and it's flowed on
and it's hurt us. But that's no secret to Joan and I
believe in the relatively short period that's she been
Premier she has made a tremendous start. Let me say I've
just come from a two day Premiers' conference in Brisbane
and the respect in which she was held by her colleagues
right across the board was most remarkable. She is, I
think, outstanding and she has the determination and
obviously to the extent that she fights back and improves
her position here in Victoria, that will be of assistance
to us.
STUDENT: Mr Hawke, would you ever consider increasing
Austudy helping the students
PM: Would I ever consider it? I've been doing it for
seven years. I do more than consider it, I've done it.
JOURNALIST: Would you increase
PM: I'm not: here for an argument.
JOURNALIST: There are increasing signs from overseas
that there's this greater and greater expectation that
the crisis in the Gulf is moving to a climax. Is that
this Government's assessment and is there anything that
can be considered to get the hostages out?
PM: Well you've got two sets of questions there. Let me
go to the first one. Now obviously I am privy to a fair
bit 0ñ private intelligence and so on and I can't share
that but I can say this, that I don't think there's
anyone in the world, anyone, who can say with certainty
what the future course of events is in the Gulf. I think
you can say these things. There is a determination on
the part of most nations of the world who have united
under the unanimous resolutions of the Security Council
of the United Nations that the annexation of Kuwait by
Saddam Hussein shall not be allowed to stand. Tflat
determination remains very, very firm. And it's being
backed by an increasing presence of resources there in
the Gulf. The second point I think flows from that, that
I think it must be becoming increasingly apparent that
Saddam Hussein that he will not be allowed to retain
Kuwait, that his forceful annexation of Kuwait will not
be acceptable to the international community in general
and Including most importantly to his Arab neighbours.
So I would hope that an Intelligent assessment of those
facts should lead to a withdrawal an unconditional
withdrawal by Saddam Hussein. But as I've said before on
all the evidence, you're not dealing with someone who is
totally rational in his calculations. But I would hope
that the Increasing build up of evidence that he cannot
sustain and will not be allowed to sustain that position
will lead him~ to a peaceful withdrawal. I can say
thirdly this point, that I know that the leadership in
the United States does not want war. It is serious when
it says it doesn't want war, that it wants a peaceful
resolution of this matter. And that certainly is the
position of mny Government. Now in regard to the
hostages, which was the second part of your question, you
will have noticed that the European governments have
unanimously made the point that they believe it is not
helpful for t~ he semi-official moves by particular nations
to send people in there and try to negotiate the release
of some hostages. What happens Is that some get released
and others are left and it tends to confuse the
determination of the rest of the world to bring about an
end to this mfatter. Now having said that, I want it
understood that as far as we're concerned, these two
things are important. Firstly, that we are unremitting
in the work by our official representatives there, our
diplomatic people in protecting the interests of the
hostages and working for their release. There is not a
day goes by in which our officials are not working to
that end. Secondly, I say this, that if in fact some
individuals seek to go there and work for the release
then we woulti hope if they do that, that they may have
4
some success. But it is, I believe, a correct judgement
by European nations that at the official level the way it
should be done is in the way it is being done, behind the
scenes ceaselessly but that the attempt to give some
credibility to Saddam Hussein by having senior people
meeting and negotiating with them is not, in the overall
sense, helpful.
STUDENT: Bob, how are we going to go in the cricket,
mate? Are we going to beat them this year?
PM: Yes, too right mate. TOO right.
ends