TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, PAUL KEATING, DOORSTOP
22 DECEMBER 1991
E& OE PROOF COPY
J: When will you be announcing the new Ministry?
PM: As soon as I can, but I want a chance to talk to my
colleagues and that will be afforded to me in the next few
days.
J: Do you plan big changes?
PM: There's no point in speculating about it let's just wait
and see. But between Christmas and New Year, I'd say at
the latest.
J: Who'd make the best Treasurer?
PM: Well that's something the whole Ministry will be
announced at once.
J: Will people see a return to high airfares now that Compass
has dropped out of the race, Mr Keating?
PM: I think you're going to see a competitive airline system.
I'm not sure whether the Compass targets could have been
sustained. It looks as though probably they couldn't have.
But we will see a competitive airline system, which we
never had in the old days of regulation.
J: And what about Mr Grey? He's blaming the Federal
Government.
PM: Well I think that's unfair, but our principle interest now
is the Compass passengers and their families. And we've
arranged now for, I think, another seven or eight thousand
Compass passengers to be taken up today by the two airlines
which have now chartered new capacity. Qantas is also
involved in a 767 charter, and Ansett and Australian
Airlines have chartered large aircraft from Qantas, and
we've got the Airforce's 707s on standby if we need them.
But we think that most passengers will be able to be
lifted, -and if they are taken to their destination before
the 15th of January, we pretty well guarantee they'll be
taken back at the same deep discounts.
J: Just on another issue, are you happy at the level of
pressure that Senator Evans put on the Indonesians on his
visit thiLs week?
2
PM: Well I have got to speak to Senator Evans. I did have a
brief conversation with him the other day, and before I
comment on that I'd prefer to speak to him directly.
J: Can we expect a bit of a reshuffle at the top level of the
public service, as well as the Cabinet?
PM: I'm looking at the Departmental structures as well as the
Ministry.
J: When do we expect an economic statement?
PM: Well, that you'll have to wait for. We've got to decide
our schedule on that. Thank you.
ends.