PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING, MP,
DOORSTOP, CANBERRA, 2 FEBRUARY 1992
E OE PROOF' COPY
J: Prime Minister, is it a body blow to Labor the
overwhelming defeat of the Field Government?
PM: I don't think that it is any more, to Federal Labor,
any more than the near loss of the New South Wales
election was a body blow to the Federal Liberal Party.
We nearly Won the New South Wales election and that
result was confirmed in a by-election two weekends ago
and we won't at pains be drawing Federal implications
from that. I don't think you can from this. I think
the important thing to say about Tasmania is that, most
Governments are defeated doing the wrong thing. This
one's being defeated doing the right thing. If ever
there was a Government which deserves, I think, to have
its work recognised, it was the Field Government. He
took on a State which was nearly bankrupt and radically
altered its finances where the Gray Government just
threw the fight for quite a long number of years and he
was two thirds of the way through it. So I think
history will judge Michael Field and his Government
perhaps better than the Tasmania public. But Field
accepts the result of the Tasmanian people as all
democrats have to and do.
J: But that doesn't say much about the maturity of the
Australian voters, does it?
PM: At least the Government did what it had to do. It did
not shirk the fight. I don't know of any Premier in the
years I was Treasurer who took on a more difficult
financial landscape and actually made a very great
headway through it.
J: Had Michael Field been able to advertise on TV and
radio, he would of had a better chance?
PM: Well that's a matter for judgement, but I'm sure these
things will be ragged over by the rest of you.
r-
J: Are you worried about the threats by some MPs in South
Australia to resign, and the fact that there could be
an election there as well?
PM: I have not heard of those.
J: They are calling for Federal intervention in South
Australia. Would you be interested?
PM: Over what though?
J: Faction brawling.
PM: Well these things happen whenever pre-selections are
on. You can't be a wide-eyed innocent about these
things.
J: unemployment had nothing to do with the result in
Tasmania?
PM: I think it has got a fair bit to do. I think it is
very diLfficult for Governments in recessions to win
elections. It is difficult and I think it has been
part of the difficulty in Tasmania. The other part oil
the difficulty, I think, for the Field Government was
that there's a great polarity developed between the
Liberals who have developed or say they would develop
anything, and the Greens who won't develop nothing and
the Labor Party is sort of sitting in between trying to
get the right balance. Often getting the right balance
is not appreciated, and I don't think it was on this
occasion.
J: Mr Keating have you any dates for your talks with the
ACTU about wages and any further thinking on the
wage/ tax trade-off issue?
PM: No, we have not set any timetable as yet.
J: What dco you think of the New South Wales Goverrnent's
offer to Bob Hawke
PM: I thought it might have been speculation. I don't know
whether it is true or not.
J: Well they have confirmed it.
PM: Have they? Well I'm sure Bob will do a good job.
J: Do you have any more detail as to his plans since
you've spoken to him in the
PM: None whatsoever. No.
J: Mr Keating there are a lot of reports at the moment of
the po~ ssibility that Nissan might close its car
manufa~ cturing plant in Australia. How keen is the
Goverrnent to see Nissan stay here and what might it do
by way of convincing them that they should stay here?
PM: That's a matter for the company I think. I saw that
report today, I don't know that it's correct. But it
is a miatter for the company to decide, the Government's
laid down a plan over a long period of years and made
out that the downtown of the cycle for car
manufacturing would not have helped any of the
manufacturers, including Nissan, but in the end
Nissan's future is basically up to Nissan.
J: to adjusting the car
PM: I don't think the company has been in touch with the
Governent at this stage.
J: But in general terms given the severity of the
recessiLon difficulties they are having and the number
of people they employ, are you giving any thought to
altering the schedule for tariff cuts to the car
industry?
PM: No, we hadn't been. But again we have had put to us by
a number of car manufacturers what they see as shorter
term remedies for the current cyclical downturn. And
we have been considering those.
J: Is it possible that having fewer car makers in
Australia will eventually leave an industry in better
shape for the
PM: Well, the aim of the plan in the ' 80s was to arrive at
a number of competitive models in Australia. Time
alone will tell if that's to be achieved.
J: Mr Keating, resource security was one that you should
talk about in Tasmania, you were very critical of the
resource security legislation when you were still in
the Cabinet as Treasurer. What's your view now and
will any changes be made?
PM: Well we have got a Bill in the Parliament and that's
the fact of the matter and if that Bill passes, well
then the legislation will be established.
J: Would you think to be making any amendments to that as
it goes through?
PM: Not at this stage, no.
J: If the Bill fails will you be seeking to put any
PM: Let's wait and see. I think the best thing is to wait
and see.
J: Does the Tasmanian result show that there is a need for
you and your Government to redress the perception that:
the Greens are against all development, and that
Labor's been a supporter of them?
PM: Well we won the election on our policies in 1990, and
in 1987 Green issues were part and parcel of the
campaign. So I think the balance we brought to the
envirorunment in the context of growth has been an
appropriate one. This is an election which has got
many state complexions about it. I notice Dr Hewson
who has; always marketed himself as a wide-eyed
political innocent saying, well Government should just
do the right thing and things will look after
themselves. Well this Government did do the rights
things and things didn't look after themselves, so I
don't know if Dr Hewson can take any comfort from this
result.
ENDS