PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THlE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING, MP
DOORSTOP, SEX DISCRIMINATION SEMINAR, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
19 SEPTEMBER 1992
E OE PROOF COPY
PM: I can just say this is a real world response from one of the world's major
motor companies to the unreal world policies of Dr Hcwson. Dr Hewson's
had an absolute sleigh ride for the last year with one of the most brutal
policy documents that's ever been proposed by an Australian political
leader. But now it's coming under examination and people think it's not just
a throw away manifesto but something that he actually wants to do. The
major companies, like Ford, like Toyota, and others are looking at what the
implications are, and what the Ford Motor Company are saying is that if
Tariffs go to zero there'll be no further investment by Ford in Australia. That
means no Falcon replacement. That means that cities like Gcelong and
places like Broadmeadows will suffer accordingly as that investment flags.
And the Toyota company has also made clear its view as have Mitsubishi on
six hundred million dollars of investment in South Australia. So, the careful
work that the Govcrnicnt put into establishing a set of policies for the
motor industry are just being brushed to one sidc by Dr . Hewson, who ' has no
icspectfor our work, or the fact that it was done co-operatively with
business over a long period of time. And all Australians should note that the
stridency is going to producc a lot of problems in Australia, and that's no
less true for the motor industry.
J: Isn't this just thc motor industry playing politics though prior to an elction?
1O/ Od 900' ON SZ: OI Z6* daStZ:-131
PM: No, no. The motor industry played its politics before the tariff cuts and
changes were announced in 1991. That's when the politlaE,% e iplayed.
What they're playing now is they're making clear they don't play out their
death throes. Because at zero you don't have to be an economic genius to
know this is true with production runs in Australia only about as high as
40,000, when some of the production runs in the northern hemisphere are a
quarter of a million or more, that a glut of cars in the northern hemisphere
shipped into Australia at marginal prices will simply knock out the
Australian motor vehicle industry. I mean it is not simply as the Opposition
would have you believe the motor industry playing games, it's a reality.
And that reality's going to be just as true in industrial relations as Dr
Hewson's workplace reforms so-called pit one Australian against another.
It's going to be just as true in health as they smash Medicare and push
everybody back to private insurance. The fact is, this is a very strident,
crude sort of capitalist type policy which i. had thought that Liberal leaders
long ago had abandoned. But of course not so with Dr Hewson.
J: Do you think that this will encourage the Opposition to change its policies
to bring its tariff policies back in line with the Governmecnt?
PM: Well, it's the Government which has had the courage to make all these
structural changes and we're not going to bc running to the beat of Dr
Hewson's drum, who's come into these subjects as some sort of dilettante,
making declarations without consultation. Without knowing what makes a
car company tick, without undcrstanding industrial relat ions. That sort of
fanaticism, we're not going to have a bar of it. We're not going to be seeking
any sort of bi-partisanship with him. Not on these things.
ENDS
V7Q/ V7QJ 900* ON SZ: OT Z6* daSITZ 131