TEL: 25. Sep. 92 1 :. 44 No. UO P. U1/ u
PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH PRIME MINISTER BY SHARMALA KANDIAM, FRIDAY BACKGROUND.
SINGAPORE BROADCASTING CORPORATION TELEVISION, FOR TRANSMISSION AT 9.30 PM
SINGAPORE TIME ON 25 SEPTEMBER 1992
YB r Int with Paul Xeating
Mr PM, you made it clear that you believe that
Australia's destiny ] ieas in Asia and the
Pacific. how are you going to make the
Auitralians believe that they're part of Asia?
A Well, most of our -rade is already with Asia
abt 60-70t of our exports are to the Asia
Pacific area. We have a lot of relations
already with the region tourism, travel,
investment. So it sort of happened naturally.
I think that what we want to do if anything,
ie simply concentrate the effort. We're still
running a current account deficit that is
our trade accounts arv in surplus but the
overall external accounts are not so if we
want to grow our export mktr, these are tne
places to do it and be more part of the
region in a cultural sense as well.
Q Do you see some difficulty in doing that?
A Not really. Australia is a very multi
cultural society We are providing a world
lesson in toleranoce and the settling of many
ethnic communities as part of our migration
programme in my own constituency, I have a
very large Lebanese-Muslim population, I have
a very large Vietnamese popn, communities
ar well as Greeks and Turks. It's a very
multi-cultural place and I think Australians
find relations with the region pretty easy.
Q They can't say there's no raciam in Australia?
A Well, there's less than in most countries.
There's always some in some corner. But the
tolerance with which Australians have settled
a large programme it is the largest
migration programme per capita certainly in
the Western world you can't do that without
a high deget of tolerance. ' 4
TEL 2
Q So you feel there's a high understanding of
Asians and oC the Asia Pacific in Australia.
A The natural growth of tourisi and trade J9
taking Australiang into all the parts of the
Asia Pacific area, indeea all parts of the
world, So It's a vory International place
Australia and I think a lot of the parochial
character Australia had in say pro-war or
immediately poat-war has largely dissipated.
Q QQne thing that probably wd make AsiAn
countries real more kindly towards Austral. ia
is the idea of Australia becoming a republic
is that likely to happen you thinkl
A Inevitably, I think It will happen. It's like
all things it will change change comnes in
its own natural way. The country's now more
clearer abt itself, abt its destiny -it's not
a derivative of any other society -it was
once, it's not anymore. I tflirU that's the
impt thing.
Is this the majority feeling?
A Oh yes. The constitutional forms matter but
they don't matter as much as the inner being,
the inner feeling, the Inner confidence and I
think the Auatralians are very confident abt
themselves, abt their own identity and that
they are projecting and I think that's what's
impt.
Q Australia was instrumental in the formation of
APC do you feel that there's some tangible
benefit alroady?
A I think it's a bit early to say there's some
tangible benefit from it but I think it's a
good concept. There isn't the institutional
structurea in the Fa(; If ic tho A~ ia P area
that there aro in til N Atlantic, European
area. And one of the principal features abt
APEC one of the things it can do is to keep
the US engaged in the Asia P area, which I
think is a very inpt thing to do from a
strategic pt of view, Crom a trade and
cultural pt of view and as well as that,
provide a forum where Japan and the US can
work their problems out but a forum which
is also truly representative of the Asia P
area. So APEC I think has great promise. And
Sipore I might say mas done well in being the
inatitutional base for APEC, which I'm sure
will provide much more growth ag time goes on.
0 What shd be done to institutionialise it more
what kind of things do you aee happening?
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TEL: 25. Sep. 92 17: 44 No. 026 P. 03/ 04
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A Well I think in time -tht Otattes represented,
shd be represented at head of govt
periodically so it has the politloal
horsepower that it needs to get what will be
essentially a trade liberalising job don.
Ministers And ministerial represontn is fine
as far as it goes. But the authority which it
will need, r think it can beat sought from
heads of govt.
Are You getting backinig for this plan?
A Pretty substantially, yes -but again, V ye
got no deadline on it Iust think it' o a
good thing to do and it will mean that we
can sharpen up the f ocus of APEC as we move
through itB history.
Q In torms of you'Ve talked abt how lot of
your trade now is with Asia. The Asian
countr. 1,6 in many ways, they're doing pretty
well what can Australia bring to them?
A It can bring a lot of technology. We havea
deep pure research baise, although that's now
being applied and I thinX you can start to
see that in the things we're doing
collaboratively now with S'pore investors,
with other countries, in areas where we have a
technological edge or where we khave a natural
advantage like food or food processing or
ininerals or minarals beneficiation, or metals,
or in some other specialist technologies like
waste management, telecoms these are all
areas.* For instance, we have a joint venture
with a S'porean company in milJk products which
are being distributed through the region
these sort of things we can do,
Q
Q You've just come from Japan? How do you read
your trip to Japan?
A Well, Jlapan has been a large invastor in
Australia. Japan is our largest trading
partner we have a $ 6 million trade surplus
with them. They've been large investorG over
a long period of time we're starting to
be,; oirte an investor in Japan and the two
countries ar-e getting closer together.
Q Is there any domestic resistance to Japan in
Australia?
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A Not very much. Obviously Aomo of the wartime
meiories as they do in S'pore but by and
large, Australians knQw that our balance of
trade has shifted many yrs ago from Europe and
N America even though we do still trade
Substantially with N America the weight of
the change has gone towards N Asia and SE Asia
and the growth really is in SE Asia.
Q Q Australia and S'pore have had a good defence
relationship do you see any new things
happening in that area
A I think like all good and close relationships
they tend to get better and we'll be doing
more things in fact, this very week we have
participated with 8 ahips in a joint exercise
and I'm visiting one or two of the ships
tomorrow. So it's Just another eg of the
continuing close cooperation, not just in
exercise but in personnel exchanges. in the
general sides Of derence I think this
defence arrangement will work well and
I think Australia and s'pore have been of
it.
Thank you very much.