PM Transcripts

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON. P. J. KEATING
FICHTSACK UNRAVELS HOWARD HUMILIATED
Dr Hewson has tonight publicly humiliated his industrial
relations spokesman John Howard by directly contradicting
Howard's assurance that there would be no change to
industrial relations policy.
This morning Mr Howard circled the wagons around his
industrial relations policy and sent a message to the
Liberal leadership:
" Well, there certainly won't be any changes to our
industrial relations policy because our industrial
relations policy has the right balance of radicalism
with security and protection."
Only hours later, in an interview on A Current Affair, Dr
Hewson repudiated Mr Howard's claim by stating:
" We are keeping the industrial relations policy, but
we can have a look at it again, see whether we can't
improve it."
ThQ Liberal Party is now in utter disarray.
Their leader has panicked and in the panic Liberal and
National Party MPs are tripping over themselves to make
changes to Fightback.
Dr Hewson is now a leader in name only.
If we no longer need Fightback, if the once essential
prescription for Australia is no longer needed, then why
do we need Dr Hewson?
CANBERRA December 9 1992
TOOON 06" 8a'T : 131
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