PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON. P J
KEATING, M. P.,
BOEING . FACTORY, SEATTLE, U. S. A.
SUNDAY 21 NOVEMBER, 1993 . m
4o. h;
E OE PROOF COPY
J: Prime Minister, why did you decide to come to the Boeing factory?
PM: Well, we do a lot with them commercially. ASTA, which is the Ausmtlian
Government's aerospace organisation, has just won the international supplier
award for Boeing. We supply the rudder assemblies, for rudders for 737s and
other elements for other aircraft So, in a very internaionally competitive
environment like this, to end up as supplier of the year is one hell of a feather in
Australia's cap. So, it was my pleasant duty to be associated with that award and
to talk to Boeing about the future of ASTA in the event that we privatise it
J: Is there much chance that we'd get more work for Australia from the Boeing
factory?
PM: Well, the good thing is we're getting the work now, not as part of the old offsets
program that is, if we buy a Boeing aircraft it is mandatory that we make some
of the bits we get it now, purely commercially. We're winning commercial
contracts to supply major components to Boeing against the rest of the world. So,
it's a really good basis for doing things.
J: Prime Minister, Boeing has an interest in tendering for the refurbishment of the
P3 Orions and also for the supply of the AWACs aircraft. Given that the defence
budget took a big cut in August would you say that either of those two programs
are threatenend and were you able to tell Boeing anything about that today?
PM: We discussed both of those. There's another development of the AWACs
program which Australia is going to wait for, we're not going to be picking at a
ftaditr, conventional technology. In other words, a 707 with a dish on the top.
We're not buying any of those. I think we'll wait for the later development. But,
on the P3, well, this is our maritim surveillance capability and Boeing is going to
be part of a group tendering for the refurbishment program, but that program will
go ahead.
J: Can you guarantee the AWACs will go ahead, based on the 767 airframe?
PM: No. And I don% think it ever will go on a 767 airframe. We'll go for... thars only
for a very conventional technology which we are not interested in. We want to go
to the next generation AWACs technology which doesn't require a very big
aeroplane to carry it around.
J: Did you discuss a VIP plane for yourself?
PM: No. Like all good salesmen they said, " We've got everything on offer, including
those," and I said, " Thank you, no, no, we're happy with one of your earlier
models."
J: In ters of Boeing's chances for the P3 Orion you say they're just one of the
firms tendering offers there? And in terms of AWACs there doesn't seem to be
any commitment for either of those programs on Australias part
PM: Are you a Boeing rep' are you?
1: No, no I'm from the local media in Seattle.
PM: Well, I suppose that's one and the same around here, right?
J: inaudible.. Australia's going to spend some money here.
PM: Well, we're always spending money here. No, I think the P3 program will go
ahead and Boeing will probably become part of the consortium for the
redevelopment of our P3 capability. But on the AWACs, we're going for the next
generation of technology which lets us out of these very big airframes.
J: Do you say the 767, then, is not suitable, in terms
PM: We won't need it. It will just go in a much smaller, fuel efficient aircraft.
J: Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir says he is not sorry that he didn't come to Seattle.
He says if you snub your nose at people they take more notice of you. Is he a lost
cause for APEC?
PM: Look, I don't know and I don't care. I'm sick of asking questions about Dr
Mahathir. Everyone bad a chance to come here if he didn't come, that's his
business. The thing about it was, it was just a very historic meeting. Just
remember this: we war sitting there with the leaders of half the world's
production. China's sitting there even though it has great diplomatic problems
wih the Unted Staes whmthe U. S. has putan embrgoon ms alearmt
of China's activity; where President Soeharto, who reprzmt the non-alignd
movement in Indonesia, was sitting there. I mean, it wus a most historic gathering
and everyone who was there felt the sense of history of it But, I think the other
great thing about it was, it was a meeting of leaders without officials. The leaders
there were making their interventions and moaking their suggestions without notes
from officials and without winiks and nods. And, it had a tremendous freshness
and vitality about it. And, to put together an organisation like this. for the Asia.
Pacific area, will enhance economic developments in the* Asha-Pacific very
rapidly, I believe, compared to that which would otherwise happen. And, it will
also just, naturally, produce a good strategic envirnment, a better strategic
environment because these leaders know each other and are talking to one
another.
J: Is theme still time for Dr Mahathir to get on board?
PM: Look, I couldn't.-please don't ask me any more questions about Dr Mahatbir. I
couldn't care less, frankly, whether he comes or not.
J: Will you still see him next year, Prime Minister?
PM: Yes. I'll see him in his own right. Malaysia is a country which Australia has
interests with and which is a neighbour and I'll see him on those terms. But,
APEC is bigger than all of us; Australia. the and Malaysia and Dr Mahathir
and any other recalcitrants. I mean, APEC is a very big development in world
termis and, I think, ushers in a period of important cooperation very important
cooperation in what is already the most integrated trading area of the world.
What you saw yesterday was a very historic meeting and I think the sense of
history was not lost on any one of us there.
J: Do you want the same formuat for the next one?
PM: I think the format's fine and I think the fact that the leaders agreed to have another
one was very important and we'll have the samne sort of arrangement wHere the
leaders will attend without officials and we'll have a genuine discussion. It was,
one of the high points for me was, we were sitting there in this room just fifteen
people with these huge economies, discussing these contemporary problems. The
problems in developed economies of high productivity and higher output but with
fewer people involved and, therefore, higher unemployment. What we do about
that, how we get these developing economies able to cope with their savings
requirements and' nFrasruure needs... and to have leaders actually sitting there
focussing on these particular issues and thinking inventively about poroblems is a
pretry novel experience.
J: Mr Kmazng, should the outlook for the economy change in any way because of
the APEC conference?
PM: No. I don't think the short term outlook changes, we're in a growth phase now. I
don't think the short term outlook changes but the long term outlook certainly
changes. I think that, you know, we were just talking to Boeing about simple
things like standardisation of receiving capacities in airports, some
comprehension about the development of generations of aircraft and how they
will be accepted. And whether wide-bodied aircraft carrying many people comning
to few national airports and using them as feeder airports will be the way things
develop, or whether we should go to one step down in smaller generation widebodied
aircraft which go to other ancillary ports. I mean, all, these things are very
key questions in the development of transportation. And the APEC group can
think about these things because the greatest growth in air travel is in the Asia.
Pacific. The greatest growth in & icraft sales is in the Asia-Pacific. The growth in
air travel is in the Asia-Pacific. So, what we do with our airports will decide how
the aircraft are buit to take these things. So, APEC's going to have avery big
spin-off for Boeing, a very big spin-off for the aviation industry in general and the
tourism industry.
Ends.