TEL:
PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING, MP
INTERVIEW WITH RAY MARTIN, A CURRENT AFFAIR, CHANNEL 9
SYDNEY, 27 JANUARY 1994
E& OE PROOF COPY
RM: PM, thanks for your time.
PM: It's a pleasure, Ray.
RM: Have you had a chance to talk to Prince Charles?
PM: You mean since yesterday?
RM: Yes.
PM: No. But I had a very pleasant conversation with him the night
before, and we had a little bit of correspondence between us
yesterday morning, but I haven't seen him since.
RM: You haven't. Do you know whether he was concerned? He
certainly looked very calm, didn't he?
PM.-Oh, he's a professional at this sort of thing. He was attending
functions liIke this when he was seven years of age. I think
he's had more experience at these sorts of events than any of
us.
R ut you can't get experience with someone coming out of a
crowd with a gun?
PM: No, I know. But his relaxed demeanour his control in the
circumstances -1 think reflected the professional attitude he
has.
RM: The NSW Premier's called for tighter security. Have you
personally called for that?, 28. Jan. 94 7: 48 No. 001 P. 01/ 0(
TEL: 28. Jan .94
2
PM: No. 1 think one of the nice things about this country is that
people are accessible. I think the important thing to record
about this, is that it was not an assassination attempt it was
a political demonstration. It's unfair to Prince Charles, for
anyone to be reporting it as an assassination attempt, when it
wasn't. It's a serious thing for somebody to be saying that
somebody is out to assassinate you. This was not true, and I
think that therefore the Prince's own relaxed demeanour
reflected how he wished the episode to be viewed.
RM: Yes, he wouldn't have known at the time though, would he?
Suddenly someone comes out of a crowd with what looks like
a gun?
PM: Oh sure, absolutely.
RM: Similarly, Premier Fahey and Ian Kiernan were quick out of
the blocks a~ d _ Sh5~, f extraordinary reactions?
PM: Absolutely. John's had experience on the football field and
Ian's an all-round sportsman, and quick reflexes and I think
everyone would have been very, very proud of their quick
response.
RM: Britain, America around the world that footage obviously is
in the news tonight. Should we be embarrassed?
PM: I think we must reflect upon this. We are all embarrassed
whenever any good friend of Australia any person such as
this is affronted in this way. Prince Charles is a good friend
of this country and he should be treated with the respect and
dignity that a good friend deserves.
RM: What about the alleged reason for the demonstration?
Should we be embarrassed about our treatment of
Cambodian refuge es?
PM: Well, we've got processes in place to deal with refugee
assessment. It's not a simple issue for Australia or any
country, and we've been working thrbugh these legal
processes to try and resolve all these problems.
RM: Children, women, men in jails, effectively for four years?
PM: I know they're long, and we are trying to get them resolved
and finalised. ?: 48 NO-001 P. 02/ 07
TEL 228. a. Jan 94
3
RM: Now the speech itself the Prince gave yesterday, last night.
Some papers say that Prince Charles gave his tacit blessing
to the republican movement. Is that the way you read it?
PM: What he said I think was, or directly said look, this is a
matter for Australians. This is a matter for you people, but
personally I think this debate is a sign of a mature and
confident country. In other words, personally I think you're
able to handle this debate, and it's a good thing you are.
RM: But republicans, he said, may be right?
PM: Well, I don't think I'm entitled to say that he's saying Australia should
be a republic. I think he has said to us have your own debate. As a
member of the Royal Family, we will accept a decision by the
Australian people, and frankly, he said, it shows a sign of a mature and
confident country. I mean he is giving us a wink and a nod to carry on
with this debate.
RM:-You know that's going to be headline tomorrow? PMV says
Prince Charles gives us a wink and a nod?
PM: Not for a Republic, but to have the debate. But he's certainly
not giving us a wink and a nod not to move this way.
RM;. I'm just looking at your speech tonight, shortly in Melbourne.
You have been accused over the last couple of years by
some of bashing the poms over the Singapore evacuation
and Gallipoli and things like that, and yet in this speech you
seem to be out there touting for British business.
PM: There is a really good modern linkage with Britain of the kind
we should have. What I can't stand is this tugging the
forelock business.
RM:-Just before we leave Britain, can I just ask: there was a report
on the weekend papers that Princess Diana would like to
come to Australia. As the mother of a future King would she
officially be welcomed?
PM: I have never seen any request from her, Ray, and naturally
we would discuss that. But again, most people who want to
come to Australia are welcome, that would include Princess
Diana.
RM: Can we leave the Brits there for a moment? We will come
back and talk about other things with Mr Keating in just a
moment. 7: 48 No. 001 P. 03/ 07
28. Jan. 94 7: 48 No. 001 P. 04/ U?
4
RM.-Let's turn to the economy it has been a good year. The indicators are
very good for this, can we let the good times roll?
PM: Yes, b~ ut I said yesterday, and. 1, think it is worth repeating, this can't be
a top end of town recovery.
RMV: What does that mean?
PM: We don't want to see into the stock market and people playing paper
assets, or throwing paper assets around.
RM: Like the high fliers of the
PM: It has got to spread out into plant and equipment investment and into
employment.
IRMV: Can you officially say th -e re cession is behind us?
PM: The recession is definitely behind us.
RM: No question about that. Are you worried about interest rates going up?
PM: The recession Is way behind us, accept that we have still got the carry
over in long term unemployment which the Government is devoting
itself to now in these next three months.
RM: So that becomes a priority suddenly does it?
RM: It becomes a priority from a social justice point of view and a national
economic efficiency point of view.
RM: What can you do about that? There is almost a million out of
work.
PM: Well there is about 400,000 who have been out of work for one year or
more. They're the problem. The Government has got to try and get
them back into the swim as well as get aggregate employment going.
So it's the short-term unemployed and the long-term unemployed.
RM: Someone sitting here watching this tonight and says Keating would
say the recession is over but I haven't had a job for a year and a half
and I'm not going to get one.
PM: Well that is my point. There is a lag there. I think the word, Ray, I
used it a lot with One Nation and in 1992 and in 1993, and that is
Inclusion. This has to be an inclusive society. That we all move along
together. And if someone does drop back, we bring them up. And not
let them slip away into an underclass.
TEL: 28. Jan .94 7: 48 No. 001 F. Ub/ U?
RM: Yeah, but clearly from this speech tonight, you are very optimistic
about the Australian economy?
PM: I think we have never faced in the last 25 years, a period quite like this.
This is strong growth with very low inflation,
RM: Is it a good time to invest in piggeries?
PM: Well it is a good time to invest in Australia's comparative advantage.
One Australia's great comparative advantages is food and we should
all be investing in things which add value, employ people and
hopefully it will lead to exports.
RM: PM, how about sandwich shops?
PM: Well, I think Ministers are entitled to invest in things, but they also
have to be responsible for them.
RM: Alright, was AllanGriffith's responsible with his sandwich shop?
PM: Yes, if you have an investment you have to be responsible for, in
political terms.
RM: Can you tell us tonight who the new Minister is?
PM: No, I haven't decided that yet, Ray.
RM: Would you think, I mean, Laurie Brereton, Simon Crean, Graham
Richardson, Peter Cook are the names, Is that a fair guess?
PM: Well each one of those would be a competent industry Minister.
RM: Does Mr Griffith, at this stage, have a political career?
PM: Absolutely. He is still a Federal member of Parliament, and also while
he will not be Minister for Industry, Technology and Regional
Development he will still have a right to recontest a position in the
ministry.
RM: I know you can't speak about it, so I won't push it further, but there are
reports in the press that Mr Griffith knew about these alleged Labor
Party checks and about the $ 941.00 six weeks before he told you.
PM: Well I am not aware of it. The first, you asked me earlier, the first I
knew of any of this matter was last Friday evening.
RM: Do you think, if that's the case, should you have been told six weeks
ago if he knew?
TEL: 28.2jan. 94 7: 48 NO. 001 P. 06/ 07
6
PM. Well that's a matter for him, and in the end when all this comes out in
the wash, and let's not presume all these things are right, then we can
make judgements about that.
RM. What do you think about Bronwyn Bishops line that you can't run the
industry portfolio if you can't run a sandwich shop?
PM-Well I think the more important line is what contribution have the
Liberals got to make to modem Australia. I mean here they are, they
have opposed everything last year, they tried to knock the Budget
over, they have opposed Mabo for no reason other than to oppose it.
They start the new year without an economic policy, I mean they are in
a terrible situation. You have got Dr Hewson on the one hand, and
now Senator Bishop on the other. It seems to me, Ray, it is a choice
between a vacuum and a lot of hot air. I mean Senator Bishop has no
policy structure in her head.
RM: Do you have any fears at all about Bronwyn Bishop and the bull ring,
or bull pit of the House of Reps?
PM: As far as I am concerned, as they put them up we deal with them. It
was Andrew Peacock, then it was John Howard, then it was Andrew
Peacock, then it is John Hewson. Whoever is next we will be ready
and waiting for them.
RM: Does your crystal ball say she is going to be leader before the year is
out?
PM: Well she is going to keep on trying, even if the Party doesn't give her
the job. But if they do give her the job they know in their heart of
hearts that there is no structure there.
RM: All right, tough question now, what's it like to be
PM:* Well all those Peter Pan notions go right out of your mind. I mean I
belonged to that baby boomer generation which believed it was never
going to grow old.
RM:. Do you feel old?
PM: I don't feel old, but I know I am getting older, much older, and I am sure
there Is no generation that has resisted aging more than mine. And
you see them, and they are still out there, but there ranks are thinning
and they are fattening up, and their hair is thinning, as mine is. So the
years go on.
RM: Do you qualify as a dear old thing as you have called some of the older
members of the Labor Party, are you now a dear old thing?
TEL 7
PM: Not quite, not quite, there is some cross over point, it has probably got
a six in front of it.
R M. You have had your real holiday, the break. What did you do? Did you
read a book, or just play old rock and roll records?
PM: We went to the beach, we went sailing quite a bit, I did a bit of reading,
-a bit of music. I went to a bit of theatre, so, I have had a couple of
weeks of sun and culture.
RM: Did you play any Tom Jones records to loud for Anita?
PM: Well we had Billy Joel, the kids like Billy Joel and so do 1. We meet at
Billy Joel. Everything sort of after him I tend to drop off. And of course
when the kids are around they monopolise all the audio visual
eq~ uipment as it is called.
RM: PM, thank you for your time.
PM: Thank you, Ray. T2EL8:. Jan. 94 7: 48 No. 001 P. 07/ 07