PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. KEATING MP
DOORSTOP, DREAMTIME CULTURAL CENTRE, ROCKHAMPTON,
TUESDAY, 19 JULY 1994
E& OE PROOF COPY
J: Mr Keating, you made some remarks about the importance of regions,
we're talking about the Central Queensland region here, how important
will it be in Australia's future?-
PM: Well, I think, that regional development is going to be important across
the country, but probably especially so in states which have better
than average growth opportunities and, I think, this is true of
Queensland it's got this temperate climate running for it, it's got a
population shift running for it. Regions, I think, are getting better
organised, they are more tightly focussed and they do engender their
own confidence. I mean, what studies show is where we see regional
leadership we see progress beyond the national average. Now, the
Commonwealth is prepared to get in and help people in such progress.
We are prepared to get in and help regions do these things, but it's got
to be on the basis that people are there to help themselves too.
But, I think, in this part of Queensland where we are seeing people
are aware of the fact that there are enormous international
opportunities here as well as national ones. I think, that's a big break
through.
J: What is the significance of talking to the young Central Queenslanders
this morning?
PM: Well, I always get a charge out of talking to young people because
their minds are, apart from being fresh and alert, they are not weighed
down with a whole lot of baggage and prejudices and they're just
happy to take things as they come, think about them and respond.
They are always a tough audience young people. They are tough
judges and I always like to give them the opportunity to at least say
things to them directly and it is not filtered through the media or
something else. So, I enjoy the opportunities and well, I think, they
did.
J: How did you impress on them the days of riding on the sheeps' back
are over. It's a tough message to deliver in an area that is so rurally
focussed.
PM: Well, it is not to say that we don't need rural industry, we do, and rural
industries contribution to Australia is still very obvious. Fortunately
now because of the change in the last ten years, rural industries are
now more competitive than it used to -be. But, it is not enough to
sustain the Australian population. It needs more than it. It needs
innovative product markets, internationally traded services and the
other thing is we can have them and we can particularly have them
with a big through put to our education system. You know, high
participation rates in schools, huge addition to university and TAFE
places, all of this is going to power along, push along product
innovation and our capacity to market sophisticated products. So, I
think, with rural industry what we want to do is do the traditional things
well, but add value where we can and our changes of doing that now
are much greater than they were 10 years ago.
J: Shoalwater Bay is obviously the biggest regional issue at this time.
Will you be having a look at it?
PM: Let me confess my interest in some of the pristine areas of this
country. I was one of the members of Cabinet that supported the
decision to preserve the Daintree rainforest, more recently Jervis Bay
in NSW and 1, as you know, commissioned the study of Shaolwater
Bay, looking at the economic and environmental values of the area:
Now, the report has been presented. The Cabinet is about to consider
the report and I hope that will be soon.
J: Have you also had a look at what the miners have had to say about
the report?
PM: Well, I've had some cursory examination of that, but I think, this will all
be revealed in the Cabinet discussion we'll have.
J: So, you can't give any hopes to the ' greenies' here today?
PM: Well, I think, the hope to the ' greenies' as you put it is the fact that the
review is there in the first place and it is now reported and the
Government will have to deal with its recommendations, but there is a
thing called due process and due process means that you don't rush
the judgements.
J: Any comment today on home lending. Banks is a big issue the word
in Canberra today.
PM: Well, I think, the Reserve Bank is doing what central banks do they
keep an eye on the system they run they run the banking system,
look at its impact upon the national economy, its prudential
supervision, and the Government has obviously, you know, had some
communication with the banks about housing lending, its modalities
and its impact on the economy.
J: Should we feel confident then with new home lenders, new home
buyers?
PM: I think, there is more tha n enough. I m-ean, you are seeing now an
absolute proliferation of home lending institutions. An absolute
proliferation of them. We've got the ACTU joining with one of the big
mutual funds to provide housing lending, we are seeing it coming from
some of the smaller savings banks, so I don't think the housing market
has ever been better serviced than now.
J: What about re-regulation as the way to go?
PM: Well, if we are talking about re-regulation in the pure, no, of course, it
is not the way to go. We just spent a decade getting out of it, but that
is not to say that the sensible supervision on the system, that is, the
central bank nudging the system in one direction or another isn't an
appropriate thing for a central bank to do.
J: the drought will worsen, is there anything further the Federal
Government can do to help the farmers?
PM: Well, we think that these climate change affects are now so profound
that they are with us almost every year, that these are no longer simply
a, sort of, fall into disaster category. It is almost part of managing rural
enterprise and accordingly we have now included drought
arrangements in the Rural Adjustment Scheme, well, in the breadth of
the Rural Adjustmenf Scheme ra ther tlian simply regarding it as a one
off, because they are not one offs, they are around most of the time in
one form or another. We are now looking at this scheme and Bob
Collins was, I think, here recently, is now seeking a review of the
scheme to make sure that it is meeting its objectives in terms of
assistance to drought affected areas.
J: The farmers are upset that you haven't been to a droughted property
on this particular tour?
PM: Well, I have on others. I mean, I know what the problem is and it is
coming from these obviously climate change affects. As I say, it is
more or less a permanent feature of the landscape in one place or
another. So, the thing to do is to try and deal with it systemically
through something like RAS and where we think that it is not working
right, think about it, talk about it, review it and get it right.
J: Mr Keating, the remarks made on ' AM' this morning from Thailand's
Deputy and Foreign Minister, are you aware of the pointed criticism of
Australia's stand on human rights issues?
PM: Someone did tell me about it. Look Australia's human rights record is
as good as any in the world I think. It comes from the deep sense of
democracy in this country. People do have a very tolerant attitude to
one another and respect for one another and that's where that respect
for human values come from and I've really thought it is one of our
great strengths here and abroad.
J: Well, how does it feel, the Bishop of Dill making comments that throw
into question Australia's stand and supposed inconsistencies in
dealing with..
PM: Look, no inconsistencies. We've always been concerned about
violations to human rights and we express our concern forth rightly
whenever we have the opportunity. In the case of Indonesia, the way
to express that concern is in the context of an environment of a broad
relationship that matters to us and matters to Indonesia. I think
throwing stones from a distance doesn't have any impact at all. It's a
matter of whether one wants to be effective in registering ones disquiet
of these things or to feel good about it.
J: Do you think it's quite strange that we are standing on Aboriginal land
as you're saying those things?
PM: Why would it be strange? I mean, that's another thing where I think
Australia's record is second to none. We've just passed into law
that's the Labor Party, and some elements of the Senate one of the
largest pieces of property and cultural law that any government has
ever contemplated which is giving justice to Aboriginal people.
J: Will the skills training that we are going to have full employment, there
has got to be jobs there. How do you answer claims from the
Opposition that you have got to have job creation, if you've got to have
trained people?
PM: Well, you've got to have growth, economic growth, and that's where
the jobs come from as the economic growth of the last year has proven
5 per cent economic growth and 3 per cent employment growth.
There is no substitute for growth, but the Opp osition has always
proven it can't manage a growth economy. Whenever it's around
inflation reares its ugly head and the only way they know to stop
inflation is to kill the growth. They are saying well, growth is terrific,
but it brings inflation so we can't have that so lets not have the growth.
When we don't have the growth we don't have the employment, so it's
no accident that Australia is leading the pack in terms of internationel
change, in terms of international growth rates, in terms of employment
growth and it's in this way that we'll get Australians back to work. We
have already had 150,000 job growth in the last year.
J: Mr Keating, do you agree though with the Reserve Bank's concerns by
limiting home loans and funding for home loans, that that is the way to
control inflation?
PM: There is a relationship there between the Governor and the banks
which is a banks relationship and I'm not privy to all this and that's
what we have a Reserve Bank for to manage this sort of relationship.
ends