**** CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY""* (( 2A
PRIME MINISTER
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING, MP
NATIONAL STRATEGIES CONFERENCE
SYDNEY 24 NOVEMBER 1994
It's a great pleasure to be here tonight to open this
very important National Strategies Conference.
It is an auspicious curtain raiser for the revamped EPAC,
and I congratulate the organisers, particularly Glen
Withers. I think a couple of comments need to be made at the
start. The first is that this is a conference of ideas: it is by
way of a think tank, a discussion among a very wide range
of Australians about where our opportunities lie, what
our ambitions should be, and what are the best ways to
realise them.
In other words, it is a means of creating some national
strategic ferment. If we create enough of it, new
policies will follow in due course.
The second comment that needs to be made is that the
focus here is not on economics alone.
The focus is on the things we need to do ( and need nct to
do) if we want Australia to remain a very good place to
live a pre-eminent and improving place to live and
work and raise our children.
While the strength and flexibility of the economy is
fundamental to this goal, a strong economy will not by
itself generate a strong society, or a compassionate and
creative one.
If the various aims of this conference can be boiled down
to one, it might be this: how do we balance economic
imperatives with human ones for security and peace of
mind, for a decent environment, for cultural nourishment,
and, particularly in this era of relentless change, for
confidence, hope and belief.
On the one hand, I imagine, this conference will be
examining where change is needed and the best way to
achieve it.
On the other, I should hope you will be looking at ways
to ca; 1 with change.
Perpetual motion is stressful. The new is exciting but
we know it also has an element of shock about it.
This conference will make a contribution to our national
life if it can help us find solutions to these problems
which beset modern life. If it can help us keep moving
at a respectable clip, but with everyone on board and
without too much motion sickness.
In fact, we are doing this better than most. In the past
year, the Australian economy has grown at more than 4 per
cent.
At the same time, we have added to one of the most
sophisticated social security systems in the world a
revolutionary Job Compact and other education and labour
market programs, to extend opportunities to the long term
unemployed and make Australia's safety net more secure.
There is every reason to be positive.
We have an outstandingly favourable conjunction of
circumstances, the best for 30 years economic growth
combined with rapid employment growth, falling
unemployment, low inflation, record profit levels and
continuing high levels of international competitiveness.
The foundations of Australian society are very strong
they have never been stronger I believe and the
opportunities have never been greater.
I know some people have been saying in recent times that
things were better a generation ago.
It is true that unemployment was lower then and there is
no doubt that Australians enjoyed a high standard of
living. But it is also true that the labour force was
much smaller and a smaller percentage of Australians
participated in it.
This is not the time to enter into a debate with the past
and those who continue to prefer it to contemporary
Australia. But some of the nonsense should be shown for what it is.
Real household disposable income is about 50 per cent
higher now than at the end of the 1960s.
And we are surely much richer in the less tangible
things.
In cultural terms so much less provincial, inward
looking and xenophobic. Much more open to the world and
very much more worldly.
This is an infinitely more interesting Australia and
one much more in charge of its destiny.
I hope you bring to this conference a sense of
achievement and optimism which Australians are entitled
to feel.
Not smugness or complacency, because too much remains to
be done and because, in this very competitive world, the
process of change and adjustment never ends.
But we have every reason to feel proud of what we have
done in recent times and confident about what we can do.
And it would be as foolish to leave this sentiment out of
your equations as it would be to leave out that other
great intangible of Australian life I mean a people
who, by tradition, recognise that cohesion, tolerance,
and fairness are the greatest social virtues.
Tie these things to the unprecedented opportunities which
now exist particularly those opportunities in the
region and the conclusion is inescapable.
The starting point of this conference should be that at
this point in Australia's history, things are very much
in our favour.
So what we need and what this conference can help
provide, I hope, are practical, coherent strategies to
consolidate our gains.
It would be inappropriate, of course, to pre-empt any of
your deliberations; but perhaps I should spell out what
are, broadly speaking, the Government's priorities.
First, of course, we need to maintain a competitive
growing economy if we are also to maintain steady
improvements in living standards and lower rates of
unemployment. For this reason we continue to seek greater economic
and political engagement with the region where the
opportunities are greatest the Asia-Pacific. That
is an essential element of Government strategy.
Our physical environment is our greatest natural
asset and a defining force in our national life and
character. It is crucial to any national strategy
that we redouble our efforts to achieve sustainable
development across the continent.
Finding paths to social and economic justice for
groups that have long been disadvantaged has, I
think, been a hallmark of this Government. Because
it makes not just for a fairer society but a more
cohesive, confident and productive one, it remains a
policy priority.
We will also continue to encourage a creative and
cultural environment which enriches all Australians
and fosters ideas and innovation in an era when, as
probably never before, such things determine the
success of individuals and nations.
And because we are always stronger when we are sure
of our identity and we will continue to do those
things which are necessary to encourage a better
understanding of our democratic heritage, a deeper
faith in it and a deeper sense of what it means to
be Australian.
Australia's success self-evidently depends upon the
faith and belief of its young people, and that in
large part depends upon their education and skills
their capacity to create and to seize opportunities.
Education and training are fundamental to the
Government's national strategy, particularly the
development of the TAFE system.
Let me take you briefly through these objectives one by
one. The challenge to economic policy is to sustain the
favourable conditions we now have while reducing
unemployment to the level of around 5 per cent we have
set as a target by the end of the century.
This obviously implies a need both for effective monetary
and fiscal policies and for continuing microeconomic
reform to increase our productive capacity.
We have set out a program to reduce the budget deficit to
around 1 per cent of GDP by 1996-97.
Not only is this one of the most stringent targets set by
any OECD country, it is also being pursued by an economy
which has one of the strongest public sector balance
sheets in the world.
On the monetary side, we have reacted quickly to emerging
trends, and clearly the authorities will continue to
monitor developments closely and take whatever action is
necessary to sustain the recovery.
We have achieved a great deal in the area of
microeconomic reform but the forward agenda remains
prodigious.
We will soon have the report of the National Transport
Planning Task force.
In December, the Broadband Services Expert Group will
deliver its final report, which I will discuss a little
later.
But the central microeconomic game at the moment is
competition policy, including the proposed reforms to the
electricity and gas sectors.
The ball is very much in the States' court. Their case
for so-called compensation is more strident than
reasonable and if they try to drive too hard a bargain
the Commonwealth will simply go it alone.
We will pursue it in the national interest.
As I have said more than once in recent times, the States
are a permanent part of the political culture and their
sovereignty and integrity are not in question.
What is questionable is the constant " States rights"
refrain, as if the federation was created for this
purpose rather than to make an Australian nation.
The rights on microeconomic reform, like every other
issue, pertain to the rights of Australians and the
Commonwealth's responsibility is to protect and advance
those rights.
The Commonwealth's responsibility is to continue the
campaign for a more competitive and productive nation.
Every one of us knows that microeconomic reform is
fundamental to this. It is, therefore, fundamental to
our continuing success in the region and the world.
Last week's APEC leaders meeting in Bogor was a critical
turning point for Australia and the region, and really no
one should be in any doubt about it.
First in Seattle, then in Bogor, we have settled some
fundamental questions about the shape of our region and
the institutions that will serve it into the next
century. APEC makes less likely the division of the post-Cold War
world into three competing blocs. By engaging China,
Japan, the United States and the developing economies of
ASEAN in a multilateral economic framework, it also gives
us greater political and strategic assurance during a
period of very rapid change.
The firm commitment which leaders made in Bogor to free
trade in the region by 2010 for developed countries and
2020 for developing countries, is the best sign we could
have that the dynamic growth which has characterised East
Asia over the past ten years, will continue.
APEC, as I have said recently, did not have to happen.
There were many other alternative futures for the region,
and among them the most likely candidate was drift. All
of them, I am convinced, would have been less happy
outcomes for Australia and for the countries around us.
But APEC is not the only or even the primary, means of
our engagement with the region. Strong, trusting,
bilateral links with our neighbours are essential both
in their own right, and if APEC's ambitions are to be
sustained. In our strong and diversified ties with Japan, our
rapidly deepening relationship with Indonesia, our longstanding
links with China and our growing relations with
Korea, our ties with the region have never been better.
This is a strong foundation on which to build.
Building a bilateral relationship of substance and trust
with Indonesia has been a prime aim of the Keating
Government. Indonesia is our largest, nearest neighbour much of our
future and theirs will be governed by what we are able to
do together.
At the cultural, commercial and strategic level,
Indonesia is the country of the greatest importance to
Australia; hence building that co-operation and
interdependence is central to Australia's long run
interests. The development of APEC will have important consequences
for the way the countries of this region interact, and
therefore for Australian security.
The maintenance of a strong, self-reliant defence
capability is a central requirement. We must be able to
deter and defeat any attack on Australia.
The Government will shortly be tabling its Defence White
Paper which will look at the way the Australian Defence
Force should be shaped over the next fifteen years. The
White Paper will build on the changes we have instituted
over the past decade to ensure that Australia can protect
its security in a rapidly changing external environment.
A critical element in maintaining defence self-reliance
is the role of Australian defence industries, We have
already shown in the construction of the Collins-class
submarines and in our Anzac Frigate Program that
Australia has the technological capacity to match the
best in the world.
We want to build this into a core capacity for defence
procurement, for our own needs and for the region as
well.
Our economic success and, no less, maintaining our
quality of life into the next century depends on
sustainable use of the environment.
We have been blessed with a superb physical environment
and our responsibility to sustain it is total and
inescapable. We owe it to more than ourselves we owe it to future
generations of Australians and just as certainly we owe
it to the world.
This is an enormous challenge.
We need to address the emission of greenhouse gases and
the management of our coasts, the treatment of our
sewerage and the management of our forests, the control
of feral pests and woody weeds.
This evening let me concentrate on just two the
management of our coasts and land management.
The drought has highlighted the destructive effects of
past land management practices.
Our soils have been degraded. Too much of our more
sensitive land has been over-used.
We have not looked after our inland rivers properly.
We could well face a serious problem with blue-green
algae again this year because of the high level of
nutrients we are feeding into the rivers and the lack of
water flow.
These are large problems and ad hoc solutions will not
do. That is why we established the National Strategy for
Ecologically Sustainable Development ESD.
The Strategy embodied the twin goals of economic
development and conservation of the natural ecosystems on
which life depends.
The Strategy is not an end in itself, but a framework
within which governments are expected to work when making
decisions about development.
I know there is a feeling abroad that there has been much
more talk than action on sustainable development but I
believe we are about to see some dramatic signs of
progress. A prime example is in agriculture.
Across the country farmers are adopting a more scientific
and conservationist approach to land and water
management. The prime mover, of course, has been the National
Landcare program.
Landcare has reached a lot of rural Australia but it
should reach all of it.
A general consensus has emerged that the past four or
five years of raising awareness and planning should now
be translated into action.
Together with participants in the Landcare movement, the
Government is now looking at how we can advance the
overall Landcare objective by promoting sustainable
agriculture and better management of natural resources.
Earlier today I announced a new Land Management Task
Force whose aim is to promote and facilitate the adoption
of property management plans by the farming sector.
At present it is estimated that more than 80 per cent of
farmers do not possess a farm plan including information
on soil and land capacity.
We want to draw into the sustainable development effort
all levels of government and elements of the private
sector, especially the banks.
The results will be five years or so in coming, but they
will be real and tangible.
Among them will be better water quality in our rivers, an
end to declining yields and new more marketable products.
Sustainable development bears a direction relationship to
our strategy for regional development, which is to say
that the great deal depends upon the capacity of local
communities and individuals to take responsibility for
their own future.
We see a lot of Australia's future energy and direction
coming from the regions.
This is where real affections and attachments reside. If
we can get the skills, the strategic infrastructure and
appropriate financial instruments to them, regional
Australia will play a dynamic part in our national
development. The development of regional industries should be matched
by the development of regional identity.
Because it encourages both greater variety and greater
protection, it seems to me good sense to associate
products ( particularly food products) with their regional
source good sense for the industries and the regions
and good sense for the national economy.
I think there is little doubt that regions with a
stronger sense of identity and common interest will also
see more readily the need for sustainable development
practices and will more conscientiously adopt them.
Another environmental issue of great consequence is the
Australian coast.
In fact, there is probably no better example of why
national strategies are necessary.
Historically responsibility for the settlement of our
coast has rested with various levels of government and
various levels of administration without any underlying
direction or unifying objectives. The effect of this
lack of vision is now painfully apparent.
The overwhelming beauty of our coast is marred by urban
sprawl, poor planning and pollution.
We have generally lost the balance between conservation
and development. The number and complexity of issues and
interests involved make this a huge task.
The nature of this problem was documented in the Coastal
Zone Inquiry conducted by the Resource Assessment
Commission. The Report set out ways of steering decision
making at all levels of government towards the same
principles and the same goals.
This is not a master plan, more of a map which lays out
our journey.
We need more maps.
We need them in the cities to keep them both highly
liveable and exciting.
The Urban Design Task Force whose Report was delivered by
its convener, by John Mant, earlier this week offers us a
comprehensive map of the future of our cities which
means nothing less of course than the future for the
great majority of Australians.
On the subject of maps, right now we are engaged in
devising and implementing a strategy for the information
highway in Australia.
In the future, information will be the crucial element,
the key resource for Australians.
As I have said before, how well we play the information
game will determine how well we prosper as a nation.
That is why the Report of the Broadband Services Expert
Group is so important. The interim report has already
significantly influenced our thinking.
It has highlighted the importance to Australia's cultural
development of our content providers having maximum
access to the information highway.
My colleague, Michael Lee, earlier today set down some
principles on broadband cable networks which will help to
ensure that we have such a competitive and open system.
These are fundamental principles we will not divide the
country up into regional monopolies for our carriers; we
will ensure that there is non-discriminatory access to
the broadband network; and there will be open access for
Pay TV usage of cable after a period of up to 5 years.
The leeway is to encourage the rollout of the cable by
allowing those concerned to share in the initial revenue.
The interim BSEG report also stressed how well placed we
are to be a major content provider. I am confident that
in the next few years, there will be unparalleled
opportunities for many talented young Australians in this
industry. The initiatives in Creative Nation will help them to get
a start.
To co-ordinate our efforts in this rapidly changing area,
I will be chairing a new Council on Broadband Services.
The Council will provide a focal point for examining new
developments in information technologies or opportunities
for broadband services and it will advise on issues
including the Government's own use of the new
technologies or various regulatory issues.
These things are essential. They are to this moment in
our history what railways and roads were a hundred years
ago. Earlier, I said that social and economic justice for
disadvantaged groups remains one of our priorities.
I think people have heard me talk about the principles
underlying the Native Title Act and the Land Fund for
Aboriginal Australians.
I also think they are familiar with the Government's
programs for the long term unemployed and the principles
underlying them.
It will be enough to repeat that we take the view that
the social and economic reasons for bringing the long
term unemployed back into the mainstream workforce are
compelling.
Compelling because it is both a massive waste of
resources and an invitation to alienation and social
discord to leave them out.
The principle underlying the Government's social strategy
remains for want of a more elegant word inclusion.
Among other things, that means calling on all of our
talents and energy.
It is in that context, among others, that our continuing
commitment to multiculturalism may be viewed.
And the same might be said about Government policies to
promote the equality and interests of women.
Women have been a profound force in the changes of recent
years. They make decisions every day which profoundly
affect the life of the nation. They make them in
families, communities, schools and universities,
factories and offices. They ought to be making them
more of them in parliaments and boardrooms.
Most of you have probably also heard me recite the
Government's record of achievement in this realm as well.
I suspect you are also well versed in the reasons ' why
this year we delivered Creative Nation, the first
thoroughgoing cultural policy in Australia's history.
And I will not again regale you with the obvious reasons
glaringly obvious I would have thought why Australia
should in this last decade of the century substitute an
Australian for a British monarch as our head of state.
Broadly speaking, these things are all related to
encouraging in young Australians a deep faith in their
country belief in its best traditions and its future.
Creative Nation is about enriching the climate in which
they live. The republic is about leaving no room for
ambiguity if we cannot express our faith in Australia
through the ultimate symbol of our nationhood, what
message are we sending to the next generation?
Not, surely, the wholehearted one we ought to.
The symbolic gestures are important. The real ones are
more so.
The most important initiative we have taken for young
Australians in the past three years has been the
extension of technical and further education of the
TAFE system.
In the 1980s we greatly expanded secondary and tertiary
education. We increased secondary retention rates from
around three in ten to eight in ten.
That was a great achievement and we need one of similar
dimensions, perhaps greater dimensions, in vocational
education and training.
The Youth Training Initiative announced in Working Nation
under which fifteen to seventeen year olds will be case
managed into education, training or work is one step
toward that goal.
The creation of the Australian National Training
Authority to drive the expansion of the TAFE system is
another. The Australian Student Traineeship Foundation, a scheme
delivered through regional partnerships between schools
and industry is yet another.
All these initiatives go towards meeting the great
education challenge for Australian in the 90s to bring
vocational education and training up to the level which
our economic and social ambitions demand. Ultimately, it
should be to a level the equal of any in the world.
It is more than economic and social ambition which drives
this, however.
In the end, meeting those ambitions translates into that
same faith in Australia I mentioned in another context.
Reduced to its fundamentals, the strategic aim of the
Government's policies on vocational education is giving
young people a reason to believe in Australia.
It is our most basic responsibility to give them a reason
for believing. And the best way to do that is to give
them the capacity to grasp the opportunities that now
exist. Nothing is so important to the Government as this and
nothing should be more important to this conference.
This conference which I am now very pleased to declare
open. Thank you.