TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
DOORSTOP, PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBSERRAo 26 MARCH 1995
PM. I just thought I would give you a few words on the election and take a
couple of questions. It was obvious the election in the ACT was a
disappointing result for the Government. I think that the community
has wanted to give the Government a message that it wants to be clear
that it's considering its concerns and worrying about its needs I think
that message is well and truly recieved. The important thing is for
people to understand, though they may feel that the Government has
not been closely focussing on their basic needs, it will be important for
the Government to communicate that it has been, that it is no accident
that we have a strong growth, high employment economy out there, but
we are in this sort of twilight land debate as if it is not happening. It is
happening, the Government is now sitting down to do its Budget, and it
will do a serious job as it has done on all the other Budgets before.
And the aim of that will be to preserve the recovery. There has been
this line that we have had 5 minutes of sunshine we have had 36
months of growth. Three years of growth, and over half a million jobs.
And glib poll lines sent out to people reinforcing their fears is unfair,
and I think one of the important things to say to Australians is the
recovery, the chances of recovery being entirely sustainable, are high,
and the Government will be doing things in the Budget to maintain that
sustainability. But, the public want the Government to do better, in
terms of these economic and fundamental things, and better we will
do. Now, can I just say though, I think the poll does not reflect well on John
Howard to be associated with this sort of push-polling technique, and
Michael Baume running around releasing peoples' tax returns is an un-
Australian way to behave. And, can I just make this other point:-when
there is a real election on as there was in NSW that goes down to
the wire on the big issues, the Green vote has been important. There
has been a perception that the Government hasn't had control of this
forestry debate ' though I think about 60% of green preferences will
come back to the Government. I just make these two points about the
Greens one, we will be, over five years, phasing out woodchips, and
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two, doing everything to protect native forests. But, they should
understand that John Howard has just nominated as his Shadow
Minister somebody who does not believe in International Treaties, so
the Gordon below Franklin would have been flooded, there would have
been no reserves in the wilderness areas of North Queensland, and
the things that they hold dear would not be satisfied under those sorts
of policies. But, it is important, not just for the Labor Party but for the
nation, to get these Green issues right because global warming is here
with us whether we like it or not, this will be an important international
issue from here on in, and we have a unique opportunity here to
preserve our Australian environment, and I want to do that.
Can I just say about NSW, I think that Bob Carr has done
tremendously well in NSW. He has got a better than even chance of
forming a Government, and I will be looking forw~ ard to doing as much
as I can with him and his colleagues.
J: Prime Minister, there may have been 36 months of recovery, but the
people of Canberra seem to be mighty ungrateful do you think that
says something about the fundamentals of economic policy, or simply
your ability to get the message out?
P M; We have gone.... the facts are that the economy is growing at around
and there was the largest fall in unemployment last year than any
year on record. We have got 600,000 jobs that was the principle
matter the Government gave commitments on in the election on that
we have delivered, in very full measure. Now, interest rates have
basically spooked people, they think that in some way we are heading
for the sort of 1980s interest rate changes we are not. We are not.
What we are heading for is the sustainable economic recovery. And
the doomsayers who have switched straight off jobs and
unemployment, straight onto interest rates and the current account,
have got to be held accountable for at least misleading the public
about the value and quality of the recovery we have had. Now, you
have got to remember this about the ACT, too there has just been a
local election here, there has been a substantial swing against the
Labor Party here, the property market here is flat they are a bit out of
sorts. There is a bit of that in it, but whether it is or not, the message is
clear there In the ACT election, and I am taking that message on
board.
J: Do you take any personal resposibility for this, given that....
PM: I am the Prime Minister, and what Prime Ministers do is they take
responsibility for things, and I take it for any loss we suffer. I hope to
be also taking it for the next election when we win.
J: Graham Richardson said you have got to take a big mea culpa on this
election?
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PM: f-Laurie Oakes addressing Graham as Mr Richardson, as a paid
employee and a surrogate I mean he had the Federal Secretary of
the Labor Party on there, but a paid employee of Mr Packer trying to
represent himself as the Labor Party sorry, he had the Federal
Secretary of the Liberal Party and a paid employee of Mr Packer trying
to represent himself as the Labor Party I mean, a lot of credibility
went down he drain this morning on that performance.
J* ( inaudible)...
PM: Look, Graham has taken his thirty pieces of silver let him have them,
but don't give advice to me.
J Do you think the message, though, in the Canberra
election... ( inaudible) about your personal style, Mr Keating do you
think there are any lessons you should take from that?
PM-I think % A/ P 211 tgko loccon~ c 00IAo go through public life and Iifc'a
experiences, but remember this look at the social changes of the last
few weeks: seven-zero on the Native Title, Mabo, the Land Fund.
They are great social and cultural victories for this country. We are
now putting together a Budget, and the Budget will be a good Budget,
but as always a well thought out Budget. And it is these matters of
substance in the last year since the election we have had APEC
threading together the Pacific Rim these are the matters of substance
and the extent that style and the way the Government is working
affects the perceptions of the substance, that is an important matter for
us.
J: There is a line now coming out of NSW that you personally your
image cost the Labor Party 2-3% of the vote?
PMV; We have got a majority of Federal Seats in NSW, and I just say this
about NSW the view being taken that the the problem that the NSW
Labor Party had with Mr Fahey's incumbency, Mr Fahey was
expropriating the growth and jobs delivered to him by this Federal
Labor Government. But, by the Federal Labor Party not being
involved in the campaign, it meant that Mr Fahey was able to claim
that, and in being able to claim it, I think, that's the difference in the
campaign.
J: ( inaudible)... change your style of leadership, Mr Keating?
PMV. I have never sought to be an outrageously popular Prime Minister, but
I have sought to be a very good Prime Minister. I have sought to do,
and push through, all the policy changes that people lushed out on in
the last 30 years. The people that passed the parcel in Federal
politics on opening the country up, of giving us an identity of our own,
of giving us a place in Asia, of making us an innovative, high-tech,
educated society they are the issues that are important. And, I will go 3 P. 03/ 04!
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for the substance rather than the shadow every day of the week when
it comes to those things.
J: With the Budget, are you going to reconsider the Government's
general frame of the Budget now to put more emphasis on
the... .( inaudible)
PM: The Government has a mature process running on the Budget, it has
from the start, and we are still in the Budget round now. And, all this I
think will confirm our view that we have got to do an exemplary job of
it, as I hope we have done in the past. One more question.
J Do you think Federal Labor should have taken a greater role in the
NSW campaign?
PM. When you are fighting an incumbent Government, you have got the
problem of incumbency. The incumbency in this case attached to it
was jobs and growth that was delivered by the Labor Party not the
divisible Labor Party, the one Labor Party. So, a campaign that ends
up being essentially a marginal strategy, suffers from one fact and
that is, you can't claw that basic commitment of the public of
understanding that the growth and jobs in NSW came from Labor.
There is not one major private sector project in NSW that the Fahey
Government can lay claim to the only thing it can lay claim to are
railways, or public sector construction jobs there is not one major
private project in NSW. The growth that is there the growth that is
coming through the general economy, and the employment is coming
off the policies not of the Fahey Government, but of this Government.
I though that was an important point.
ends.
I