D
PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
DOORSTOP, PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA, 11 APRIL 1995
E& OE PROOF COPY
PMV: I'm sure you would like a comment on the Premiers' Conference just
to say that we have already agreed to the... . the States and Territories
have agreed to the offer document, in relation to the annual Loan
Council Premiers' Conference component of this meeting. This is, as
you know, a joint meeting in a sense, a dual meeting it's the
Premiers' Conference, Loan Council and a Council of Australian
Governments meeting. On the first part of the meeting the Premiers'
Conference and Loan Council the Commonwealth provided an offer
document, and that offer has been accepted. We have now begun to
consider the Council of Australian Governments agenda, and the first
item on that agenda is competition policy, and we are now discussing
competition policy and its implementation, the Industry Commission
Report, and what financial commitment the Commonwealth may make
to the States. Now, you would be aware that yesterday late last
evening we circulated an offer document to the States, in respect of
the competition policy changes. Now, this is in response to their
expectations about revenue from the Commonwealth in lieu of changes
they might make under the competition principles. You will recall that
there has been a report by the Industry Commission looking at
potential benefits to the Commonwealth and the States from these
things. Now, the Commonwealth said very clearly that we don't believe
there is any reason why one Commonwealth dollar should be paid to
the States for competition policy, any more than we have asked the
States to pay the Commonwealth for the $ 7 billion we have already
forgone on tariff cuts, for the $ 5-6 billion a year we will continue to
forgo on tariff cuts, let alone all the other micro-economic changes.
But we do want to see this document agreed, you know now we have
been to two previous meetings, and in Darwin the Commonwealth's
attempts to have this agreed to were thwarted by the States
intransigence. This time they are in a better mood to adopt I mean,
it's always an irony that a Labor Government has got to extol the
virtues of competition to conservative governments, but that has been
par for the course now for a number of meetings, and now we would
like to see it agreed. So, we are having a discussion about the
likelihood of the Commonwealth paying funds in satisfaction of a whole
set of benchmark commitments, to the implementation of broad ranging
reforms in electricity, water, gas etc. And we have broken for lunch,
and we will be just picking up the discussion over lunch, and in the
afternoon.
J: Does that mean you're willing to compromiseible?
PM: Well, we've been prepared all the way through to try and meet the
States on matters of legitimate concern to them and gradually we're
narrowing the field of disagreement down. But, were this to happen,
this would be a great change for the country. That is, one of
Australia's great natural advantages is a coal seam down the east
coast of Australia. It's not been one of our national natural advantages
because it's been controlled by monopolies. Whenever we've seen
market prices for gas and competition rules applying for gas, we've
seen more gas reserves and more gas. So, seeing these sorts of
changes come in would be good for the country, good for the States,
and good for the nation.
J: Did the Commonwealth have to make any changes on the grants
outcome to its circulated offer?
PM: On the Premiers Conference outcome?
J: Yes.
PM: No, no, basically, I think, in there of course we have real terms per
capita. This is the second year where we have, well certainly the time
that I was either Treasurer or Prime Minister, it's the second year only
that we've had not simply the real terms maintenance of the payments.
So there's a maintenance of the payments from the Commonwealth to
the States in terms of inflation-proofing them, but also adding a
population factor. So, what we call real terms per capita increases the
size of the pool on offer today and the States have accepted that offer.
J: Has there been an amended proposal from the Commonwealth on the
competition policy stuff this morning?
PM: No, no, there was one circulated though last night.
J: You mentioned tariff policy, are you pleased that Mr Howard has
embraced your tariff policy?
PM: Well, you know. this is follow-the-leader game. I mean, Mr Howard,
banner headlines, banner, banner, " Howard adopts the Government's
tariff policies". Well, he adopts nearly all of our policies. I always say
to people, why then if they are looking for the next Government of
Australia after the next election, take the authors of the policies and
not the pretenders, not the copycats.
J: He says you have stolen half of his.
PM: Name one, name one.
J: So, do you believe Dr Lawrence's version of the Easton affair?
PM: She's denied I don't know much about the details of it, but she's
denied the role ascribed her by the Western Australian Liberal Party.
J: Do you accept that?
PM: Yes, I do.
J: Prime Minister, one of your backbenchers says that restraining orders
in domestic violence situations are too easy to secure. Do you think
that is a defensible position in this day and age?
PM: Well, we all stand on our own views in this business. But I think, the
great pity about this debate in recent times is that, well the
antecedents of the debate rather, is a political one not a moral one. It
is a civil war going on in the Western Australian Liberal Party and this
is the way they believe they should fight it and smear everybody on the
way through.
ends