PM Transcripts

7F 6 3 027
FOR PRESS BIDATTLT TV. 1 111
Statement by the Prime a R2tr. hYt. Hofln i Robert Menzies
I hav3-today dis( C aIjed with~ Eenior collea gues
and with Mr. Davidson the qluesl*-. zr:) of' tie showing c' the
Bidault television intevview3
It transpire--t, y r) rastrictiosexs uo
newspaper publicatic.-a whic! 2 " t_ s : yond the 3ontrol of thie
Commonwealth or upon the ohovirj1:: of" -tiie fiir in picture
theatres. Under-these crci; roa we liave all agreed
that the continuance of' thL. t. elevision ban wo-uld amount to
discriminat-ion against th e t-1, n sJt atI-. o ns It has
therefore been agreed,. that the P-c:-;-itastr-G eal il
withdraw the diz-ecticns to theP l: ciision s ations. T he
Postmaster-Genera.]. had anipile sttioypower to give his
directions, and in fact he gav:-e thE'rni after consultations
with some senior coliag,_ Q4o and ns. TrcJlf We all f elt that
the television interview was, f:' cin the.-beginning, a great
mistake. It undoubtoly* gave :' riso to strong ffeelings in
France. France is a f~ ieiidly natl;. on' and is in fact our own
ally in SEATO. HOWVl) aLng . cat e3. our own crit ical
view a vi ew t o which we n6. he r it would be useless
to pursue a prohib: Lt-. on which ex-cr omely l3initLed in its
operation. It has t5herefore, as I hav,, e stated, been decided
t'Uo cancel the e~ sigo d. s. Perhaps the whole incident
will serve to mnake it piain outii e Asti-al~ ia t-hat the ABC
is not an organ of the Au-itralian2 G enet, and that our
power to direct -it is oae that wrould not wish to exercise
except under e:: eeptiona'L. cJ; 7inmrat: er~ ces. To exercise it in
relation to television alcne o. 2. i as the ev1. ents in th! e
present case hiave showvn, sorame m turn out to be ineffective.
CANBERRA, 17th March, 1963-