6 OCT 1967
LUNCHEON IN HCNOUR OF THE PRIME MINISTER
OF NEW ZEALAND, THE RT. HCN. KEITH HOL. YOAI
AT FARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA 3RD OCTOBER, 1.67
Speech by the Prime Minister: Mr Harold Holt
Prime Minister, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
WVe have become accustomed ' n Australia to an invasion
at this time of year from New Zealand to the detr'ment of our overseas
balances, and I understand that yesterday's sporting event in Sydney saw
this fulfilled in the order of 1, 2, 3. I don't quite know what the cost will
be to Australia from the visit here the very opportune. timely and happy
visit of the Prime Minister, but at least ths is something we brought upon
our own heads because he is here by invitation of the Commonwealth
Government and we welcome him very warmly indeed.
He has brought with him his Minister for Defence, Mr
Thomson, Mr Laking, the Head of his Department of External Affairs and
General Thornton, and we welcome all of these to the discussions which have
already commenced with them.
By a happy coincidence we have with us today a group of
distinguished members of the Lok Sabha, the Parliament of India, and to
you, Mr Speaker Sanjiva Reddy and your colleagues of the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association, you are amongst your fellow CPA members and
it has added to the felicity of this occasion to have you here with us. nd I
am sure you welcome this opportunity of seeing the Prime Minister of New
Zealand in person. Keith Holyoake has been with us before, but he wears a
couple of hats, and he came on earlier occasions as Foreign Minister.
This is the first time, : n my recollection of him that he has made an official
visit as Prime Minister of New Zealand, and indeed, I think this is about the
second visit of an official kind by a Prime Minister of New Zealand in our
history. Mr Holland was here at one point of time it may be this is the
second time subject to Mr Holland.
Keith Holyoake has been Frime Minister of New Zealand
since December, 1967. .' hen I was over there earlier this year. and this
was the first official visit by an Australian Prime Minister for just on twelve
years he and I were described as the Anzac twins. Now you will be able to
judge for yourselves how far he has got to carry that particular label. There
are quite a few people in Australia who would feel there is an injustice being
done to you, Keith. I don't know whether it is because you and I both'
smile too often. I am often accused of doing that. Certainly we have both
been in the Parliament of our country for the same period of time. You got
away to an earlier start in 1i-32 but you hit one hurdle which kept you out for
three years, and this has enabled me to match you in length of service in the
Parliament our thirtysecond :) er in the National Parliament of our country.
W. e were both Deputy Leaders of our parties for eight years
and that is a very chastening apprenticeship, I can assure you. You have come
through that to lead your Government since 1S6C, some six years before I
came to office, and there are one or two people in this room who anticipate / 2
r: I,
that I won't be able to match your longevity in that particular role.
In point of fact, you have now become, subject to the
length of service as head of his government of Fresident Ayub Khan, the
doyen amongst the Frime Ministers of the Commonwealth. This again is
a rather sobering thought. Our occupational hazards don't apparently lead
us to a long tenure and you are to be congratulated on being as long as you
have in your particular office.
Again there is a point of kinship in that you were returned
at the general election your held on the same day last year as we held ours
in Australia so that we can claim these points of similarity, but I believe our
thinking goes more closely In line than that. And I have been very glad in
my own discussions with you always to find an . dentify of view from you as
the Head of your Government with that held by the Head of the Australian
Government on many of the problems with which we have to deal together.
.' i. th so many things In common, and with so many common
interests, it is natural that we should communicate frequently, and now
on this occasion, consult directly with each other to the advantage, I hore,
of our two countries. Australia and New Zealand have a common cultural and
historical heritage. have a common language, a common belief in
democratic tradition, in the rule of law. differ to a degree as to the
form of our Parliamentary ' nstitutions you have the misfortune to be without
the benefit of guidance from an Upper Chamber, but we have a common
interest in our two countries in the peace, stab'lity and economic rrogress
in this area of the world.
I said a little earlier that this was your first official visit
in your capacity as Prime Iv. inister, and unfortunately in a sense it is
very brief visit and a vworking visit in which much has to be concentrated here
in Canberra in the time we have available to us. And I do hope that you will
and please accept this as a formal invitation from me on behalf of the
Government and people of Australia I do hose you will take an opportunity
to spend a longer time vw. th us on an official visit in which you can get beyond
the National Capital itsel and see sonrething of the fascination and interest of
the three million square miles of territory that we can open up for you.
You country and ours have been close toget her thrcugh
many of the crises of our times. V. e fought together in two World 7! ars to
resist aggression and to preserve the freedom of small countries, and stablished
together what we both proudly acclaim as the A. NAC tradition. . Ve are both
active members of the United Nations, and despite the smallness of your
population, you have achieved there an influence and a significance out of
all proportion to your numbers. You were recently a member of the Cecur'ty
Cbuncil. You have had one of your countrymen a Fresident of the Assemrnbly
of the United Nations. We are both active inside the Commonwealth of Nations,
and in this area of the world, by geography we are faced together with
similar problems and a similar outlook. H. e are Pacific by geography but
we are also Pacific by national intent and we share a common desire for
stability and progress in the countries of Asia and the Facif; c, V: e share a
significant treaty relationship with the United Ttates through A NZUS and ; with
our allies in the South East Asia Treaty Organisation. Vie participate in / 3
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efforts for wider regional endeavours through such institutions as ASPAC,
the Economic Commission for Aia and the Far East, the Asian Develorment
Bank, and in our work together in the Colombo Flan. And we stand together
with our allies in Vietnam.
The Frime Minister's visit reflects our desire for
continuing friendly consultation in all matters of common concern. A visit
by the Head of Government of his country would be an event of significance
at any time, certainly it is most welcome and timely now, because our main
purpose is to discuss together our shared defence policies in relation to
Scuth-East Asia and the rrplication for both our countries of the changes in
the British defence posture as outlined in the British White Faper. ' ie have
forces working together in Vietnam and we contribute together to the
Commonwealth Strategic Reserve in Malaysia and Singapore.
We have been reviewing our situation there. V'e are
not attempting to reach final decisions at this point, but the talks with you
and your Defence Minister and members of your official party are part of
continuing close consultat'ons which we have with you and with other mutually
interested governments over foreign policy and defence matters. Australia
is neither at the commencement nor the ccnclusion of that process. In come
respects there is time ahead of us. but planning is important now and we need
to know what is going on in the mind of each other.
Already '. ve have found our exchanges last night and earlier
today, and those to be continued through the day, of value to our own thinking
as we hope they will be to yours. There wil' bs naturally other matters on
which you will wish to consult with us, and I know you have had talks vith
my colleague, the Deputy Frime Minister and Minister for Trade, and this
visit is, I hope, not just a rare event to be thought back on as something which
happened in the history of our two countries. I hope it will be the beginning
of a much more frequent process of consultation which I was able to touch
off myself in January, and which I hope you, w'th your own further visits and
those of your Ministerial colleagues here will be able to promote as time
go-s on. I think I did mention to you in Newv Zealand that we had
adopted a rather enlightened policy of enabling Members of this Parliament
to travel at public e: xense to your country as they saw the necessity, so that
we should get to know each other better. are working together on our
Anzac Scholarships which I hope will also lead to a warmer and deeper
understanding of each other's problems. In these ways we hope to manifest
our conviction that so far ahead as our destiny lies, we see Australia and New
Zealand going closely hand in hand together.
I am now going to ask the Leader of the Opposition to
support me before I invite all present to join me in drinking your very good
health.