PIZESS 13Tki-': 2I1TT ,1O. 29
22 December 1972
BROALCAST 011 ?. ADIO AU& T2ALIA. BY P EIii INIñ 12.
I. ITLA, CAij. BEiRA, 23 DECEMBER 1972
This is the Prime Minister of Australia, Gough Jhitlam,
speaking to you by the facilities of 2. adio Australia. 2adio Australia
has asked me to make this broadcast so that the millions of people
who know and trust this radio service might get some idea of the
intentions of the new Government which has just been elected here
in Australia. So the first thing I would like to say is about 2adio
Australia itself. My new Government wants ' adio Australia to keep
going exactly in the same way as it has cone in the past years. The
iustralian Government the government which has just been defeated
in the election as much as my own government has never used and
shall never use 2adio Australia as a propaganda machine. There has
never been any difference between our Australian political parties
about this. . adio Australia will continue to be completely
independent, completely free to report the news as it truly is,
Radio Australia is not the voice of the Australian Government.
It is the voice of Australia, and the speakers and writers whose
work you hear are expressing their own views, not the imposed views
of my Government, or any Government. They can do and say what they
like, according to their professional judgement and skills, to bring
you the best, most honest programs.
But there has been a change of Government in Lustralia
a change brought about just by a majority of the Australian people
exercising their choice through the ballot box. The previous Government
had been in power for 23 years; but when the will of the people
became clear on election night, the previous Prime Minister, Mr.
iElciahon, immediately said that the will of the people was clear and
the power of government must therefore be turned over to me and my
party. And it -was done within a few hours completely, quietly,
efficiently. And the great thing about the democratic system is
that this is how it happens. Today, my colleagues of the new
Government and I have working, with us and for us, the whole of
Australia's great and dedicated civil service the same men and
women who have been serving a different Government for 23 years
past, now giving us the same faithful, loyal service they gave
our defeated opponents.
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Yet, in this context, it would be churlish not to
acknowledge our traditional, our deep and abiding relationship with
the United States. In the great essentials, there will, under my
Government, be no decisive change in that relationship. The treaty
bctween Australia, iTew Zecland and the United Stat. as, . thie. JAZUS treaty,
will remain the crucial treaty for Australia, Indeed, we shall try
to make A ITZUS live again, more constructive,, mor-fruitful, more
meaningful, than it has ever been. It is my Government's profound
belief that V ietnam did not end America's role in our noighbourhood;
it ended the destructive part of that role, and we believe a ner,
better and magnificently constructive role lies ahead for the United
States, if only we in this region can help encourage the American
people the most generous, most idealistic people in history to
accept this new role. But it depends on us all of us in this region
as much as on them.
Let me say this I am tremendously confident about the
prospects for our region. There is every chance that over the next
years the rich countries like ustralia, Hew Zoaland, Japan and the
United States will accept greater responsibility in making a determined
and combined attack on the poverty, starvation, illiteracy, that keep
us all b. ack, and lessen all of us as human beings. There will be no
international war in our region in our time. Let us all use this
unparallelled opportunity! Let us make this our objective that
every child now born in our part of the world shall have a chance
for a life without fear, without want, without war. Is this an
impossible goal? Perhaps but why, in the name of reason, in the
name of humanity, should we set our sights at less? Lot us at least
make the attempt. Years ago, I said, in a rather bleak time for my
party, " Let us now begin". For our region I say, with hope and
confidence, " Let us now begin aneow".
CA~ IS. BZjAi A. C. T.