STATEiENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER,
BAliKSTOWN MEETING. 15 , AY,-1974
Su_ PnBPFR ASKIN HAS SHOWN A RECKLESS AND
IRRESPONSIBLE INDIFFERENCE TO THE NEEDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES
AND THE OPPORTUNITIES HELD OUT TO HIM BY THE AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT FOR FRUITFUL CO-OPERATION,
0 THIS GREAT DEFENDER OF fDERALISM, THIS SELF-STYLED
APOSTLE OF COMMONWEALTH-STATE CO-OPERATION, HAS REJECTED
0@ NEARLY EVERY. INITIATIVE FOR CO-OPERATION PUT FORWARD BY THE
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT DURING THE PAST 17 MONTHS.
HIS DOCTRINAIRE OBSESSION WITH STATE RIGHTS HAS COST
THE PEOPLE OF NEW SOUTH WALES DEARLY.
IT HAS SET BACK BY MONTHS PERHAPS YEARS THEIR
PROSPECTS FOR BETTER URBAN TRANSPORT; FOR YOUTH CENTRES, FOR
HEALTH SERVICES, FOR REASONABLE LAND PRICES,
TIME AND AGAIN ~ ROBERT ASKIN HAS REFUSED EVEN
TO ACKNOWLEDGE OFFERS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT OF
HELP AND CO-OPERATION, MONTHS HAVE PASSED WITHOUT A REPLY
TO OUR LETTERS. c N*
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YET THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS TREATED SIR ROBERT
ASKIN AND THE NEW SOUTH !' ALES GOVERNMENT WITH UNPARALLELED
GENEROSITY, OUR PAYMENTS TO NEW SOUTH WALES HAVE INCREASED
SUBSTANTIALLY IN EVERY AREA.
OUR TOTAL SPECIFIC PURPOSE PAYMENTS TO NEW SOUTH
WALES ARE ESTIMATED AT $ 540,265,000 THIS FINANCIAL YEAR.
INDER MR. SNEDDEN'S. LAST BUDGET THESE PAYMENTS TOTALLED
$ 294,562,000 FOR 1972/ 73.
OUR TOTAL SPECIFIC CAPITAL GRANTS WILL GO UP FROM
$ 160,793,000 TO AN ESTIMATED $ 332.. 062,000.,
OUR GENERAL REVENUE GRANTS WILL GO UP FROM $ 537,000,000
TO AN ESTIMATED $ 581,000,. 000.
OUR TOTAL PAYMENTS OF ALL KINDS WILL'GO UP'FROM
$ 831,000,000 TOAN E TIMATED $ 1 121,00,000,
LET ME GIVE SOME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, CAva
IN SPECIFIC PURPOSE CAPITAL PAY'MWEINLTS, THE LAST
SNEDDEN BUDGET GAVE $ 10,522,000 FOR UNIVERSITIES; WE WILL t
GIVE $ 17,676,000. THE LIBERALS GAVE $ 10,637,000 FOR SCHOOLS,
WE WILL GIVE $ 32,029,009, THE LIBERALS GAVE $ 107,000 FOR
SENIOR CITIZEN CENTRES; WE WILL GIVE $ 310, n009, THE LIBERALS
GAVE $ 3,500,000 FOR HOUSING; WE WILL GIVE $ 86,000,00, THE
LIBERALS GAVE $ 2,821,000 FOR ABORIGINAL ADVANCEMENT' WE
WILL GIVE $ 3,715,000, THE LIBERALS GAVE $ 8,590,000 FOR THE
COMMONWEALTH AID ROADS PROGRAM; WE WILL GIVE $ 98,270 00,
IN SPECIFIC PURPOSE REVENUE PAYMENTS, THE LIBERALS
GAVE $ 32,155,000 FOR UNIVERSITIES: WE WILL GIVE $ 79,437,000,
THE LIBERALS GAVE NOTHING FOR TECHNICAL TRAINING: WE WILL
SGIVE $ 5,801,000, THE LIBERALS GAVE $ 15,046,000 FOR SCHOOLS;
WE WILL GIVE $ 34,053,000. THE LIBERALS GAVE NOTHING FOR
PRE-SCHOOLS. WE WILL GIVE $ 1,390,090. THE LIBERALS GAVE
NOTHING FOR URBAN IMPROVEMENT; WE HAVE GIVEN $ 5,066 099 FOR THE
WESTERN SECTOR OF SYDNEY ALONE,
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I HAVE TO ADMIT THERE IS ONE AREA WHERE OUR PAYMENTS
HAVE FALLEN DRASTICALLY. THAT IS IN UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF.
THE LAST LIBERAL GOVERNAENT GAVE NEW SOUTH WALES
$ 37,220,000 FOR UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF. OUR ESTIMATED TOTAL'FOR
THIS FINANCIAL YEAR IS $ 4,530,000, I ' U
' 4_ 6 LAND COMMISSION SIR ROBERT ASKIN HAS SHOWN UTTER CONTEMPT-FOR THE
HARDSHIPS SUFFERED BY YOUNG HOMESEEKERS IN HIS STATE, .1E HAS
DONE. NOTHING TO CHECK THE SOARING COST OF LAND IN NEW SOUTH
WALES. LAND COSTS IN SYDNEY ARE THE HIGHEST IN AUSTRALIA.
THE AVERAGE PRICE OF A BLOCK OF LAND IS $ 18,500. THE NEW
SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT HAS REFUSED TO USE ITS POWERS TO CHECK
THE LAND SPIRAL, DESPITE THE FACT THAT IN HIS 1970 ELECTION
CAMPAIGN SIR ROBERT PROMISED ACTION ON PRICES, INCLUDING A
ROYAL COMMISSION. HE HAS DONE NOTHING TO HONOUR THAT PROMISE,
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S POLICY IS TO ESTABLISH
LAND COMMISSIONS IN EACH STATE TO BUY UP TRACTS OF RESIDENTIAL
LAND AND SELL THEM AT FAIR'PRICES TO HOMESEEKERS.
LOOK AT THE SORRY RECORD OF DELAY AND OBSTRUCTION
BY THE ASKIN GOVERNMENT,
I WROTE TO THE PREMIER ON 27 DECEMBER 1972 OUTLINING
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S LAND PROPOSALS AND ASKING FOR
EARLY MEETINGS. THE PREMIER WROTE ON 15 FEBRUARY NOMINATING
OFFICIALS FOR DISCUSSIONS.
I WE INFORMED SIR ROBERT ON 21 AUGUST 1973 OF THE
S AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S INITIAL OFFER OF $ 30 MILLION TO THE
STATES FOR 1973/ 74 FOR LAND COMMISSION PURPOSES. NOTHING
HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE PREMIER APART FROM A FORMAL
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT DATED 30 AUGUST 1973.
NEW SOUTH WALES WAS TO GET $ 10.5 MILLION IN 1973/ 74
O WITH A SIMILAR AMOUNT IN 1974/ 75 FOR COMMITMENTS ENTERED INTO
IN 1973/ 74.
URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT
WE HAVE OFFERED NEW SOUTH WALES GRANTS TOTALLING
$ 28.6 MILLION FOR URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT PROJECTS COMMENCED
IN 1973/ 74. OF THIS TOTAL, $ 12.6 MILLION WAS TO BE PROVIDED
IN 1973/ 74 AND THE REMAINDER OVER THE NEXT FOUR FINANCIAL
YEARS, THE DRAFT. AGREEMENT WAS SENT TO THE PREMIER ON
MARCH 1974 E IS STILL ARGUING
ABOUT MODIFICATIONS TO THE AGREEMENT. -y I
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YET THE PREMIERS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH
AUSTRALIA HAVE ALREADY SIGNED THE AGREEMENT. THEY SIGNED
IT ON 28 MARCH 1974. I SIGNED THE AGREEMENT ON 29 MARCH,
GROWTH CENTRES I WROTE TO THE PREMIER ON 21 AUGUST 1973 OFFERING C
MILLION IN 1973/ 74 FOR HOLSWORTHY/ CAMPBELLTOWN, BATHURST/
ORANGE AND GOSFORD/ WYONG, I WROTE AGAIN ON 11 SEPTEMBER
PROPOSING AN EARLY MEETING OF MINISTERS,
THE PREMIER REPLIED ON 19 NOVEMBER ASKING FOR AN
INDICATION, IN ADVANCE OF ANY SUCH MEETINGS, OF THE LIKELY
TERMS OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE.
DETAILED PROPOSALS WERE SUBMITTED TO THE PREMIER
ON 12 FEBRUARY 1974. THIS WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE PREMIER
ON 22 FEBRUARY BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE,
QUEANBEYAN BRIDGE.
ON 25 FEBRUARY I WROTE TO SIR ROBERT OFFERING THAT
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION SHARE THE COSTS
OF CONSTRUCTING A NEW BRIDGE OVER THE RAILWAY LINE AT
QUEANBEYAN AS PART OF A FOUR LANE DIVIDED ROAD LINK BETWEEN
CANBERRA AND QUEANBEYAN, WITH THE NEW SOUTH WALES DEPARTMENT
OF MAIN ROADS AND THE STATE RAILWAYS, THIS LETTER, AND A
-rrr nATIl 10n APRIL, HAVE RECEIVED FORMAL
I
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HOSPITALS WE ALLOCATED MILLION TO NEW SOUTH WALES FOR
CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW TEACHING HOSPITAL AT WESTMEAD,
THIS MONEY HAS NEVER BEEN USED.
ON 7 DECEMBER LAST SIR ROBERT ASKIN WROTE TO ME
REQUESTING THAT $ 500,000 OF THE ALLOCATION OF $ 4 MILLION
TO THE WESTMEAD PROJECT BE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE CONSTRUCTION
OF A 104-BED WARD AT THE LIVERPOOL DISTRICTHoSPITAL IN 1973/ 74
AND THAT A FURTHER CONTRIBUTIO N BE MADE TOWARDS THE EXPENDITURE
OF $ 1.5 MILLION IN 1974/ 75 WHICH WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE
THE WARD BLOCK. ON 28 FEBRUARY I REPLIED TO THE PREMIER AGREEING
TO THE ALLOCATION OF THE $ 500,000 BUT STATING THAT THE QUESTION
OF FURTHER SUPPORT FOR USE IN 1974/ 75 WOULD BE EXAMINED AGAIN
AFTER CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT BY THE HOSPITALS AND HEALTH
SERVICES COMMISSION. THE LETTER SOUGHT THAT THE WARD BLOCK
DISPLAY SOME ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S
CONTRIBUTION AND THAT IT BE REPRESENTED ON THE BOARD OF
LIVERPOOL DISTRICT HOSPITAL. IT WAS LEFT TO THE MINISTER FOR
HEALTH, DR. EVERINGHAM, TO TAKE THESE MATTERS UP WITH THE
MINI TER FOR HEALTH, N NEW SOUTH WALES. DR. EVERINGHAM WROTE TO
THE NEW SOUTH WALES mINISTER FOR EALTH IN MARCH REPEATING
THE CONDITIONS OF THE OFFER OF $ 500,000 FOR LIVERPOOL. No FORMAL
REPLY HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT TO
DATE.