NOTEI; S FR THE PRIME MINISTER
FOR DIAMOND VALLEY A. LP, IARBECIF
2 D) ECEMBiER 19741
J. I'/ IIAf BETTlIE PLACE TO CILLHIRATE LABHOR'S (> REAT VICTORY TWO
YEARS AGO THAN HElIRE IN DIAMOND VALLE: Y, ONIL OF TillE ECI IVE
SEATS IN OUR DRIVL [ OR I'UowIR. LABOR WOULD STILL HAVE WON IN
1972 WITHOUT ITS GAINS IN DIAMOND VALLEY, HOLT, CASEY AND
LATROBE. IT WOULD STILL HAVE WON IN 19/ L WITHOUT ITS EXTRA
GAINS IN ISAACS AND HENTY. THOSE SEATS, HOWEVER, PROVIDED
THE SUBSTANCE OF OUR MAJORITY, IN 1972 AND AGAIN IN 1974,
ITIS A PLEASANT IRONY THAT WE HAVE TWICE SECURED OUR NATIONAL
MAJORITY THROUGH OUR VOTES IN THE VERY STATE THAT DENIED US
GOVERNMENT FOR SO LONG. IN OUR VICTORY IN 1972 A GENERATION
OF BITTERNESS AND DIVISION WAS PUT BEHIND US , lA
NEW ERA OF HOPE AND CONFIDENCE FOR OUR PARTY, FOR OUR
COUNTRY, WAS BORN. OUR POPULAR BASE IN THIS CITY, AND THIS
STATE, tS NEVER BEEN STRONGER.
2. I MUST SAY THAT I WOULD RATHER BE IN DIA. OND VALLEY THAN MR.
SNEDDEN'S VALLEY. BETTER THIS VALLEY THAN DEATH VALLEY,
;' iD THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A BARBECUE TO RALLY OUR SUPPORTERS
THEY MAY NOT WALK OVER HOT COALS BUT AT LEAST THEY CAN
GRILL In-: R STEAKS OVER THEM., I AM GLAD OF MR. SNEDDEN'S
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THE HOTTER REGIONS OF THE HEREAFTER ARE
RESERVED FOR HIS PARTY. dIHFM lABOR MEN WALK THROUGH THE
VALLEY OF DEATH I HOPE THEY'LL GO UP INSTEAD OF DOWN.
s
3. ONE OF THE GREAT BLNI-ITS OF uUR SUCCFSS IN THIS iAKl 0;
i. l. OUKINEL IIA') iLI-N III1-ADDI) TII N ( OF MANY Y) IJNG AND TALI. N II I)
NEW MEMBERS TO OUR RANKS;, DAVID McKI'NZlII, TONY . AMB, PIACE
MATHEWS, MAX OLDMLADUW, JOAN CHILD, GARElII CLAYTON THIY
ARE ALL FIRST-RATE MLMBIRk';, IXCELLENT AC( UIJI'IIf I1ONS TO THE
PARTY AND THE PARLIAMENT, THEY HAVE PARTICIPATED IN TIIE
DEBATES AND DECISIONS THAT MADE POSSIBLE LABOR'S GREAT
ACIIIEVEMENIS DURING I l I A'; IT WO YEARS,
II, IHOSE YEARS HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT, AS YOU KNOW. IN THE LAST
12 MONTHS, ESPECIALLY, WE HAVE FACED IMMENSELY
COMPLEX ECONOMIC PROBLEMS. IT HAS BEEN A TEST OF OUR
NERVE, OUR FAITH, OUR INGENUITY, WE HAVE HAD TO CONTEND
WITH THE TWIN PROBLEMS OF INFLATION AND UNEMPLOYMENT THAT
AFFL. ICT EVERY WESTERN COUNTRY. WE HAVE HAD TO FIGHT BOTH
THOSE PROBLEMS AT THE SAME TIME, AND WE ARE CARRYING ON THE
FIGHT WITh E'ERY AVAILABLE WEAPON, EVERY CONSTITUTIONAL
POWER WE POSSESS. IF YOU COMPARE OUR PERFORMANCE WITH
OTHERS AROUND THE '" ORLD I THINK YOU '. ILL Fi. D THAT WE ARE
DOIN. G BETTER THAN PRACTICALLY ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE
F ' T AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT AND WE ARE HOLDING 0" OWN IN
THE FIGHT AGAINST INFLATION. HAVE TAKEN ACTION ON r,, iY
FRONTS. W RE READY. TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION WHENEVER IT
IS NEEDED, / 3
YUJ WOULDN'F BE IILIMAN IF YOU WEl RE NOT รต IHtE' IMES DISPIRITED
AND DISHEARTENED BY THE FRUSTRATIONS OF THE PAST YEAR. I
SYMPATHISE WITH YOU. I SHARE YOUR FEELINGS. YOU COULDN'T
BE HUMAN IF YOU WERE NOT SOMETIMES DISMAYED BY THE BARRAGE
OF PROPAGANDA AGAINST US, BY THE MISREPRESENTATION, BY THE
MALICE, THE OBSTRUCTION OF OUR OPPONENTS, BY THE OMISSIONS
AND DISTORTIONS OF THE MEDIA, BY THE INCESSANT ATTACKS ON
THE GOVERNMENT FROM VESTED INTERESTS WHETHER ITS REG
ANSETT, BJELKE-PETERSEN, THE DOCTORS, THE WEALTHY PRIVATE
SCHOOLS, OR WHOEVER ELSE IT MAY BE WITH A GRUDGE AGAINST
US, THERE MUST BE TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE ASKED YOURSELVES:
ISN'T THERE SOMETHING THE GOVERNMENT HAS DONE TO BE PROUD
OF? ISN'T THERE SOMETHING THAT WILL GIVE THE LIE TO THESE
AYTTACKS? THE TRUTH IS THAT WE HAVE A GREAT STORY TO TELL,
A FI'F RECORD TO OUR CREDIT. I SHALL GIVE YOU SOME
DETAILS f-IT SHORTLY. BUT THERE IS ONE FACT I ASK YOU
TO REMEMBER: FOR ALL THE MOANINq AND GROANING, THE
DOOM-TALK AND GLG,.. M-TALK OF OUR OPPONENS, AU3TRALIAN' 3 ARE
EVERYWHERE BETTER OFF TODAY THAN THEY BEFORE LABOR
C IN. THE REAL PURCHASING POWER OF AVERAGF TEKLY
EARNINGS, ALLOWING FOR INFLATION, INCREASED BY 3 2% ti THE
YEAR TO Jui,. 1973 AND BY A FURTHER 3.9 IN THF YEAR TO
JUNE 1974 THAT'S A -N OF MORE THAN SEVEN PERCENT IN
REAL LIVING STANDARDS UNDER R GOVERNMENT, ,/ t
6. J D) ON'T SUGGEST THAT OJR ACHIEVEMENTS SHOULD BE MEASURED
IN MONETARY GAINS ALONE. INDEED, THE PURPOSE OF THE
LABOR GOVERNMENT, ITS CENTRAL AMBITION, HAS BEEN TO OFFSET
THE IMPORTANCE OF WAGES, OF TAKE-HOME PAY, AS THE SOLE
DETERMINATION OF A FAMILY ' S STANDARD OF LIVING, nUR
POLICIES ARE DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THOSE ESSENTIAL
INGREDIENTS OF A CIVILIZED LIFE THAT ONLY GOVERNMENTS
CAN PROVIDE A DECENr EDUCATION, PROPER IIEALTH CARE, ROADS,
URBAN TRANSPORT, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, CITIES FIT TO
LIVE IN. To NEGLECT THESE THINGS IS TO UNDERMINE'THE IRUE
BASIS OF PROSPERITY, THE CONDITIONS THAT MAKE FOR GENUINE
SOCIAL ORDER, GENUINE SECURITY, AND GENUINE FULFILMENT FOR
EVERY CITIZEN, WHATEVER HIS PRIVATE MEANS, nUR AIM
HAS BEEN TO WIDEN AND EQUALISE OPPORTUNITIES FOR AUSTRALIANS
lil EVERY FIELD WHERE GOVERNMENT ACTION PLAYS A PART. So
ALL rHi. YEAR WE HAVE PRESSED AHEAD WITH OUR GREAT PROGRAM
OF SOCIAL REFORM AND INNOVATION, WE HAVE NEVER ABANDOt-
THAT PROGRAM OR WATERED IT DOWN SUIT OUR OPPONENTS, j
PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA HAVE TWICE ENDORSED IT, THEY HAVE TWICE
E[ VCTED US TO CARRY IT OUT, WE WILL GO AHEAD WITH IT. IT
WILL , AKE TIME. IT WILL TAKE PATIENCE. AND 1, J THE FACE OF
OBSTRU.-" P TACTICS AND DELAYS IT WILL TAKE DETERMINATION.
BUT WE WILL 6L_ ON WITH THE JOB YOU ELECTED US .0 DOS
7. 1 HAVE PREPARED A LIST OF SOME OF OUR PRINCIPAL
ACHIEVEMENTS IN 1974. I SHALL READ TO YOU THE HIGHLIGHTS
AS MANY OF THEM AS YOU HAVE TIME TO HEAR. I HAVE BROUGHT
COPIES OF THIS LIST AND YOU ARE WELCOME TO TAKE THEM
AWAY TONIGHT. LATER THIS WEEK I SHALL BE TABLING IN
THE PARLIAMENT AN EVEN LONGER AND MORE COMPREHENSIVE ACCOUNT
OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS, IT IS ON THIS RECORD THAT WE ASK TO BE
JUDGED. ON THIS RECORD WE ARE PROUD TO BE JUDGED BY
YOU, OUR SUPPORTERS, AND BY FUTURE GENERATIONS, A LABOR
GOVERNMENT IS AN ACTIVE GOVERNMENT OR IT IS NOTHING, A
LABOR GOVERNMENT IS A REFORMING GOVERNMENT OR'. lT IS NOTHING.
8, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME WHEN LABOR NEEDED A GREATER
UNITY, GREATER SOLIDARITY, GREATER EFFORT. THE BITTER
DIVISIONS AND FRUSTRATIONS AMONG OUR OPPONENTS DO NOT ALLOW
US TO iEL. OURGUARD. THE YEAR AHEAD WILL TEST OUR NERVE
AND OUR SPIRIT AS NEVER BEFORE, WE WILL BE VULNERABLE TO
PANIC TALK,. TO SCARE TACTICS, TO TF. HYSTERIA OF OUR
OPPONENTS. WE WILL BE VULNERABLE TC A CERTAIN IMPATIENCE
AND ,. EWILDERMENT AMONG OUR OWN SUPPORTERS. WE WIL. L WIN
THROUuFH IF WE STICK TOGETHER, IN THE SHOf', T TE. Rii ( OU HAVE
A GUARAITL-OF OUR DETERMINATION TO PROTECT THE WEAK, THE
DISADVANTAGED AI'L,_ THE LOWER PAID AGAINST THE EFFECTS OF
TEMPORARY ECONOMIC AND SOCi. HARDSH! P, IN THE LONG TERM
YOU HAVE A GOVERNMENT PLEDGED TO RAISE OUR SOCIAL AND LIVING
STANDARDS, WIDEN THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OUR PEOPLE, AND
BUILD A PROUD REPUTATION FOR AUSTRALIA AS ONE OF THE MOST
JUST AND ENLIGHTENED SOCIETIES,
h I t