( ADDRESS TO BE GIVEN BY THE PRIME MINISTER) 4
NOTES FOR LABOR DAY DINNER SPEECH' 9
VICTORIAN I1RADLS HALL COUNCIL
LOWER MLLBUURNJE TOWN HALL
SATURDAY 8 MA~ RCH, 1975
EIGHT YEARS AGO THIS WEEKEND I FIRST RESPONDED
TO THIS TOAST As LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN
LABOR PARTY.
WE AT A CRITICAL STAGE IN THE HISTORY OF
THE MOVEMENT AN. D THE PARTY.
I SAID THEN: " POLITICAL OPPOSITI'ON IS NO
SUBSTITUTE FOR POLITICAL POWER. THE REAL
TEST OF WHAT WE CALL OUR PRINCIPLES IS NOT
THEIR PRESUMED PURITY BUT THEIR PRACTICAL
APPLICATION." EIGHT YEARS LATER THE CONTEXT IS VERY DIFFERENT..*
BUT THE RELEVANCE OF THOSE REMARKS REMAINS.
EIGHT YEARS AGO AFTER THE DEBACLE OF 1966 THERE WAS
A VERY REAL QUESTION OF WHETHER THE AUSTRALIAN
LABOR PARTY WOULD EVER FORM A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
AGAINt THERE WERE POWERFUL FORCES AT WORK FOR THE
DISINTEGRATION OF THE PARTY. THEY WERE
STRONGEST IN THIS STATE 4!.
-2-
Now WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN TWO NATIONAL
ELECTIONS WITHI[ J 1.8 MONTHS OF EACH OTHER.
THE TWO-YEARS-AND-THREE-MONTHS WE HAVE
HAD IN OFFICE HARDLY CONSTITUTE THE DEFINITIVE
TEST OF OUR ABILITY TO CARRY OUT OUR PROGRAM,
TWICE PRESENTED TO THE . PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF
A THREE-YEAR PROGRAM$
OUR DIFFICULTIES HAVE BEEN COMPOUNDED BY THE
UNREMITTING OBSTRUCTION IN THE SENATE AND THE
UNRELENTING HOSTILITY OF AN OPPOSITION WHICH
JUST WON'T ACCEPT THE PEOPLE'S VERDICT,
AND FURTHER NOT FOR THE FIRST TIME AN
AUSTRALIAN LABOR GOVERNMENT FINDS ITSELF IN
POWER AT A TIME OF PROFOUND INTERNATIONAL
DIFFICULTY$ DESPITE THESE FACTORS* DESPITE THESE PRESSURES
FROM HOME AND ABROAD I BELIEVE WE HAVE
DEMONSTRATED THE TRUTH OF WHAT I SAID EIGHT
YEARS AGO THE OVERRIDING IMPORTANCE OF OUR
ABILITY THROUGH PARLIAMENT TO PUT OUR
PROGRAM INTO PRACTICE$ 3/,
-3-
WE CAN LOOK AT IT TWO WAYS,
THERE IS THE NEGATIVE WAY TO THINK OF THE
APPALLING ALTERNATIVE,
THERE IS THE POSITIVE WAY WHAT OUR PROGRAM
AND OUR POLICIES MEAN FOR THE VAST MAJORITY
OF OUR SUPPORTERS AND FELLOW CITIZENS OF
AUSTRALIA,,"
ONE MUST GIVE SOME SORT OF CREDIT WHERE CREDIT
IS DUE; AND THIS MUCH AT LEAST MUST BE SAID
FOR OUR OPPONENTS$ WE'VE HAD THE SIDE-EFFECT
OF MAKING THEM COME CLEAN ABOUT THEIR INTENTIONS.
To PROVE HIS TOUGHNESS, TO PROVE HIS ORTHODOXY,
MR SNEDDEN HAS DECLARED THAT HE WOULD UNDO MOST
OF WHAT LABOR HAS DONE.
To PROVE HIS OWN PARTICULAR BRAND OF TOUGHNESSi
MR MALCOLM FRASER, MR SNEDDEN'S RIVAL, HAS
REVEALED HIS INDUSTRIAL PLANS A RETURN TO THE
PENAL'CLAUSES, JAIL SENTENCES FOR MEMBERS AS
WELL AS OFFICIALS, A COMPLETE WAGE FREEZE$
A NETWORK OF INFORMERS AND INTIMIDATION WITHIN
THE UNIONS.
You CAN'T SAY WE HAVEN'T BEEN WARNED, 11, q/
IT IS TRUE T1lAT LIBERAL POLICIES CHANGE
WITH THE OPINION POLLS$
AFTER THEIR D7F7AT IN 1972 TIITY MADE SOME
TOKEN ATTEMPT TO RECOVER THE M4IDDLE-GROUND.
THE TRENDIES HAD THEIR LITTLE DAY.
HAMER WAS GOING TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN BUT
WHEN IN THE FACE OF OUR ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES
THE POLLS BEGAN TO CHANGE, IT WAS A DIFFERENT
STORY,
OUR OPPONENTS BEGAN TO THINK THAT THEY COULD
GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING,
THEY STOPPED WORRYING ABOUT THE PUBLIC AND
BEGAN DEVOTING THEIR ENERGIES TO THE BATTLE FOR
THE LEADERSHIP.
THIS BATTLE IS NOW REACHING DECISION POINT.
THIS WEEK IN CANBERRA THE DOGS WERE WERE WOOF
WOOFING IT SNEDDEN MUST GO.
BUT HOWEVER IT TURNS OUT WE NOW KNOW FROM THEIR
OWN DECLARATIONS THAT THE LIBERAL ALTERNATIVE
IS BENT UPON DISMANTLING AND DESTRUCTION
BENT UPON A COURSE OF SOCIAL REACTION AND ECONOMIC
AND INDUSTRIAL REPRESSION.
So THAT IS THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF WHY IT IS SO
CRUCIAL$ 6 O o5/ 1 a
THE DAMAGE THREATENED BY OUR OPPONENTS' RETURN
GOES BEYOND THE THREAT OF OBSTRUCTION OF OUR
MOST IMPORTANT PROGRAMS EDUCATION, CITIES,
WELFARE, HEALTH. THEY WOULD THREATEN THE
LIVING STANDARDS OF THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY
OF EMPLOYEES, THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF
AUSTRALIAN MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE IN EMPLOYMENT$
A REPORT BY THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION
PUBLISHED LAST WEEK SINGLES OUT AUSTRALIAN
WOMEN WORKERS AS THE RECIPIENTS OF THE BIGEST
INCREASE IN REAL WAGES IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
IN THE WORLD IN 1974.
AUSTRALIA IS ONE OF ONLY SIX COUNTRIES WHERE THE
BUYING POWER OF THE PAY PACKET IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY
LAST YEAR. THE OTHERS ARE BELGIUMI KOREA, NORWAY, a
POLAND AND YUGOSLAVIA$
FROM THE DECEMBER QUARTER 1972 TO THE SEPTEMBER
QUARTER LAST YEAR PRICES ROSE 27-PER CENT BUT
AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS ROSE 40 PER CENT. IN THAT
PERIOD MINIMUM WEEKLY WAGES FOR MEN ROSE BY
47 PER CENT AND FOR WOMEN 68 PER CENTO REAL
WEEKLY EARNINGS BEFORE TAX ROSE BY 10.4 PER CENT
AND AFTER TAX By 7.5 PER CENTS v o s6/ a
-6-
EVERY COMPARABLE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD HAS
SUFFERED RISING UNEMPLOYMENT AND RISING PRICES,
CERTAINLY THE PRESENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS
TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND WE ARE FIGHTING IT ON
ALL FRONTS, BUT AUSTRALIA AMONG THE COUNTRIES
SUFFERING THE SAME PROBLEMS HAS BEEN OUTSTANDINGLY
SUCCESSFUL IN MAINTAINING AND INCREASING THE
REAL VALUE OF WAGES FOR THOSE IN EMPLOYMENT.
THAT IS WHAT IS BEHIND THE CONCERN EXPRESSED BY
JIM CAIRNS AND ME-ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF
EXCESSIVE WAGE CLAIMS THIS YEAR. IT'S NOT A
MATTER OF BLAMING UNIONS OR UNION OFFICIALS$
WE DO WANT, HOWEVER, TO SEE THAT THE VALUE OF WAGE
INCREASES IS A REAL ONE NOT JUST A PAPER INCREASE.
AND WE DO WANT TO SEE THAT WORKERS DO NOT PRICE
THEMSELVES OR THEIR FELLOW-WORKERS OUT OF JOBS.*
DON'T LET' S HAVE ANY OF THIS NONSE NSE THAT
EITHER THE AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM OR THE
ECONOMIC SYSTEM MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE* FOR A LABOR
GdVERNMENT TO APPLY LABOR PRINCIPLES.
I KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING THE SYSTEM CAN BE.
IT IS DOUBLY SO WHEN WE HAVE AN OPPOSITION-SUCH
AS THE PRESENT ONE, DETERMINED TO OBSTRUCT AND
DESTORY BY WHATEVER MEANS AT ITS DISPOSAL.
o* 971@
-7-
YET DESPITE ALL THE DIFFICULTIES THE LABOR
GOVERNMENT IS WORKING.
WE HAVE USED THE SYSTEM TO SECURE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
RE-DISTRIBUTION OFWEALTHEVER TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN
AUSTRALIAN HISTORY.
WE HAVE USED IT TO SECURE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
INCREASE IN REAL INCOMES FOR THE OVERWHELMING
MAJORITY ACHIEVED SINCE THE WAR -THIS DESPITE THE
WORLD-WIDE INFLATION, DESPITE THE WORLD-WIDE UPWARD
TREND IN UNEMPLOYMENT.
ABOVE ALL, WE HAVE USED IT TO IMPLEMENT OUR PROGRAM*
WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED AN EXTRAORDI1NARY PROPORTION OF
THE PROGRAM ON WHICH WE WERE TWICE ELECTED -AND
THIS DESPITE THE UNPARALLELLED OBSTRUCTION IN THE
SENATE AND THE LACK OF CO-OPERATION FROM THE STATES.
TRUE THE FEDERAL SYSTEM CREATES EXTRAORDINARY
DIFFICULTIES FOR A SOCIAL DEMOCRAT GOVERNMENT.
YET-WE ARE MAKING REMARKABLE HEADWAY. THERE IS
CERTAINLY-NO CAUSE FUR LOS ING FAITH IN OUR CAPACITY
TO ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVES, TO IMPLEMENT OUR
PROGRAM, TO APPLY OUR PRINCIPLES, ANY MORE THAN
THERE IS CAUSE TO LOSE FAITH IN OURSELVES AS A
PARTY, AS THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED
BY THE PEOPLE WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS NATION.