J\ USTRAI/ M GoI . N! EiET_ OFFICES
LAST FRIDA':, WITH THE PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH W1ALES AND THE
LORD MfAYOR OF SYDNEY, I SIGNED AN AGREEMENT BY WHICH
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE $ 17 MILLION FOR
THE RESIDENTIAL REDEVELOPMENT OF OOLOOHOOLOO.
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THAT
OCCASION TH1I S. BOTH BRING TO AT LEAST PARTIAL
FRUITION, CNERTAKINGS MADE IN 1972.
THOSE UNDERTAKINGS MEANT A REVERSAL OF EXISTING PLANS
UNDER THE PRE'IOUS GOVERNMENT. IT WAS PROPOSED,
YOU WILL RE'EM3ERI THAT NEW COMMONWEALTH OFFICES WERE
TO BE BUILT " i ' OOLOOPOOLOO A FULL TWO MILES FROM
SYDNEY iHAT WAS HARDLY A MODEL OF
DECENTRALI A' 1. IT TOOK NO ACCOUNT OF THE GROWING
PRESSURE CN r ACILTIES AND SERVICES OF THE
CENTRAL CiTY . EA AND OF ITS TRANSPORT SYSTEM.
IT TOOK NO OOF. :: TH2EN T SPECIAL CHARACTER OF WOOLOOMOOLOO
AS A RESIDE: T: LL AREA. IT TOOK NO ACCOUNT OF THE
CONVENIENCE : 3 AVAILABILITY OF STAFF. IT TOOK NO
ACCOUNT OF T E ' LACE AND PACE OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE
METROPOLIT.. i -AREA OR OF THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE IN
THE WESTEP' REGION.
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So FRIDAY'S OCCASION AND TODAY'S BOTH FULFIL SPECIFIC
UNDERTAKINGS GIVEN BY TOM UREN AND ME IN 1972,
THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN THAT HOWEVER. BOTH
THESE MATTERS REPRESENT A CRUCIAL PART OF OUR WHOLE
. PROGRAM OUR BELIEF THAT THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
MUST BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE PLACES WHERE MOST
AUSTRALIANS LIVE, IN CITIES AND CENTRES.
IT'S FITTING ENOUGH THAT THIS FIRST PART OF THE
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN PARRAMATTA THE
TAXATION CENTRE SHOULD BE OPENED ON THE LAST DAY
OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR AND READY FOR BUSINESS ON THE
FIRST DAY OF THE NE FINANCIAL YEAR, THERE ARE
STAFF C.-F : A" TATION OFFICE ALREADY HERE.
IHIS OFFICE -EESEET3S THE FIRST MAJOR PRACTICAL STEP
TCWARDS IMPLE'_'-TI'CUR POLICY OF DISPERSING THE
? P'BLC SER'/ I-E -T SL-METROPOLITAN AND REGIONAL AREAS,
THIS OFFICE -E= E -' LL BE THE LARGEST BRANCH OF ANY
DEPARTMENT CF ThE AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC SERVICE OUTSIDE
CANBERRA. AS FAR AS THE TAXATION OFFICE ITSELF
IS CONCERNED, THIS MOVE IS THE FORERUNNER OF A PLANNED
DISPERSAL TO CENTRES IN CAMPBELLTOWN, ALBURY-WODONGA, AND
TO DANDENONG AND BROADMEADOWS IN IELBOURNE.
THIS CENTRE ITSELF IS EVENTUALLY PLANNED TO HOUSE
5,000 PUBLIC SERVANTS,
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ONE VERY I =-CTANT ASPECT OF THIS PROGRAM OF DISPERSAL
IS TO BRE.-. -, WN ANY FALSE BARRIERS BETWEEN THE
PUBLIC SEr,': CE AND THE COMMUNITY WHICH IT SERVES
AND OF WHICH IT IS AN INTEGRAL PART. THERE IS
NOTHING MORE UNREAL, IN SOCIAL TERMS, IN ECONOMIC TERMS,
IN POLITICAL TERMS, THAN TO DRAW DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN
PUBLIC EMPLDYEES AND PRIVATE EMPLOYEES.
IE HAVE A :. 1XED ECONOMY AND EACH SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY
IS INTERDE=_ EN. ENT, THIS BUILDING MAY BE A GOVERNMENT
BUILDING, SUT IT' S COMPLETION DEPENDS UPON SCORES
OF PRIVATE CONTRACTS THE BUILDING ITSELF, THE EQUIPMENT
IN IT, THE SERVICING OF IT AND THE PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN IT.
A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WHAT IS CALLED ' GOVERNMENT SPENDING'
ENDS UP IN F. AC AS PRIVATE SPENDING.
T-: E DISTINTC-I: ETEEN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS
IS E. UALLY . L--EAL '-EN IT COMES TO EMPLOYMENT,
FOR EXAMPLE, E 3AN COMES IN TOMORROW OR AT LEAST
IN i1EW SOUT--ES, PART OF IT. HOW UNREAL IT IS
TO SUGGEST 7--T OFFICERS. IN THE PRIVATE HEALTH FUNDS,
BECAUSE CL-ASsI-ED AS PRIVATE EMPLOYEES, ARE IN SOME
WAY DIFFER. E:? ;-ORE PRODUCTIVE THAN THEIR COLLEAGUES
IN MEDIBANK. INDEED LARGE NUMBERS OF EMPLOYEES HAVE
TRANSFERRED= =: CM ONE BUREAUCRACY, IF YOU LIKE, TO
ANOTHER; " EST. ERDAY'S PRIVATE FUND EMPLOYEE IS TOMORROWS
MEDIBANK'S EMPLOYEE. HIS VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY REMAINS
THE SAME; THE COMMUNITY. PAYS NOT ONE CENT MORE FOR
HIS WORK OR FOR THE SYSTEM IN WHICH HE WORKS.
ANOTHER PLE THE EMPLOYEES IN THIS BUILDING ARE
NOT ONLY -3LIC SERVANTS, BUT TAXPAYERS LIKE THE REST
OF THE CC'. JNITYq EVEN THE TAX COLLECTOR PAYS INCOME
TAX, IN A COUNTRY LIKE AUSTRALIA, WHERE ONE
QUARTER OF US ARE ON THE PUBLIC PAYROLL FEDERAL.,
STATE OR LOCAL IT IS A VERY FALSE DIVISION INDEED
TO MAKE BETrEEN PRIVATE EMPLOYEES AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.
I FIND IT :. OT ONLY UNREAL, BUT RATHER REPREHENSIBLE
AS AN ATTEY. T TO DIVIDE A COMMUNITY ON A VERY FALSE
AND FOOLISH DISTINCTION, I CANNOT SEE TO WHOSE
ADVANTAGE IT IS, POLITICALLY OR ANY OTHER WAY,
TO GENERATE THIS DIVISION, TO CREATE THIS DISTINCTION,
THE IDEA OF THE AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC SERVICE BEING AN
ISOLATED ELTE IN CANBERRA IS A MYTH,
T-E PROGRA ? AA. T. ENTAL DISPERSAL IN AREAS LIKE
THIS SO THA~ S-L: VCA NTS ARE SEEN TO BE WHAT
THEY TRULY ? E A REAL AND INDISPENSABLE PART OF
THE REAL CCI' " TY AND OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY
WILL, I TRUST, -EL? DISPEL THAT MYTH.
IHAVE THAT THIS BUILDING PUTS INTO PRACTrICE OUR
BELIEF lIN *. TIONAL INVOLVEMENT, NATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
IN AUSTRALT: A'N CITIES AND CENTRES, THERE IS OF COURSE,*
ANOTHER SIDE TO THE COIN, W4HEN THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
BECOMES INVOLVED, IT MUST ALSO SHARE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR THE LCC..-l _ CONS. EQUENCES OF ITS PLANS.
THE -: GROTh, AT COMES FROM THE ESTABL ISHMENT OF A
CENRE AND OUR OTHER ACTIVITIES IN THIS REGION
PLCETADUNAL PRESSURE ON LOCAL RESOURCES AND
LOCAL SERI/ ES.
THERE 1~ S TO B A FOLLOW THROUGH AND A FOLW-P
AC 0 G_ T7H, SI-AND THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
T_ S7 --zLITIES. THERE " WILL BE A NEED
CNO iT >' IJ z E CO -OP ERATIO0N ' BE TWEEN THE
FERA ~ Y~~ ET rThESTATE GOYERNV1ENT AND LOCAL
: HT GIVE A NEGATIVE EXAMPLE,
A LCNr ' W'AY ARAm ~ T TA -TOWN SIV IL L E,.
THE GRE: AT lNI iOWNISVILLE IN THE LRST DECADE
HAS SPRUNG YELYFROM NATIONAL GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES'.
ACNDT I: T: 3 -THE ARMY BASE, THE AIR FOR'EBAE
THE UNNIVE=, S7_ m'/, THE MARINE INSTITUTE 0 WE UNDLERTOOK
IN 1972 :-~~ TOWNSVILLE, ALONG WITH ALBURY-WODONGA;
A NEW GCT-ZENTRE -THAT IS TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILJITY
FOR THE . ESON LOCAL SERVICES AND. AMENI-TIES RESUILTING
FROM NATICNAL ACTIVITY. v
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NON-CO-OPE?=. TJON BY THE GOVERNMENT IN THAT STATE
HAS SO FAR THWARTED THAT UNDERTAKING, IT IS CRUCIAL
FOR THE WELL-BEING OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS REGION
THAT WE HAVE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE THREE LEVELS
OF GOVERNMEIT HERE.
IF THAT IS FORTHCOMING, THE PROGRAMS OF WHICH THIS
CENTRE IS '. SAT PART, ONE OF THE'FIRST FRUITS,
WILL WORK ' iUIJiNELY FOR THE WELL-BEING OF THIS
HISTORIC CITY, ITS--PEOPLE AND THE REGION ITSELF.