PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH
AT OPENING OF NOW, COBURG, VICTORIA,*
11 JULY, 1975.
IN A WEEK MOMENTOUS IN THE HISTORY OF THIS
NATION,* A WEEK IN WHICH PARLIAMENT WAS RECALLED FOR A
SPECIAL SESSION, A WEEK IN WHICH THE OPPOSITION SHOWED
ITS FAMILIARITY WITH INTERNATIONAL F INANCE AND INTERSTATE
INTRIGUE IT IS APPROPRIATE TO COM~ E BACK TO EARTH TO THE
GRASS ROOTS LEVEL OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN THE STATE
WHERE I WAS BORN 59 YEARS AGO TODAY.
IWAS INVITED HERE BY A GREAT AUSTRALIAN, A GREAT
SERVANT OF AUSTRALIA, A GREAT FRIEND,. DR COOMBS, A. C.,
THE MAN ENTRUSTED WITH THE CONDUCT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION
INTO AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION WHICH MY GOVERNMENT
ESTABLISHED JUST A YEAR AGO, ' I F I
I IT IS WORTH REMEMBERING THAT FACT, BECAUSE IN ALL
THE WELTER OF WORDS ABOUT THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ITS
OBLIGATIONS IN RECENT WEEKS, FEW HAVE BOTHERED TO RECALL
THE FACT THAT THE ROYAL COMMISSION HAS BEEN CONTINUING
ITS INVESTIGATION INTO THE PUBLIC SERVICE AT ALL LEVELS
AND FROM ALL ANGLES, FOR A WHOLE YEAR. AND THAT FACT IS
TOO READILY FORGOTTEN BY OUR DETRACTORS. SURE, IT HAS
HAD A GOOD DEAL OF PUBLICITY AT TIMES, SUCH AS WHEN
PERMANENT HEADS HAVEPRESENTED SUBMISSIONS AND SPOKEN
TO THEM, BUT NOT NEARLY SO MUCH WHEN ORDINARY MORTALS
HAVE BOTHERED TO PRESENT THEIR VIEWS.
IT IS, HOWEVER, TO THE VERY REAL CREDIT OF THIS
ROYAL COMMISSION, UNDER DR COOMBS, THAT ITS OFFICERS HAVE
DELIBERATELY SOUGHT OUT AND ENCOURAGED PEOPLE ON THE
RECEIVING END OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE TO COMMENT ON THE
QUALITY AND COMPETENCE OF. THAT SERVICE AT THE POINT WHERE
* D IT REACHES THE PUBLIC,
THAT, OF COURSE, IS WHERE NOW COMES IN, BECAUSE IT
IS THE CREATION, THE BRAINCHILD, OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION,
AND A VERY PARTICULAR EXTENSION OF ITS RESEARCH PROGRAM.
IT IS AN ATTEMPT TO SEE HOW MUCH BETTER SERVED PEOPLE COULD
BE, GIVEN A MORE FLEXIBLE, IMAGINATIVE APPROACH TO THEIR
NEEDS AS CONSUMERS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE PRODUCT. ITS A
SWING AWAY FROM THE SPECIALIST BOUTIQUE, AND BACK TO THE
ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING STORES OF AUSTRALIA'S CHILDHOOD
COUNTRY TOWNS. i as /. 3
3,
THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
ADMINISTRATION TO USE ITS FORMAL T ITLE HAS BEEN TOLD
REPEATEDLY, ALL OVER AUSTRALIA, THAT THE DELIVERY OF
WELFARE SERVICES, ALL OVER AUSTRALIA, IS CONFUSED AND
CONFUSING. IT IS A SAD COMMENT ON THE WAY THINGS HAVE
DEVELOPED IN OUR SOCIETY-THAT THOSE VERY SERVICES DESIGNED
TO HELP PEOPLE FREQUENTLY ADD TO THEIR SENSE OF BEWILDERMENT
AND ALIENATION AT THE VERY TIME WHEN THEY NEED THE MOST
SUPPORT. EVEN AT. THE BEST OF TIMES,_ PEOPLE OFT . EN HAVE
DIFFICULTY KNOWING WHICH LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT, LET ALONE
WHICH DEPARTM'ENT, OR WHICH SECTION OF WHICH DEPARTMENT,-.
CAN HELP THEM. AND IT'S ALL VERY WELL SAYING THAT YOU CAN LOOK
IT UP IN A PHONEBOOK, BECAUSE -QUITE APART FROM. WHETHER
YOU CAN READ ENGLISH TO START WITH -, IT'S ANYONE'S GUESS
WHERE YOU MIGHT FIND A PARTICULAR SERVICE LISTED.
SO, NO0W I S AN EXPERIMENT DEVISED BY THE ROYAL
COMMISSION OFFICERS TO SEE WHETHER LOCATING* AUSTRALIAN,
STATE, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND VOLUNTARY WELFARE AGENCIES
IN THE ONE PLACE WILL HELP PEOPLE TO. FIND THE PARTICULAR
SERVICE THEY NEED, s es/
NOIS ALSO AN EXPERIMENT IN WORKER PARTICIPATION
IN THE SENSE THAT IT WILL GIVE OFFICERS OF THESE VARIOUS
ORGANISATIONS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK TOGETHER ON WORKING
OUT HOW TO IMPROVE THE SERVICE THEY GIVE THE PUBLIC.
AT A TIME WHEN MORE PUBLICITY IS GIVEN TO THOSE
THINGS WHICH DIVIDE THAN THOSE THINGS WHICH UNITE BRANCHES
OF GOVERNMENT IN THIS COUNTRY, IT IS REFRESHING AND
COMMENDABLE THAT THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT HAS AGREED TO
JOIN THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT IN CONDUCTING A TRIAL RUN
OF THE NOW SHOP FOR A TWO YEAR PERIOD. DURING THIS TIME
THE EXPERIEMNT WILL BE EVALUATED FROM THE POINT OF VIEW
OF THE-PEOPLE WHO USE ITS SERVICES AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC
SERVANTS WORKING-IN THE SHOP,
INITIALLY THE NOW SHOP WILL INVOLVE OVER TWENTY
PEOPLE IN EITHER FULL OR PART-TIME POSITIONS, AND IT WILL
BE OF PARTICULAR BENEFIT TO THOSE WHO LIVE AND WORK IN THE
NORTH WEST REGION -THAT is. BRUNSWICK. COBURG, FAWKNER AND
CAMPBELLFI ELD1
THERE WILL BE TEN STAFF MEMBERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND THE VICTORIAN DEPARTMENT
r
OF SOCIAL WELFARE TWO SIMILAR DEPARTMENTS WHOSE SHORTENED
NAMES, " SECURITY" AND " WELFARE", ARE EASY FOR THE BUREAUCRATS
TO DISTINGUISH, BUT IT'S A DISTINCTION THAT MANY PEOPLE MAY
NOT READILY APPRECIATE$
NOW AT COBURG WILL RECEIVE APPLICATIONS FOR
PENSIONS AND BENEFITS, ADVISE ON ELIGIBILITY FOR PENSIONS
AND BENEFITS AND FORWARD APPLICATIONS RECEIVED TO STATE
HEADQUARTERS FOR PROCESSING AND PAYMENT. A SOCIAL WORKER
WILL BE STATIONED IN THE OFFICE AND WILL UNDERTAKE SOME
CASE WORK ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS LIAISE WITH OTHER WELFARE
BODIES WITHIN THE COBURG/ BRUNSWICK AREA TO HELP PLAN AND
IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY WELFARE PROGRAMS, A FULL INFORMATION
SERVICE ON SOCIAL SECURITY MATTERS WILL BE PROVIDED IN AN
EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE IN THE AREA BECOME PROPERLY
AWARE OF WHAT ASSISTANCE THEY CAN EXPECT THROUGH THE
AUSTRALIAN DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY, NOW REALLY WILL
BE A ONE-STOP-SHOP,
THE NORTH WEST REGIONAL COUNCIL-FOR SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER VOLUNTARY AGENCIES IN THE
NORTH WEST AREA TO WORK IN WITH NOW, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS
ALSO BEING INVOLVED THROUGH THE REGIONAL ORGANISATION OF
COUNCILS, / 6
61
SO, IN A VERY REAL SENSE, NOW WILL BE A ONE-STOP-SHOP
WITH NOT ONLY AN ABUNDANCE OF CUSTOMERS, BUT ALSO AN EXISTING
AND DEVELOPING GOODWILL.*
IT IS, AFTER ALL, A PARTICULAR KIND OF GOOD-NATUR ED
TAKEOVER OF SOMETHING THAT DIDN IT REALLY EXIST BEFORE, IT
REPRESENTS A MERGING OF TALENT/ A BURYING OF REAL AND IMAGINED
RIVALRIES, AND A GREAT CHALLENGE TO ALL THOSE WHO WILL HAVE
THE HEADACHE AND HEARTACHE OF MAKING IT WORK, BELIEVE IT
CAN BE MADE TO WORK$' I HOPE IT DOES.
NOW IS THE HOUR. IT'S TIME TO CUT THE RED TAPE,