Embargoed until deliveryF7/ 6
4.00 p. m. PRIME MINISTER
FOR PRESS 28 JULY 1977
PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS AT THE OPENING OF DOWELL'S FACTORY, HAMILTON
It is a great pleasure to be here today to open Dowell's new factory
and warehouse on the Hamilton Industrial Estate. I understand that
Dowell is a company of great initiative. Indeed, such is their
initiative that although I am opening this factory today it has in
fact been in operation since April. So I suppose these few words
should be called my re-opening remarks.
This is a very impressive factory costing around $ 200,000.
It will be involved mainly in the assembly and sales of aluminium.
building products for Western Victoria and South East South
Australia. The factory is a positive expression of confidence
in the future of the Australian economy and in the future of the
city of Hamilton.
The Government has actively contributed to the creation of an
attractive climate for investment through our economic policies
and our encouragement of soundly based developments in the manufacturing
industry.
Two years ago, the economy was at a standstill. Today, considerable
progress has been made in establishing the conditions necessary for
sustained economic growth. Notable achievements have been made in
the fight against prosperity' s main enemy inflation.
The CPI increase for June was the lowest June CPI increase
for five years. Overall, this brings the inflation rate to 10.2%
excluding Medibank compared with 15.4% over the previous year.
Our growth rate has picked up again; investment has increased;
and company profitability has improved.
A profitable private sector is in the interest of all sections of
the community. It benefits everyone. It is the key to Australia's
economic prosperity and to improved job opportunities. The
Government has taken direct action to assist and promote the
private sector's recovery. We have introduced a generous
investment allowance and other tax reforms for industry. Controls
on capital inflows have been relaxed and this should assist many
companies to raise overseas capital. We have acted to ensure that
Australian industries are not subject to unreasonable disruptive
change. and that high levels of imports do not exacerbate
unemployment in industries sensitive to import competition.
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A number of innovative schemes have been introduced to alleviate
unemployment and the results have been encouraging. The
Community Youth Support Scheme now involves some 15,000 young
people. The NEAT scheme has been expanded to cover 18,000
people, three quarters of whom have found a job at the end of
their term under the scheme. NEAT's special youth employment
training programme is particularly successful. It subsidises
employers to hire young people who have been unemployed for a
lengthy period of time. Over 70% of them retain their job when
the subsidy expires.
The CRAFT scheme for promoting apprenticeships has also been a
significant success. The figures for the financial year just ended
are now available. They show that this scheme now covers over
41,500 apprentices, and apprenticeships throughout Australia are
up 9% on last year. This scheme is still in its early developmental
stage, and even further increases can be expected this year.
There is also the Relocation Assistance Scheme to help those who
have to move to another area to find employment. These schemes are
having an impact on this plant. I understand that four of the first
six employees to be taken on by Dowell in Hamilton get assistance
from them. Two junior employees get assistance under the Special
Youth Training Programme, and two adult employees are receiving
assistance under the NEAT scheme.
All Governments Commonwealth, State and Local have an important
part to play in encouraging the productive private sector. In
building this factory Dowell has received assistance from the
Victorian Department of Decentralisation.
The City of Hamilton is also to be commended for assisting financially,
helping with the design and supervising construction, and I
understand tha-t one of the important factors leading to Dowell's
decision to locate a new plant in Hamilton was the positive
attitude of local government.
But while two governments can do a great deal to provide the
environment in which the private sector can prosper, business
must be willing to grasp the opportunities. Dowell is one of the
increasing number of companies that is doing so. It has promoted
a very successful decentralisation strategy, locating its new
branches principally in country areas in Victoria and New South
Wales. The success of this policy is due to the energy and
capacity of people in country areas, and to the efforts of the
company and its employees to become aware of the community in
which they establish themselves.
Ladies and gentlemen, this new factory is the latestinstance of a
successful pattern of expansion by Dowell in recent years. I am
confident that the company will make a significant contribution to
the future of the City of Hamilton and that Hamilton will make a
significant contribution to the company.
It gives me great pleasure to declare the factory open.