PRIME MINISTER
tOR PRESS 6TrH DECEME1Dl 77
SYD) NEY OPERA BOUSE RALLY
On Satuzday, Australian man and wom~ en from all walk~ s of life wi
make a decision that will determine the path our great country'
Z: will take for-decades to comne.
The alternatives are clear.. Will you choose our poices of
developument and confidence,' our policiea of ruccess? WAJl~ yoiu
roject Labor'sa policies of futi-lity and fear, their policies
of failure?
Thio election is a tuining point in our mnaturing as a naitio~ n.
Austxalia is poised to move into0 the 80' s and beyond with a n~ ew
found con~ fidence, a new spirlit, a new-sense. of securi~ ty, a nogw
sense of national purpose.
The first stage of the job we were elected to do has beub done.
We are now ready to stride into a new era of pyosperity anrd
develoyment. We pxomised we would cut the inflation we inherited. Inflation,
is dowrn to 9% and it's falling. We promnised to controlI Covernlbent.
spen3inJ. We have halved Labor's $ 4,500 million defi. cit. W
vpromised to revive incentive and restore fair rewaxd'-for achievtmeni
We have substantially cut the taxes of every Australian. It's now
-orth working overtime again. We promised to get this great country
of ours, moving again. Industry is starting to invest again, our
natural resources are being opened Up ornce more, and there In~ iew
foun( d confidenice in our manufacturing industry. $ 6,000 million)
dolars 6-oxth of projects axke under way or ready to go anid InaTy
Lillono of dollars viore are in the pipeline.
lie all have to work together to ensure that we build on the f irm
foundations we have laid. The future is before us, a future which
pro~ misee work and prosperity for all Australians.
This3 pr. omifse will be realised under a Liberal Goverinent wI) ic~ h has
the only policies to keep our country growing. Policies which are
dom onstr~ ab; ly succee-ding, policies that will g-varantee Pustralia's.
gro~ wth, develc'puient and the creation of new jobs. We will push
ir: 1latic-n down to between six and eight percent by next June. % ve
* 1illpl ije'ustry . nvestingj, we will keep interest rates fz! 1ljn
d~ nas ' uch 4S two percent over the next twelve gionths.
T~ hat'S a saving of $ 520 a year, $ 10 a week to the average yolunq
couple buying a new hocne.
Hlost importantly we will get unemployment down. We've got the Ycal
answer to uneyfployment; investment that means jobs, getting
interest rates down that means jobs, restraini~ ng Goverrnment
expenditure that mneans jobs.
Because of our prudence in Governmnt spending, ' we. can af ford tmore
tax cuts for all Australian taxpayers. They will start on the f irst
of ~ Epb~ max?, jumi tien months, awy The* i u1-ib-ma pg-I
ingcome and inject $ 26.7 million a wee); into the economy.
Because we have reduced infl ' ation the tax cuts will create mcoio jobs.
b~ ecause people can spend more, our -factories will have to prodluce
gcore. There will be a demand for more employees. That is why, f-o-r
rext February, unemployment will fall and keep on falling. We are
determined to foster ' Australian industrys. new found vitali. ty.
' This. Government buys Au'stralian, not the cheapest foreign products
our predecessors favoured. We will give export sales fresh iz~ petos
with a new five-year export incentive scheme. We will provi~ e
tspecial help to Australian businesees competing for over seas. pr ci
We will actively promote more* processing in Australia of . our ba: sic
Yaw materials. To small -busirieswmen we will make finance more
. readily available.
Unlike the Labor Party, we are gliving Australian industry, hAuralJos
jobs an~ d Australian woihers, the protection they n~ eed. we have
increased protection for industries employing over a. guarter of a
rt-llion Itustralian men and womnr.* Our swift a-ad effecti'j actior,
ha6 meant the survival of' industrie~ s such as the appatel, tentiles
anid footwear industries, industrics emTploying 120,000 perq~ e.
bsast wieek, -the Labor Party refused point bla-nk to Bupport oul action.
They turned their backs on' 120,000 % yorkiflg Australians, 80% of ~ r
axe umoman anid ruany of whom are miirants.
ThR~ Premier of South Australia3 and Raw)( e support the firm stand
we have taken.. Lut they were over-ruolvd. Over-ruledi by' the vt: ry)
riien, Fhr. WViitlanr and Kx-, ) uyaen, who now parade concern for the
unemployed. ti-.~ brthat is the Pirty of iireploment. it Was KJz. Whitl) n,
who, wheri he was Prime f4inii ter, jputtnsotouas uxl:,
out of Njo. z} thjrouch his noturious, dndi~ criminate 25% across the boal
tariff Cut-'.
i n Hay 197/ 4, there were 1,. 357,400 Aostralians eziployed in inanufacturi
Yi 11ay just one year ater, that nusnber had fallen to 1,. 250,10(
a drop of 10,300.
Itr. Whitliarl n ad~ e unFMployment a deliberate, calculated part of
Goverrayient policy. Ie went anti cut tariffs despite the fact that brw-
as warned by a top level report that such a alash iii tariffs
vwould thro~ w tens of thousands out of w~ ork.
Now he wants to do At higairt, Labor's tariff policy would cause kuaq: s
unemnploymnent. Labor's Intentions towards the clothing, textile ano
footwear aiustrles are h~ ready at-iintantly clear.
WThich other industries has Li! bUr mrkt-ad for the goillotine? is it
the worod, wood products and furnriture indostries withs employment of
7: 3, 000? Paper and paper pxoducts and pxintijng, employ~ nq 97,000?
llak; iv chemicals and rclate~ d TproavctL;, 56,000? Appliances and electric,
cqoient, 31,000? Thdustr~ ial fhacrhinery and scientific cquijxnent,
G0, 000?
The F. xecutive Director of the Appiuxel ? 4abufacturern hop aid: " No
could be certain of isurvival If a Labor Party camne to
ruvwertt And he's right.
n~ o wonder a recent Victoriar, suirvey r'eveals the overwhelming
conaviction~ of manufactu~ rers that they would suffer adversely, that
things would be worse urider a Ldbor Government. And that conviction
was 5 trongest among smiall b a i~ men. Stronger even ths'n in 1975.
Labor wiould harm business. Its crxrvritment to reducirig tariffs would
create Vnem~ ployiment. Its conititic-nt to hbigher taxes would. reduce
demand3 ac create unemployment. I. ibxr wants a " crash" spending
program~ a that would irivcolve 6800 million in six months-.... Tha.-,*
an aninual rate of $ 1,600 million a year. And they have ther. g
p~ romnises worth billions of tdollrs they haven't even ' costed.
rll this woold more than double-the deficit, unleash inflation once
again, and increase. interest rates. This could only have one result,
it uN-uld create more unteniployment.
Thiaijv not just que55 work. We k~ now from bitter expirience that thMa
is what unould occur. Por ther ten years before Laojbt to ffi
ave-rage unemployment was W'ithin three years, 4. LaLb. had; iniease
unemployment to 5.4% of the wcrk~ force, in one year Labor i ncrtased
uncmployment by 157%, by almost 200, 000 people.*.*
LaLor has Paid it would repeal ni~ r February first tax Cuts, Theie
tax cuts are fair. People onr average earnings of $ 10,00D a yearwill
pay a marginal rate of tax of anly 3Z. cents in-the doll&= Under
the Hayden scales it was 45 ccents-. rrouir Pebruary f irst, it witl be
32 cents right.-up to $ 16, 000-.
These tax cuts are subsat~ ial. Over 90% of taxpayers will pay less
tha onre 9uazter of the* r 5n~ i~ nu e tax. These tax cuts are.
sign~ ificant social reform. A quarter of a million~ low income
earners, tons of thousands of p) enc Qners, widows, an. istudents. wt
taxable inceines under $ 3,750 a year,. will no longer pay any tax* at all
These are thie people Labor forge~ t. To pay for abolitionk of payroll
tax, Labor would have to incrt-ali personal taxes by $ 850 million
this year, $ 1,900 million next. Only the present members of the
Labor Party would seriously put lorward a plan to rip $ 850 million
this year and $ 1,900 million next year out of the hunds of the working
men and women of Australia. hnd use it to pay big and jiofitable
comipanies. No jobs would be ocated. The companies hiave " aid go.
C. R. 1A. $ 10 milliorn
B. Ht $ 33 million
M. I. MI. 4.5 milliorn
C. S PA $ 8 million
A. C. 2 $ Jjimilliorn
bilp$ 11/ 13 nillion
Cenr-r;. X Motors $ 10 million.
Thne workir-c men anld wonien of Austxal24 won't vote for this. Thev'
WC1& t vcotc for any of Labor policy. rpxoposals. Thl' will vote fo
the Govcrrt's positive pxcqrarw~ vs which meet the needs of all
Australimns, and which cut their taAes, not iflcreaEe the-t.
CL~ r tax ref orms; have-n~ ot ended yet. All1 estate& A'sjing between
hustand and wife, paxent * And child will be free of fcderal estate
anqdi ft s't as from 11veinber 33st, the flay of imy policy speech,
over the life of the ntt Parliaiiet L-Oth these taxes will Le entirely
aboished.
Lab'or ):. rrow fits su~ pport is (-rc.-3irIg1 that'zi why it has inounted a
cait.-' aicr. oi tear in this las4t week of the election crxipaign. The
Lbc' r arty is desperate znA~ is tryinq t~ o frighterk I.. ustralia, out of
~ tnr*( q;; Id-ot the JisFuL) 1> y tal)-. iniy about massive so( eial division
;:% n6nfcntiioi by ta1lkng abouOt s,, icijde and oxinc i ecrasjng,
Shoinga ditraceful hver t i paent On the uIIaniA; O qo iot-.-which
zhcws a pVlcotograph of an infant sittingy besid~ e a grie4n ad~ e. 3
i3rn o" rtin tbis wal! of~ caP6 all Auistxbliarts. A -po'litical Party c63)
sink4 no lower than to hmsdtrallan bxijbes in Political pxopgarcs, 6.
I do ) hu. t 1heC-iCVe that thtese p'JbliC xc: 7j! tionS tC'rTCr~ taCtics Nill k-qClui..
vo itxaia, ksnuw that Labor cxeatccl or) tploy) mert in ' this country
thxL-uoh) tbei* policies of cxtravaqarnce and, tarif~ f Ctits. They k~ now
tYiat M-r. imitl. am is tbe % ineiployment rxpert. ' They ' Krtw Labovr vould
doAt -111;~~. n
Austra--ir e com~ ing to . r'ow the hpriyofLz-tCr'C& rtand or,
u r a n th act that MIC. Whi tI am Saqru-3anarerd? tO Mi ne bred
export Iurarx! ulf, Wben be w. ii in pow. r,-And-Australians are Qo~ mincj to*
Jn ow hhy-. crisy of-Air.. Dunst -i c-hlI rpay)-i
p. ut on telev.' iuion to oppt'se uranium. dc-elcopnment. Tbey tr e leaxnnil
that Pir. D-unitan bas secretly graoted X: p, oJhittI3a nf or'-
u r aniwin ur, VPmrbacio Station, an Abor~ iginal sacred ano historic axcta.
that he has unrcouraged the mining and ! itockpilinq of uranium at
thre RoxLy Lrowns Mine and that be hag liensee, a fore! 4m CoDMpany to
cexplore for Lrninu just 30 )-. 1ometes nctrth and Eouth of Adelaide,.
La3ies and3 gc'rtlemen: ' The Government's strategy to irscxease jobs i-s
r 1; ng. Total employment has risen Ly l 0,000 sincc we oarne to
office. only through thie Gcvernment will our industries fully
recover, and only thxough triat recovery can we jEt unrs,. Ployment drown
permanently
_ ST1hat
rcove~ ry is now underway. A new period of btability and fuller
emnployment iS within our grasp. It is an, opportunity that Might not
come again for a very long tire.
While our economic recovery Is~ underway, we are helping those looking
for work to improve their skills and thus be equipped to tak~ e new jobs
as they arise. Already 120,000 people have been helped by our
tzailifl andi job assistance sohemes, and the numbor is~ & teadily
growing. We are wuking sof f icient rooney available to ensure that no-one
eligible for any of these schemes wl1 be turned away.
As : E announcea in my policy spteech, we will expand3 the very successful
educatiort programme for unemiployO~ youth, and extend the coverage of
the ) 4EAr scheme. We wll spend 350 million over anti above excisting
comnitznent to overhaul outinode4 iriner-city technical colleages.-
in addition, we are tackling the-more-fundamental problem of improvinq
arid adapting the education of our children to meet more closely the
requimnts of the Australian job market. The Willianta inquiry has
been appointed to, examine-this~ vexed issue. And we-% Ixill act-swiftly,
and decisively. when the YRepot is 6' xceived.
We have a constructive, coraprehensIve and coherent strategy to provide
Fiore jobs for more Australians. it is a xti-ategy which inspires
conf iden-ce, not UaborI'B" doom and gloom.
' t is a strzlte9Y dounded on. tile, funflamental assertio. n that we can
make Australia grow and proas2er tiadti ssmtiga h
all Australians can share.
we will iimprove the quality of t'he essential services which the
Government provides. We will help the State railways by upgrading
the national muainline syste m. * We. will expand existinj pxogrammes
of supp ort for urban transpcort, Sytiney's train and bu3 scrvices can
benetit -frco this. lie will joirt the States in a national water
resources prograz~ e which will bo~ ost. city and-. country water supplies.
A study will be maae of t-he sharing of electricity supplies in the,
in the scuth-east Auatraliart ze ior, and we-will. praviuie a new deal
for telephone subscribers by rcduo~ tlSI charges for off-peak long
distance talephona calls to 40% of the standard rate.
This Government offers Australia a return to prosperity, a higher
standard of living, a continuaticb of efficient, conSistent, coherent
policies whiich have provided Austirplians with ne%# hope an] better
future. We will press ahead with our progranunes which are bow so
clearly eucceeding. We will Xeep this miomentum In. Totlon, that will
keep Australia on the move.
in. the next few yeaxs, Australia con become a better na~ tion. Through
a sense of national uinity of pur pose, a determination by all Australian
that we shall succeed, we can make a Letter life for all Auetralians.
Xs a concerned and caring comiuruni ty, % ve can provide effective help to
those disadvantaged and in need, and~ add dignity a-nd h'ope! w'here
previously there was none.
p
As a people conscijcts of oiur responsibilities to other nations
around the world, wat can play a lcading role in 6c. IeIOPing a safer
world, a less sefi-Rh w'orld, a world that Ivrars to use its
natural resources as a force for good and not for evil.
We can do all this, it is now within cT--. nr a p. The opportunity is
now thc~ tc for us to grow And develop into a -ctrolmer, richer, more
ratuze society.
have no doubt that the Australian people are ready anO willing
to play their part. My cc-: rntment to you tonight is that this
Government, this tiberal/ National Party Govcfnnent, stands ready
to lead Australia to this better future.
I-' I