EMBARGO: AGAINST DELIVERY
FOR PRESS 17NOVEMBER, _ 1978
ADDRESS TO VICTORIAN STATE COU'NCIL
-TyhiSo u foirs ' ythoeu r firesft forotsp pdourrtiunngi tyt heI healveec tihoadn tcoa mtphaaingkn allalt* e
2atyn.-nhbeleiR-Vcoin again showed
clearly the direction in which they wanted our country
to move and the Government was returned with an
overwheirming majoity.-
In 1975 Liberals won 19 seats in Victoria. In 1977
we won 20-Only innc 1infere in olin history has the
Liberal Party held as many Federal seats in this State.
This was a wodafuL resiO flL W u d not have achieved
it without your help and the full support of Dick Hamer
who campaigned hard. for the return of the Government.'
I well regmember Di~ yng-tame on election night,
" People always worry about Victoria but in the end we
always pull through."
We pull through because of the strength and loyalty that can
. be seen at this Council. We pull through because we are
a Party that cares for people. We pull through because
we are conmitted to effective, fair and sensible governmnent
for Australia and this state.
What a contrast this makes with the A. L. P. In Victoria,
Labor is trying to assume a responsible pose: hoping to
fool the people of Victoria; _ hopin g Victorians have
forgotten t e61UTVictorian State Executive, whose memrbers
ard still active in the Labor Party today; hoping
* Victorians will not see the dominance and. extremism of
the 16 = is. ttf 7But he A. L. P. dashes these hopes every.
time it has a ' Party Conference.
At last~ week!~~~ ra tt ao Conference, once again
the Labor Party showed that they have not changed. Once
again they showed that the only record they can run on
is theirrU d-astrue longcs rgts-ding State Opposition
in the Commironwealth. / 2
tDlea-MAgain ha A-L2 s. PihwzeA it was committed to the
dead hand of socialism. fome Labor members said-they
, Only wanted to nationalise industry " where necessary".
AeLting~ asn't' 2a~ dng -any of.. that i--; they
insisted that the couuitsment to nationalisation of
the means of production, distribution and exchange remain
in Its piatin. frm~ + b esame~ form that it had
W n1921.-What a way to step into the, uue~"
oneagi th~ u' shlowed their reluctance to -criticise
* the Soviet Union. Last Saturday they rejected a motion
condemning the Soviet Government's persecution of those
i n their conrwn ipx ua rights. The successful
move to defeat t. hat motion was led by Mr. Bill Hartley.-
. We all remember Mr. Hartley don't we he's the man who,
we are always being to 4. has lost his influence in the
A. L. P. But it was Mr. Bert Nolan, State Secretary of the
Seamen's Union who convinced the A. L. P. to vote the way
* tbeY did bY sying that bepP eerred to believe what
unltqijJSE bad told him.
The evidence of those persecuted by the Soviet regime,
the-evManc Iior inniTma al observers, the
mountains of evidence of the suppression of civil rights
in the Soviet Union are disregarded. The Victorian Labor
PIrary ouTV al tflxs-ev-1d-R-e as nothing they would
rather believe the official line handed down by the
Soviet Government. Labor's belief in tho'benign nature
of t~ w OO1W t1Yh ha abWout the same degree of
* accuracy and relevance as their socialist economic, theories.
just three years, the Labor Party brought the
Australian econkomy to its knees: pravoking roaring
j:~ inflation, cauingM83 nempoyment. stopping
invstent* eadinits tracks, and harming the -weaker'
members of the community. Labor constantly pursues
nl Luea--a pi for the future.
We have been getting on with the job: confident in the
. capaciie~ T~ heAustralian people; cxmitdoa~
faith in our countxyl knowing that our policies are'
working.
-The Australian economy is back on * its'feet Inflation
is down. Under Labor,_ inflation peaked at 19 percent
at th-e-M-UMen 1tis rmnning at Ab-out 8 percent and it' 6s
coming down further. Interest rates are coming down. v../ 3
fortnight a o the trading banks reduced interest rates
on a wide range of loans by 1/ 2 percent, particularly
benefitting small businesses. Interest cuts benefit
allAustralians. In the housing area they will benefit home owners and
home buyers., For example, on a home loan of $ 25,000 being
repaid over 25 years, a I percent reduction in interest
rates means a saving in the order of $ 17 a month $ 5,000
* over the period of the loan.
Lower inflation and lower interest rates are making our
_____ industry competitive again. A survey in September found
tht l~ e'proportion. o companies reporting increased costs
was the lowest since 1972.
1Tnrac-Yrefs. are looking again to export markets. I know
that at least one major motor vehicle manufacturer is
_______ rebuilding its export organisation. Another survey found
trr-UcuTr n ie b~ Teptenber Quarter Australian exporters of
manufactured goods reported an increase of 5 percent in
export deliveries. This was the first reported upturn
Mining and oil exploration and developmient are rising
-strp. Twcmpanies alone have committed themselves
to spending $ 1,000 million in Bass Strait ana off
Western Australia, directly because of the Government'ms
re-astic-eTry and oil-pricing policy.
Farmers are beginining their best year for a long time.
Low-in iatio-, good seasons and improved prices will
allow farmers at long last to buy new equipment and make
long deferred capital improvements, boosting country towns
ad Au-st~ fre14an-itstries supplying the rural communuity.
These are all exciting and tangible signls of progress.
hit4e-2ae'groups prepared to undermine Australia s
progress in the pursuit of their own narrow self-interest.
-Th Go nity-h s just been subjected to another damaging
I an~ d unnecessary strike by the T. W. U. over the last two
weeks:. a wasteful strike causing great inconvenience
t. -ta.-l41G-ad losses in business activity. A selfish
strike, niot called because of any principle, but because one
C section of a union set its interests above those of the
commzmty-. and--ozf-their fellow unionists. A hypocritical
strike which makes a mockery of the union's professed
I concern for the unemrployed.
4-
The community utterly rejects strikes of this. nature and
the policies this Government has adopted have led to A
sigifiantfall in-industrial disputes.
n1974 under Labor there were 6.3 million man days lost
-due to strikes.-Last year*, this had faller, to I1 .6 millionL--.-
Zone-quarter of the man days lost under Labor just
three years earlier.____
An equal threat to our economic progress is that of
-unreasonable and excessive wage rises. The Government is
comitted to Australian employees receiving, a fair return..-,
for their efforts and to participating fully in Australia's
* growth and development.
-In present economic circumstances, Australia. needs wage
restraint.-Otherwise our recovery will be slowed-and
employment opportunities will sxf fer.. We look to the
. J Arbitration Catm ission in the current six-monthly national
* wage case to bring down a responsible decision. With restraint,
with the community working together, Australia's economic
* recovery will continue'and st-rengthen.
Inote that the fdadamental principles of this Governet's----
economic policies are increasingly being endorsed and
adopted-overseas in the United States, Canada and even
* by the British socialist government. These countries have
seen the dangers of accelerating inflation.-They are
taking the only responsible course -of action; ' the Very
course which we have pursued for the past three years to
reduce * the galloping inflation of the Laboryes.
I~.~ bcaue . o the.. progress. We _-have. made. that it bas. been
.4 1 possible for us to take a number of new initiatives to
secreAustralia's future growth and development. In-the
true spir-it of co-operative Federalism, showihg a common____
commidtment and a common purpose, the . Comuonwealth and the,.--
Australian States are working together in many -areas to
7 realise Australiass unrivalled future.
Ten days ago the Commonwealth arnd all six State Premiers
agreed that for the first time State authorities can, over
eight years, borrow $ 1,767 million overseas to develop such
J essential facilities as railways, ports, power projects,
. water supplies and pipelines'
F or Victoria this will inean expansion for the crucial
* Lay Yang Power Project and. a new world trade centre which
will bring business and capital to the State.
The private investmamt 6ncouraged-b-y-' Ehdse projects
going hand in hand with -the work of the Australian
Governments will help us to forge ahead with the
development and gruwt~ furYOUntry7
The 1980' s will not be a decade of despair as M~ r. Htayden
has tried to label thent. it wit Nearti-7f--5f renewed
investment; a period of success for Australia and
Australians. Ou= objectives for the 1980' s go far beyond economics.
The Government has a clear and wide-ranging vision of
where* Australia is vurg. I-t-i a v! 5ñ nwvEwill achieve.
It is a vision which is based on the needs, the interests,
and the hopes of the Australian peopleour
vision is of an Australia of gro-wth and development;
of prosperity and enlightenment; of stability and security;
of compassion and effeet-; e hef)-fo r titse ilrx--reed. It
rejects the sterile dogma of the Labor Party which
denieaspeople their individuality, their personal hopes,
their aspirations. t-i-s~ e Dfl a c, rn-for--people
whatever their occupations, whatever their origins. We
are determined to provide effective help to the
.1 handicapped, to s ole-paro.-4t s,~-t. pf& e* r--t-a
veterans to all those in real need.
We have made major social reforms, such as the introduction of
family allowances;-the--idexeton of pensiurr, a major ct: pansion
t In assistance to the handicapped and the Galbally R~ eport, which
heralds a new deal for migrants. All of these have made an
enormous difference to hwfdreds-thusadef ustalians.*
We will continue with our social reforms. We will build on the
foundation we bave-4& 4a-4: jn 4_ e-pst tjv. years by'working
totjether in a cormon cause as Australians. Thxouqh a unity of
purpose and faith in our future, all Australians will gain fromn
ou~ r achievements and -Fe-e s!-prozsperity.
It is our commitment to Liberal ideals which is -reversing the
disasters wrought on o-zecmom--y-t4aee-yers--of -Labor-rule.
It is'our commnitment to Liberal ideals which has brought
Victoria 23 years of effective, moderate and sensible government.
Of course, all political parties have difficult patches in their
terms in office. WThat makes the Liberal Party different is that
we have always been able -to coma-thx-c-th-e-~ aited and
determined to win, determined to serve this State arvl our
nation to the best of our abilitias.
The last twenty-three years have been enormously creative ones
for this State. They have been creative because Victoria has
been governed by Liberalsandj rnde nin. k 13e as Premier,
Victoria has enjoyed effective and moderate government.
It is time that'we all got behind Dick and on'erted ourselves
to the utmost to make sure that this message gets across to
the people about what the Liberal Govern-ment in Victoria hat;
meant and will mean toVictoria's future. it mteans stability,
progress. it means a better life for the people of Victoria.
-6-
When the time comes I am certain that Victorians will choose
. Libralism. They will not turn the poi-tieis thjoif cs8 e -ee--
-sto the extremists of the La r Party. They will not hand over.:'
this state to the socialist left to the Hartleys and their
like to the deadening dogma and deadK31mt of--soial+ w
The eighties will be exciting years for all Australia.
Our country will achieve its potential through positive
_ government; through a balanced and realistic assessment of
Australia' s potential. unclouded by the-dfsttor
socialist dogma; by encouraging Australians to use their
-individual initiative and enterprise; and by restoring
incentive for vork and achievement.
In . the weeks and months ahead we must all work together to
see that they will be exciting for Victvr-r by--seing tbat
Dick EBamer and the Victorian Liberal Government is returned
for another three years of sound government for Victoria.
ooDOOoo