PRIME MINISTER TUESDAY 20* NOVEMBER 1979
From the Press Office SUMMARY OF ABC's NEWSVOICE
Rupert Murdoch announced today he was making a takeover offer
worth about.$ 126 million for the Melbourne based media group,
The Herald and Weekly Times. Mr. Murdoch, the chief executive
of the News Limited Group, said today he wanted to get control
of just over 50 per cent of the group. Among its interests the
Herald and Weekly Times publishes and Herald and Sun in Melbourne,
owns two radio stations, and controls a Melbourne television
station. News Limited publishes the Australian, the Mirror and
the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, the News in AdeTlaide and anumber
of Sunday, country and suburban newspapers. Don Lang reports
from Melbourne. Mr. Murdoch walked unannounced into the Herald
office this morning and demanded to see the Chairman. He told
Mr. MacPherson of the takeover and at 10 am the Stock Exchange
was informed. Mr. Murdoch then went to the Age Building to inform
its Managing Director, Mr. McDonald. Mr. Murdoch said the takeover
had been his subconscious ambition for some time but it had only
become a possibility in the last few weeks. At the bid of $ 4 a
share Mr. Murdoch valued the Herald at about-twice of what would
become the parent company, New Limited. He claims to have raised
the $ 126 million to realise his ambition to control marginally
more than half the Herald's shares. The deal is subject to
approval from the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal and under
Tribunal regulations, the Herald would have to sell off its
interest in television stations in Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart.
This would leave Mr. Murdoch with control of Channel 10 in Sydney
and 7 in Melbourne. Mr. MacPherson said a board meeting would be
held as soon as possible andadvise the shareholders not to sell.
Despite that Herald shares rose sharply in Sydney and Melbourne
on large turnovers today. In Melbourne it rose $ 1.01 to close
at $ 3.76 and it was up $ 10.2 in Sydney to $ 3.78. Mr. Murdoch
says he is confident he will be able to get control of the company
and if he does he will control the largest selling newspapers in
Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, two capital city television
stations, radio stations in Victoria,-chains of country and
suburban newspapers, a number of printing companies, magazines
and journals, as well as his interests in American and English
newspapers. Federal opposition has called for the immediate freeze of transfers
for television and radio licences as a means of at least
temporarily blocking Mr. Murdoch's acquisition of channel 7 in
Melbourne and several radio stations. The Opposition spokesman on
the Media, Senator Ryan said such action should be taken until a
Royal Commission of Enquiry or some other high level enquiry
could be set up to look into media control in print, radio and
television. Senator Ryan interviewed. There are very fundamental
dangers in a democratic system where you have a situation with
more than, 50 per cent of all media outlets being owned by one person.
I think if we really believe in things like freedom of speech and
the importance of diversity of opinion and views in our society
then we must be worried about such a situation.
The Federal Opposition today tried to censure the Government in
Federal Parliament for abusing proper standards of ministerial
responsibility over the Greek Conspiracy Case and the controversy
surrounding the transfer-of the Federal Narcotics Bureau to the
Federal Police. Moving the censure motion, Mr. Hayden said the
doctrine of ministerial responsibility was dieing the death of
a hundred cuts. Replying, Mr. Viner said the. Opposition was
trying to rehash matters already debated and the Government had
no hesitation in rejecting the motion. Graham Dobell reports
from Canberra. Mr. Hayden said the Government was ignoring grave
defects of administration in several ministries. He called for
the resignation or dismissal of four ministers. Mr. Fife because
of his handling of the Narcotics Bureau and because of their
involvement in the Greek Conspiracy Case,-Senator Guilfoyle,
Senator Durack and Mr. McLeay. Mr. Hayden said the scandalous
behaviour of the Government was equal to the worst excesses of
early colonial parliaments. He said the Government had broken
down in its administration of law and order. The Narcotics Bureau
had been scrapped. The Commonwealth Police had been discredited
because of the Greek Conspiracy Case and the Hope Report had
exposed Asio as totally defective. Mr. Hayden said the Government
had defiled the concept of ministerial r * esponsibility. Replying
Mr. Viner said that Parliament had already rejected censure motions
against Mr. Fife and Senator Guilfoyle. He said Mr. Hayden had.
putforward a laboured and turgid argument that lacked sincerity of
approach. It was a desperate attempt by the Opposition Leader to
lift his. profile. Mr. Hayden he said was sensitive about criticism
within the Labor Party of his leadership. Mr. Viner said the
Social Security Department and the Commonwealth Police had to
investigate allegations of fraud. He said there was no reason
whatsoever to accept the censure motion. The motion was defeated
in a division on party lines 72 votes to 36.
In Teheran Moslem students have released another ten hostages from
the United States Embassy. The hostages, four white women and
six black irien left the Embassy for Teheran airport where a Swiss
airliner was waiting to take them to West Germany. There they will
join three other hostages released yesterday. 49' hostages remain
in the Embassy. Meanwhile Mr. Waldheim has spoken out strongly
against any suggestion that the remaining hostages would be tried
as spies.
In Melbourne more than 5,000 Telecom employees today accepted wage
rises of be-tween $ 7.50 and $ 20 a week. . Ken Hickey reports from
Melbourne. Today's meeting paves the way for similar meetings of
members of the Australian Telecommunications Employees Association
in all other states tomorrow.
Queensland's Opposition Leader, Mr. Casey said today he would try
again tomorrow to tell Parliament about the connection of senior
Government members with the drug scene in Queensland. This followed
the gagging of a statement today in reply to a statement by the
Minister for Police, Mr. Camm. Mr. Casey said he had evidence from
a Narcotics Bureau agent that three members of the coalition
Government including a senior member, were involved. As well Mr.
Casey said police were involved in the State's drug scene which he
estimated at being worth-$ 60 million a year. David Coombs spoke
to Mr. Casey this afternoon.
3
The mineral exploration company Beach Petroleum has found natural
gas in Victoria's western district, just north of the seaside
resort of Port Campbell. The gas flow was estimated at 7 million
cubic feet a day. Duncan Ness asked the company's chief executive,
how significant was the find. He replied that it was significant
to the western district of Victoria. 000---