EMBARGO: AGAINST DELIVERY
PRIME MINISTER
PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS TO THE FEDERAL COUNCIL MEETING OF
THE LIBERAL PARTY, LAKESIDE HOTEL, CANBERRA
Let us never forget that the future of Australia is totally
dependent on the Liberal Party. Our Party has been the dominant
political force in building the free, decent, tolerant and
compassionate Australia to which we are all committed.
It was the Liberal Party which provided the direction, the ideals,
the purpose, and the organisation which in 1949 came to the rescue
of an Australia crippled by Labor's socialist policies. We did
it again in 1975.
The Liberal Party stands for the way of life we want for this
nation, and against those who would undermine and overthrow
that way of life. Millions of people depend on the Liberal
' Party to defend all that they hold dear. And we have told these
millions they. can trust us.
Having accepted that responsibility, our obligation is to stand
together as one party, united, to advance the cause in which
we all believe. And we'must never forget that we are one party.
The branches, the State and Federal organisations, and the
Parliamentary parties are all part of one great political
movement. Whether we belong to different sections of the party
or to the same section, we must retain the capacity to speak
with not'at each other.
Division and disunity weaken our cause and advance the cause
of our political enemies. The Labor Party will never . defeat a
united and purposeful Liberal Party. Only one thing can defeat
the Liberal Party: division amongst ourselves.
The Liberal Party embraces the broadest cross-section of the
community of any political-party. We treasure in our Party a
tradition of healthy argument and vigorous debate. We have
a Party structure in which there has always been ample
opportunity to express opinions and to persuade others that
these opinions are right. We have a long tradition of working
as a team and a total rejection of public actions and public
behaviour which could damage respect for the Party in the wider
community. / 2
Our tradition of freedom in-voting in Parliament on matters of
deep personal commitment is very diffe'rent from the caucusimposed
discipline of the Labor Party. We recognise and
respect the person of principle, and we do not ins-ist on a
rigid conformity where principle is involved.. The unity of
the Liberal Party does not come from compulsion. It relies
rather on the intangibles of judgement and responsibility
and it depends upon a sense of what is right and decent.
Unlesswe recognise the importance of working together, we
cannot expect the people to support us.
John Mason this week decided to retire. He did so with
dignity. I, along with Liberals throughout Australia, am
grateful for what he has done for the Party. I hope his
successor, whoever he may be, will receive the support of
his colleagues in the Liberal Party. a iz
We have also seen in recent days the announcement of the
retirement of a great Premier in Victoria, Dick Hamer. As
the days pass, -more . and more people will come to appreciate
more and more fully just how much Dick Hamer has achieved.
Dick Hamer is a person of decency, humanity and integrity.
He always argued Victoria's case more firmly and more vigorously
than many know. It was Victoria, through. Dick Hamer, which
caused the Federal Government to re-open, after years of
neglect, the vastly difficult problem of relativities in
financial arrangements with the States. Dick Hamer deserves
great credit for this. It is not widely enough appreciated
: howmuch he has done to contribute to the. economic recovery
that is now taking place.
It is true that in recent times there were demands for greater
change in policies and attitudes. But let me assert with all
the strength I can command that those in the Party who joined
in public criticism have not served the interests of themselves,
or of the Liberal Party, or of their State.
We all know that people react in different ways to difficult
circumstances. But we also know that the crew which works
together, which maintains its self-discipline and stays on
course, will sail through to clear waters. Those who become
nervous at the sight or sound of trouble, who respond to
every criticism and every adverse headline, are a danger to
themselves and their colleagues. Fair weather sailors in
politics are a risk to their party and to the hopes of
voters who have trusted them.
The test of a political party is whether it can ignore the
headlines that bear little relation to the substance of politics
or of life. In the overall perspective, the headline of a
day matters nothing. What is important is to know where our
present actions will put us years and months ahead as well
as weeks ahead. We need a sense of where we will be at. the
end of the decade and beyond. We must take the long view and
stand by the objectives of our Party., objectives which
the Australian people have endorsed again and again. / 3
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it-is only by taking the long view that our policies will
be implemented, only by taking the lo ng view that we shall
maintain the respect of the Australian> people, only by takin~ g
the long view that we will build the kind of Australia we
want for our children, and-for their children.' 1t is sound
understanding andconstancy of purpose that give to the
Liberal Party the will and the strength to ride the storms
and to be a guiding force in Australian life. When we know
our philosophy and our policies are right the criticisms
and attacks of the day-matter, little.
We have provided leadership to Australia because of our
steady purpose and philosophical dire ' ction. And at no time
in recent years has that sense of purpose-and direction been.
stronger than it is now.
Ouar philosophy has now come to the forefront and this is in
itself a remarkable turnaround. For it was only in 1972 that*
Whitlaniism the so-called moderate version of Labor Socialism'-
was in full flood. This doctrine gave a vast role to government
and so there ensued an endless creation of departments, boards
and commissions which produced a rise of 52,000 in Commonwealth
employment in three years, while employment in private enterprisewas
undermined.
Under this doctrine, the States were to be replaced by the
agents of Canberra, and private enterprise was subjected 1to
the most detailed Government direction and regulation. In
short, this doctrine asserted that Governments and bureaucrats
know ; what-i_ 6go6d for us better than we-know it ourselves.
Everyone except Labor now rejects that doctrine.
There is now a virtually universal recognition that the right
direction for Australia requires cutting back on bureaucracy and
waste in.. Government; reducing costly regulation, and duplication
between Commonwealth and States; encouraging private enterprise;
reducing Government spending; and returning to people through
lower taxes a greater say over how their own earnings are to be
spent. The acceptance by Australians that this direction is the
right one is an enormous achievement.
Our Party was at the forefront in world terms in recognising
during the seventies the kind of Government that would be
appropriate for the rest of this century. We realised that
certain policies that had been effective in earlier decades would
no longer-work. . And our 1975 programme spelled out the policies
that are producing in this country the way of life which
Australians value, look forward to, and are entitled to have.
We took a lead at a time when many people were confused. And now
when many countries in the West are still struggling to regain
their sense of direction, we are fortunate to be moving so strongJ
in the right direction. Our programme pointed unambiguously
towards lower taxes and greater job 6pportunities, to improved
standards of life for all Australians, protection for those in ne
an unyielding resistance to racism and discrimination; the
protection of individual rights and the conservation of A4ustralia
magnificent natural heritage for the benefit of all generations. .14
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A key element in achieving-our goals was to establish a more
limited role for Government. To this end we have cut back the
Commonwealth's spending as a proportion of G. D. P. from over
to under 28%. This is a vital achievement, fpr it helps
make room for private sector growth.
We intend to go further but we have come as far as we have only
through the most rigorous restraint of Government expenditure.
We have reduced the number of public servants under staff
ceilings by some 10,000, and it is now well known that our
recent decisions will lead to further reductions of some
16,000 or 17,000. Through Sir Phillip Lynch's far reachinq. and
visionary review of Commonwealth functions, we are introducing
a number of reforms. The Commonwealth will be able to concentrate
on its own major responsibilities rather than spreading its efforts
and resources everywhere. Under this historic review, a number
Qf functions will be passed to private enterprise. And after
decades of growing centralisation in Canberra, the review of
Commonwealth functions, by eliminating duplication and
enabling the States to perform their appropriate functions
without interference from the Commonwealth, will help revitalise
the Federal relationship.
A more limited and accurately focussed role for Government is
equally an objective of the financial arrangements which have
been made between the Commonwealth and the States, and of our
new health policy. This health policy provides incentives to
insuranqp and encourages people to look after themselves;
it looks after the needy-and--the disadvantaged; it eliminates
-the-situation where health costs of the well-to-do are paid. for
by the taxpayer; and it means that one bureaucracy rather than
two will be involved in the running of each State's public
hospitals. These recent decisions have made our direction clearer than ever.-
But we have been mcving in this direction, steadily and
consistently, since 1975 and our move towards more limited and
modern Government has been an integral part of economic revival....
Inflation was of course our first priority and we shall keep
our grip on that as tight as ever. And if anyone says that: we
have placed too much emphasis on economic management I would
simply say that a sound economy is the precondition of almost
every other goal.
Our economic policies, and the scope which we have given to
private initiative, have unleashed enormous creative energies
and the progress this country is now making is remarkable.
The most recent figures show that in the half year to December,
non-farm product grew at an'annual rate of which is an
outstanding rate by O. E. C. D. standards. Private business
investment is now rising at the strongest rate for three decades.
The April unemployment rate of 5.6% was the lowest April rate
for four years. Massive job creation is now taking place. Over
the two:: years to -last December, .250,000 new jobs have been
created by private enterprise. In all these economic
improvements, Australia has been moving against the tide, while
other countries have been standing still or even going backwards,
we are going forward. Private enterprise has taken full advantag
of the opportunities our policies have implanted and all
Australians are feeling the benefits.
There is one particular point on which we must be very clear
indeed:. our policies of limited Government are the policies
for expansion and growth. -These policies not only create
opportunities in the private sector,-' they also produce more
of the wealth that is needed to fund-priority Government
programmes and at the same time they encourage Goyernments
to decide just where their priorities really lie.
For decades, Governments have been taking more and more from
people in taxes. There has to be a limit to that process. The
time has come for Government to stop taking a larger and larger
share of the nation's resources. If the Government wants to spend
more in some areas then it should re-allocate its priorities,
not demand more from the taxpayers. This is the way to pro~&' ct
the rights of taxpayers and at the same time maintain genezrous
assistance for the needy and the disadvantaged in our society.
It is part of our philosophy to stand for the protection of
all people in our society. Let there be no mistake, we are
the low tax party. In the three Labor Budgets, the tax receipts of
the Commonwealth increased by over 10% per annum in real terms.
S In our five Budgets, we have cut it. back to 3% per annum in real
terms. For the coming year, there is a tax cut which will leave
$ 500 million more. in taxpayers' pockets and the rebate on health
insurance is expected to reduce the Commonwealth's revenue by
a further $ 500 million in the following year.
We believe that people can judge their own needs and wants a
great deal better than can politicians or officials. Genuine
. tax reductions can be achieved in only one way: -only by policies
which stimulate national_ prosperityon. the one hand and hold
back the demands of Government on the other. Let me-add
here that the Government is determined to stamp out the. gross
schemes of tax avoidance which have recently been growing up,-and
the Treasurer introduced major legislation last week to deal.
with them. . Let me add that. people who. cheat. on their responsibilit
to. contribute a-fair share-. to the. cost of the services which
Governments must provide do as much damage to the social fabric
as some of the actions of militant union leaders.
The freedom which Liberals seek means that we all have
responsibilities to our fellow citizens, and freedom indeed depend
upon a-sense of moral obligation. The-kind of Australia we want
cannot be made . by laws alone. Indeed,. if every anti-social activit
had to be proscribed and banned by law then we would be
overwhelmed by laws and freedom could not survive. In a free
society, people must accept mutual obligations based on the
morality of respect for others and we in the Liberal Party must
take the lead in developing this sense of community. The
benefits of freedom and the importance of community responsibility,
are two guiding principles of any Liberal Government. And the
future will be made by the supporters of freedom by free
people living and working in a free environment.
Because of the emphasis which we have given to reviving
Australia's economy, because of the turnaround we have. been making
towards more limited Government, because we have acted with care
and compassion towards the needy in our community, and because
we have recognised our responsibilities to future generations,
this country can look ahead: with tremendous confidence. I know of
no country that can face the future with greater confidence.
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In 1983 the Liberal Party will be in a far stronger position to
face the people than in 1980. The success of our approach will
be increasingly obvious to all, just as it is increasingly
obvious to our own organisation and members now. will win.
in 1983 not by spending more, but by concentrating on the things
we . ought to be doing. It will not be enough to argue that we! are
good economic managers. The Australian people will want more
than that. By implementing our philosophy across the whole
range of human concerns and interests we are giving more. Our
efforts to do more are having success. The Labor Party will.--.
have to look to itself. It will be their seats which will bE.
marginal, their members, not ours, who will be at risk.
In taking the lead, Liberal Governments, both State and Federalt
have received unstihted support from the Liberal Party. organisatfbn.
Our branches, sections, committees and divisions all work
untiringly and effectively for the Liberal cause. They set us all
an example of loyalty, dedication and unity. I am glad to have
this opportunity to thank all Party members for what they have
done, especially in the 1980 campaign, and are continuing to do.
I also thank the Federal Secretariat.
We are the only party in this country with a philosophy that is
relevant and practical for: our age. We are the only party with
policies which express the values that Australians want to see
built into this country's future. There will be difficulties
ahead, there will be occasions to test the nerves. But the
, problems . before us will increasingly be the problems of prosperity
and-expansion.----.-.
Mr. Hayden has said that the challenge to Socialism is-the spread
of philosophies based on smaller Government and lower taxes.
How right he ist he does not know how right he is. The
Liberal Party has once more given direction to Australian. history-....
Provided we maiitain our policies, provided that we never draw
back from what we know to be right, provided that we act for all
Australians in every walk of life, then a magnificent future
awaits this country.
I want to say just one thing more. Over the years, a quotation
-about what life was or wasn't meant to be like has often been
:.. talked about.-Some. people have said it represents my philosophy.-
I think that now is the time to let you into a secret. Only
half the quotation is ever quoted. In full, it says " Life is
not meant to be easyi my child; but take courage: it can be..
delightful". 000---