iv dia
Department
of Trade andal
Resources~ i a
CER SIGNING BY SATELLITE
( Statement by the Acting Prime Minister
and Minister for Trade and Resources the Rt. Hon.
J. D. Anthony, C. H.,
The New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr. Muldoon, and I will
sign the H-eads of Agreement of the Closer Economic
Relationship between Australia and New Zealand during a twoway
satellite transmission at noon on Tuesday 14 December.
This will be the first time, to my knowledge, that a
television satellite link has been used for the signing of
such an agreement. I believe it is appropriate that the
latest technology should be used to conclude such an
important forward-looking agreement.
During the signing ceremony, Mr. Muldoon and his
delegation will be located at New Zealand's Parliament House,
in Wellington, while I, other cabinet Ministers and senior
industry representatives will be in the Senate Committee
rooms at Parliament House in Canberra.
Mr. Muldoon and I will each have previously signed a
copy of the Agreement. These copies will be exchanged at the
satellite ceremony, and signed by the other party.. There are
several advantages in signing the Agreement in this way. The
most obvious arc the economies achieved in terms of cost and
time: one delegation does not have to travel fron one country
to the othecr, and all Ministers who have been involved in
working towards the progress of the CI3R can participate in
the formal ceremony. Also, the general public in bothi
countries is able to participate as observers to the actual
signing. Tie signing will be telecast live in New Zealand.
Canberra 9 December 1982
Memo: To Heads of Bureaux
AUSTRALIA/ NEW ZEALAND CER SATELLITE SIGNING
TUSD AY -4 DECEMBER
You or your representatives are invited to attend the CER
signing ceremony in Senate Committee Rooms 1 and 2, Parliament
House on Tuesday 14 December.
The Pacific satellite has been hooked from 1I. 55 a. m.
12.25 p. m. and it is expected that the televised link between
Canberra and Wellington will commence at noon.
The signing ceremony will take 8 10 minutes and will
consist of the formal signing of the Heads of Agreement by Mr.
Muldoon and Mr. Anthony and brief speeches by both leaders.
The official party at the Australian end will be:
The Rt. lion. J. D. Anthony, Acting Prime Minister and
Minister tor Trade and Resources, The Hon A. Peacock, Minister
for Industry and Commerce, . The lion. P. J. Nixon, Minister for
Primary Industry, The lion. A. A. Street, Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Sir Laurie Francis, New Zealand High Commissioner, Mr.
H. G. Aston, Immediate Past President, Confederation of Austalian
Industry, Mr. J. Utz, Chairman, Australia/ New Zealand
Businessmen's Council.
At the end of the signing ceremony, Mr. Anthony will be
available to answer questions from media representatives.
If you are attending, it would be appreciated if you could
be seated by 11.45 a. m.
The Acting Prime Minister, Mr. Anthony has designated the
signing an event of national importance. Accordingly, all radio
and TV bearers will be made available for the duration of the
satellite bookings ( 11.55 a. m. 12.25 The New Zealand
composite program will be relayed back to Moree and made
available for distribution to stations throughout the
Commonwealth. For further information please contact Mr. John Walker, Senior
Publicity Liaison Officer, Department of Trade and Resources,
Telephone: 72 2638.
For information on technicil aspects of the television link,
please contact Mr. Ben Naveau, Manager Operations, Capital 7,
Canberra, Telephone: 41l1 000