PRIME MSTER
8. -Proof On"' y
P~ lTAL TRANSCRIPT PRESS CONFERENCE, CAI. RNS, 24 April 1984
QUESTIOT4: Mr Hawke, Crallam Lo. ver, North Queenal~ nd Televi Sion.
Sit, a couple of national quostions.
Yes
QESTION: First and foremost harkinq back to the Chinese
ateel talks, just. how are they ib. f~ ict progren3Sing?
Yes, they are going even better than we enapcted when I
was there in February. I would like to say that some indication
of the accurac of the Judgemant beifng made by the Australian
people about the patheLiC nature of the Opposition in this
country and its leader.-It is to be taken from their pe~ rformance
dn this issue. One wouldbh haz t tthat,-any politblcñ niin this country
concerned with the future of Australia wouldc welcome positivu
achievementsa by Government which are nacessarily going to mean
an Improvement In the economic status of Australia. What we
arrived at in China,. between Premier zhao and myself woro that
there should be the investigation of developricnt 6 in five areas
that is the supply of further raw materials to China, mutuial
interchange of technology, possible investment by China in
Australian iron-ore mining, Australian investmient In the Chinec-tu
steol industry and the supply of Australian pig-iron or processed
raw steel to China. Now in respect of thoqu five things there has
been a remarkable degree of progress. WiLhil a very short tine-of m~ y
return to Australia officials went from Australia to China, and
~ t worked very closely there already the joint working pafty
in China. The Minis-er, the Chinese. M~ inis~ er for Metallurg~ y,
Mr Lee will bo coming herc within a matter of two or thren weeks
now, for a couple of weeks Work here in Australia. Now, iL is
quite clear that the develor-n. et-z that I have talkedi About will be
shaped up and according to tho sort of timetable I tailked abouit.
This nonsense that Mr Peacock has alluded to, of trying to say
that I talked about some doubling of Australian steel production
another 6 million tonnes. To say that this was some short-tern
thing is a deliberate grotesque MISrepresentat-ion and distortion
of what was clearly said by myReif. And if you look at the
record I talked about the possible doubling by the ond of this
century, and that's in tile written record.
Now, this G'overnment has donc more by this initiative than was
dlone in seven years by the consorvative Covernmant to geL hold
of the possibility of a distinct improvement-in thc e~ conomic
performance of our stciel industry. And, it sticks in my gullet:
that these poople, our prodecessors had run down the Austral1ian
steel industry to the point when we took office that wo wore.
P. M. cont
looking at the disappearance of the Australian steel industry
-that was the reality. Now, I promised that I would save it,
aad we did. We novi have riot a disappearing steel industry, but.
a viable, efficient cost-competitive, very profitable industry.
no, e ' ve brought that about by bringing the industry, the unions
and tho Government tcgeilher, and as part of this commitment that
we have to the development of the Australian steel industryue
have taken this initiative with China, which is recognised by
everyone in the industry here as proceeding now beyond the
eurpectations that tie could have had in February. Now, I find
it difficult to think that Mr Peacock and the opposition could
be going dowrn the political gurgler any faster than they were
two or three weeks ago. But, if he goes on like this there
disappearance id going to be even more rapid tha6i even their
few remaining supporters could have conceived.
QUESTION: Sir, are you disappointed in some of the comments
that have been attributad to BHP senior management about the
issuc?
P. M Well, let me read what Mr Lotion has said. I am told
that his statement which has excited the poor Mr Peacock so much,
,, as not in a prepared statement that he made, but in an answer
to a question he made some off-the-cuff observations, which this
ao I say -poor opposition has sought to grab hold of and distor7t.
Now, what Mr Loton has said in a prepared statement is thisthe
understandings reached by the Prime Minister have been very
helpful in that they have meant a significantly increased interest
by the Chinese in co-operating with the Australian industry.
N~ ow that's clear, he goes on to point out that obviously as we!' ve
Gaid right from the beginning finally there will have to be
commercial decisions made. We facilitated those commercial
discussions. CRA has gone to China, BHP has gone there. And as
a result of what we've done, as Mr Loton indicates, it'-s been
very helpful in improving the context-within which they are
operating. Now, the commercial enterprises will have to-in
co-operation with the Governments make those decisions which are
going to lead to an improvement in the industry. Those will happenand
that's what Mr Loton has said about the contribution of the
Australian Government.
QUESTION: So, you are saying that Opposition are really distorting
the issue. Well, not only am I saying it, but everyone who knows
anything else about is. I am looking forward to Parliament so
that we can deal with these things in the way that they ought
to be dealt with.
QUESTION: Mr Hawke, Wayne Wallace 4CN News, jvst harking back
to Premier Joh's comments about foiling any proposed early federail
election When is he going to stop attacking the Liberals. I mean
really what he is doing to them i~ s terrible.
QUJESTION: Do you think his comments are a mere sabor-rattiing
or is there any basis of truth behind them? / 3
Oh I would say sabor-rattling, but again as I point out the
sabor, I think it is pointed at the throat of the Liberals his
dear friends!
QUESTION: So, you think out of any confrontation with
the Liberals. Well, they have been lean so far. Do they still exist
in Queensland, the Liberals. I mean if they do, I mean I think
what he is doing is trying to boot them out entirely very
naughty of him.
QUESTION; Sir, harking back to the April the first comments in
relationship to Waltzing Matilda. What is the state of play with
Waltzing Matilda now?
Well, when I had this brought to my attention a short
while ago, I instructed the Attorney-General's Department to
examine the issue very closely. They were doing that at the
time when I left for the Easter break. I will have a report
when I get back, and if it does seem that the unthinkable
is the case that the Americans do have some copyright on this
most sacred of our possessions, then I will be making an
approach to the United States authorities to see that this great
wrong is remedied.
QUESTION: Well, quoting you on 60 Minutes, will you in fact
be picking up the phone and talking to Ron?
be
I will certainly talking to Ron if it is the case that
we don't have the copyright, as I say of this, one of the most
sacred of our possessions. And I Would think I would receive
a very sympathic hearing from Ron.
QUESTION: Sir, again a fairly local issue, the Democrats are
making great play over the fact that Senator Margaret Reynolds
may find herself facing a more difficult task on the Senate
Committee. They claim that your Government could face a
political backlash in the North if that was to be the case.
When I get to the stage when I need the Democrats of
Australia to look after the fortune of my Party, the Australian
Labor Party then I'll let them know. I would think that they
would be well served, like the Liberals in Queensland in lookiog
after their own meagre chances. And I would have thought that
given their demonstrated limitations of capacity by their
performance in the Senate where the Democrats and the Liberals,
together with the National Party have shown themselves as the
friends of the tax avoiders of this country, andl know that they
are going to have to face up to the judgement of the Australian
people and it is going to be a very harsh judgement. And you
know I am a charitable person, I would just kindly say to them
in a kindly fashion, look don't dissipate your very limited and
not too adequate resources by trying to tell us how to look after
our affairs. We will go into the half Senate election whenever
it is held and I haven't been told yet when it's going to be,
but when we go into the half Senate election, and whatever form of
election it is we'll be in the very best of shape, and I believe
that that shape will include the representation of Senator Margaret
Reynolds in a prominent and winnable position on the Senate ticket.
/ 4
4.
But we will sought that out, and as X say they've got
loads of problems themoelvos. They really ohould concentrate
on their own problems.