TRANSCRIPT OF COMMENTS, PARLIAMENT HOUSE MONDAY 6 APRIL 1987
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
PM: You've been waiting since when?
JOURNALIST: 9.00 o'clock.
PM: Are you getting a bit hungry?
JOURNALIST: Not really. How do you feel about four year terms
Prime Minister?
PM: I've made it quite clear all along, I think four year terms
make a lot of sense.
JOURNALIST: Are you going to speak to Mr Howard about it soon?
PM: Is he the one to speak to, or is it Mr Elliot?
JOURNALIST: Do you think Mr Elliot is going to make it?
PM: I don't know, I really don't know, but there is time for
these things and I'll speak to the Leader of the opposition,
whoever that is, at the appropriate time.
JOURNALIST: You must think he'd be a formidable opponent?
PM: No I don't.
JOURNALIST: About the four year term, would you be considering
it. as a fixed term, or would the Prime Minister still have the
option to go early?
PM: Well I think there are arguments both ways. I notice that
in the proposal put by the Business Council of Australia they
were not suggesting it be a fixed term, that there should be
still. some options there for a prime minister. They made the
judgment, that I guess is valid, that with four year terms you'd
be getting at least three years, but I'm a full term man, as you
know. JOURNALIST: what are the benefits of going long term?
PM: Having four years? Well the obvious ones that I think are
recognised right around the world, with three years it gives the
Government not enough time normally, I think, to be prepared to
take all the decisions, the hard decisions that are necessary.
2
The Government gets in, it is settling in, it has a year or so
and then it's thinking about the next election. Unfortunate for
this Government because we've been prepared to make the tough
decisions from the word go and keep on doing it. But for any
government, including my own, I guess there is a greater sense of
confidence if you've got the longer period of four years than
three. JOURNALIST: Would you like to see a referendum on this at the
next election?
PM: Well obviously I'll give consideration to that.
JOURNALIST: Would you consider clouding the issue by throwing
PM: I never cloud any issue.
JOURNALIST: several referendum proposals in one, instead of
just the one?
PM: No. Why would I do that? That would be silly.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on another issue, the plumbers'
union building up a campaign, demanding the repeal of 45D. How
do you feel?
PM: I've got no sympathy for the plumbers' union. I've got a
lot of sympathy for members of unions, but I've got no sympathy
for the leadership of the plumbers' union which has misled its
membership very badly.
JOURNALIST: One final point Prime Minister, the reaction to the
Aids commercial. Sir, there has been a lot of criticism that it
is too shocking, that it is too brutal.
PM: I also notice that there has been some criticism that it
hasn't been shocking enough, so it just goes to show that you
can't win them all.
ends I I
I