( P
PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPTr OF UNEDITED INTERVIEW WITH SUSANNA BIEDENKOPF, ZDF
GERMAN TV, BONN, 28 JUNE 1989
E & O0E-PROOF ONLY
BIEDENROPF: After six years of negotiation, Australia decided
rot to sign the Wellington Convention, why?
PM: Because we believe in the end that it doesn't make sense
if you are committed to protecting this last pristine
wilderness, the Antarctic, to do it via a Minerals
Convention I think that the world now at the end of the
is different from the beginning of the 80a when the process
was started. There is now a much greater commitment I think
around the world to the causes of global environmental
issues. we say no mining. We say it's appropriate to have
an international wilderness reserve and that a Mining
Convention is not the way to get there. So we respect the
work that's been done and the intentions of everyone that's
been involved. Most people have been involved in it. We are
now trying to got the support that we have of France and
India. I think if we can get as many more nations I'll be
talking to, I'll discuss it while I'm here and hopefully
we'll get support here. I think that's what the world wants
and I think~ it is what is necessary.
j BIEDENKOPK: But isn't one argument that the Mineral
Convention is what is the best protection and ever get
PM: Well it's pretty hard to say that a Convention about
mining is the best way of getting protection against mining.
A rather glaring lack~ of l. ogic in that situation I think. I
don't believe now that it is appropriate to contemplate
mining in the Antarctic region. We're getting more and more
evidence of the fragility of this type of environment. One
point wh~ ich is very important is that it is the last area in
the world in which it' 9p~ asibie-to take measurements of
changes in global climatic conditions uneffected by human
activity. This is very luportant as we are now beginning
more and more with the Greenhouse Effect. Now if in fact
-2-
( PM cont) we were to allow the emergence of a situation in
the Antarctic with that natural unpolluted environment which
is affected by human activities, particularly by mining and
anriaitd activities, then there would be some degredation
of the environmental capacity to take those sorts of
measurements which are going to be important for us and the
world community, to understand what is happening and on the
basis of understanding what is happening-, what are the things
that we need to do.
BIEDENKOPF: New Zealand started a similar initiative in ' 72
without success. Are you pretty positive on the results of
the initiatives?
PM: We can't be dogmatic and say, ' you're going to succeed,
you're going to try very hard'. But I think that we're now
talking in 1989, that's 17 years on from ' 72. But there's
one thing that we know surely is that the world is a
dramatically different place, 17 years on from 1972. Part of
that dramatic difference I think is an enormous acceleration
in human understanding of and concern for global
environmental issues.
BIEDENKOPF: What other issues are you planning to talk about
while you're in Germany?
PM: Obviously there are bilateral issues, how can we
increase trade and commerce between our two countries. There
are enormous opportunties. The German firms that come into
Australia, using Australia as a spring board into the Asian
Pacific region. Likewise for Australian firms to come here
using Germany as its very, very high purchasing power as well
as a basis into this market of 320 million people after 1992,
we'll be talking about that. We'll obviously be talking as
well about international issues. We'll be very interested to
hear from Chancellor Kohl and Foreign Minister Genscher,
their perceptions of the most recent moves in the armaments
field and their perceptions of developments in Australia's
All these sorts Of things.
BIEDENKOPF: Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy your
stay. PM: Thank you very rc.
ADDITOM& L QUETIQN fO I J~ t" A# aIST
JOURNALIST: To what extept Aq you willing to support the
trade of flow but stabilising your economy, or put it
differently, where do you see your currency
-3-
PM*: We floated the currency. When you float the currency
you don't fix it at the level in the dollar. It'll be fixed
by the flow and force of market circumstances. It's not for
me to predict where it's going to be. But obviously it
is down significantly from the point at which we floated it
some five years ago. I see it as being at levels which are
going to enable Australian industry to be significantly
competitive, that's the important point.--
JOURNALIST: And you would continue to keep interest rates
high to fight inflation..
PM: That's a very simplistic analysis of what we've done.
Interest rates are high because we've got a very high level
of economic activity. It's too high and we've got to cool
the economy down somewhat. I've said that interest rates
will stay high as long as is necessary to achieve that
objective, but no longer than that.
ends A -I