CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
AUSTRALIAN QUALITY AWARDS
MELBOURNE 8 NOVEMBER 1989
Allan Moyes,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In your introductory comments, Allan, you referred to that
most dramatic of processes taking place in Australia today:
the redefinition of Australia's role in the changing world.
I think everyone here, from no matter what industry or
policy sector, finds common ground in the assertion of the
fundamental importance of that process of redefinition.
Earlier this week, with the successful conclusion to the
first Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, we not only
saw dramatic evidence that this redefinition is taking
place; we also got a clear indication of the direction in
which we are moving to take up the challenge of global
change. I confess I am delighted at the outcome of the APEC meeting.
This was the first time that twelve economies of the dynamic
region of which Australia is part had met, as a region, to
discuss the scope for closer economic cooperation in the
region. Naturally I'm pleased to have initiated the process that
brought so many senior ministers to Canberra for such a
productive meeting.
But more importantly, I believe it's important for all
Australians and it's certainly important for anyone
committed to improving the quality of Australian products
and services that this forum, essentially experimental and
unprecedented in nature, has laid such promising foundations
for future cooperation in the Asia Pacific region.
2.
The meeting identified a number of specific areas of future
possible cooperation and also agreed, as you know, to
reconvene first in Singapore and then in the Republic of
Korea. Very importantly, it agreed on a meeting of regional
Trade Ministers to be held in the context of the Uruguay
round of trade talks.
What these meetings mean or more precisely, what the
spirit underlying them means is that there is a widespread
determination to work together so as to maximise the
opportunities for further growth and enhanced prosperity
throughout the Asia Pacific Region including, not least,
Australia. What I want to stress this evening is that, from Australia's
point of view, international diplomatic efforts such as the
strengthening of regional cooperation go hand in hand with
the domestic effort, even the enterprise-level effort, to
improve the quality of our production of goods and services.
All the attempts that the Government makes on the
international front to improve our economic well-being
such as in APEC, and in the Cairns Group of fair trading
nations that has been pushing for a liberalisation of world
trade will be weakened if in our domestic economic
arrangements and attitudes we fail to recognise the
importance of improving efficiency and productivity.
In an interdependent world, there are almost limitless
opportunities for Australia to grow through enmeshment with
the Asia-Pacific region through trade, investment,
tourism, education links. But by the same token these
opportunities can only be fully realised if there is a
preparedness in domestic terms to be flexible, to
restructure outmoded economic institutions, to abandon
outmoded and inefficient work and management practices, and
to implement, with determination, our commitment to quality.
That is why I am delighted to be here tonight to present
once more the Australian Quality Awards, and why I
congratulate Enterprise Australia for its hard work and its
vision that has drawn attention, through these Awards, to
the critical issue of quality.
What we have seen over the last six and a half years and
what the concept of the Australian Quality Awards recognises
is a comprehensive and effective program of reform to make
Australia a more efficient, more productive and therefore
more prosperous place.
What we must develop is a strong and vigorous export
culture. That, fundamentally, is the economic rationale behind
Australia's multilateral diplomacy in APEC and the Cairns
Group.
That is the rationale behind the massive tariff cuts we have
made. That is why we support AUSTRADE and provide other export
assistance measures.
That is why we have embarked on the nation's first sweeping
program of micro-economic reform, recognising that change is
required not only in export and import-competing industries,
but also in the industries that supply them with inputs, and
also in the infrastructure by which goods and services are
moved within Australia.
And it is that same goal the development of an export
culture that is behind our support for the massively
important strategy of award restructuring.
Award restructuring provides the necessary flexibility to
allow companies to take advantage of new technology and
production processes and to remove restrictive work and
management practices.
This can only contribute to the development of corporate
spirit and identity, which in turn fosters increased
productivity and pride of workmanship.
In other words, it helps increase the quality of the goods
and services we produce and thus improve the international
reputation of Australian products.
I have said the development of our export culture or, to
refer back to Allan's phrase, the redefinition of
Australia' s role in the world is a comprehensive program.
It involves us all.
Not least, it requires managers to rethink the way they have
gone about their job and to consider their contribution to
the production process.
The Quality movement led by Enterprise Australia is
dedicated to training managers in techniques that will raise
the productivity and competitiveness of Australian industry
not just improving the quality of the finished product,
but emphasising -the importance of quality at every stage of
the production process.
The introduction of these quality control production
techniques is not, it seems, without cost. In fact, a
common experience appears to be that costs increase. But
the point is that increased costs are at least offset by the
increased value of the higher quality finished goods.
and in a world where competition is as much about
quality as it is about price, that is no small
achievement.
It is very pleasing to note that the quality of the
applications for the Awards this year has improved
significantly and that the evaluation criteria used by the
judges has also been correspondingly tightened.
I'm looking forward to announcing who has won these awards
and to congratulating them for their fine achievements.
But I think we would all agree that our vision for a more
export-oriented Australia, for an Australia that has
successfully redefined its role in the world, will not be
complete until all Australians, and not just the winners and
finalists of these Awards, have accepted in their day to day
work the paramount need for and desirability of quality.
I thank the organisers for their contribution tonight, I
congratulate the winners for their success, and I commend
the Quality movement for its constructive effort in pursuing
this vital national goal.