PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF NEWS CONFRENCE, PUBLIC BUILDiNGS, HOBART,
18 NOVEMBER 1989
H OE PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: What have yol dIACided regarding the
international Antarctic Centre. Is the Commonwealth going
to re-look at the Centre?
PM: What we agree our priority should be is concentrating
on trying to ensure that Tasmania, Hobart in particular, is
given as much work as it can be given in terms of this being
a base for vess oing to the Antarctic. That has a
number of ramifications, including a consideration of the
r~ zsr, that govern the anr~ nA to Australian ports of foreign
research vessels and 1 have instructed my Foreign Minisfter
to review those guidelines in a way which will try and
ensure that as much opportunity be given for access to
Hobart. That's the emphasis that we want to give at this
taLge and if we van build up HuiJLt as a centre, as a port
for the servicing of activity in the Antarctic, then down
the line following that it may be appropriate to look at the
question of a Centre.
JOURNALIST: So you still leave the question open of whether
or not the Centre will be built?
PM: Yes, but it's, to be honest, I don't in other words
want to have five buob eull way & ad say yes its there just
around the corner, but saying its not the thing on which we
concentrate now, it makes more sense to give the priority
that I. have suggested. But then 1iti y well be that if
we're successful, as I trust and hope we will be, in
building Hobart up in this other way, then in that context
we could perhaps more realistically look at the sort of
centre that's been talked about.
JOURNALIST: Will the Federal Government support Hobart's
hid for thin Ruminin fishing fleet?
PM: I've made it quite clear that Hobart is to be a port
for availability of the fleet.
JOURNHALIST: Will that worry the other States?
PX: Well, as to where the vessels would go in the end that
would be a matter for the Soviets to decide what's most
Appropriate in terms of their activities but from what I
understand it would be regarded as a priority port. But let
me say where we are on it. We have really, as far as the
fisheries part of the negotiations, got a draft agreement
there but you will understand that in terms of Australia's
interests we identified the negotiations in regard to
fisheries with negotiations in regard to a commodity
agreement and we've got to finalise that part of the total
agreement. I understand from my officials that that's going
to be done in the very near future. so we're approaching
the point where the actual agreements with the Soviets
should be finalised before very long. Then once that's
done, I'm quite confident that Hobart will before long be a
significant beneficiary.
JOURNALIST: What was the outcome of your meeting on the
tourism reconstruction funding?
PM: It was a very very useful meei-ing, i found it any rate,
and I want to ay at the u~ t: L LhaL r u'cnmgratulate the
Premier and the Government of ' rAsrania in the way in which
they have co-ordinated with the people in thA industry
across a broad spectrum. It was a very constructive
Meting. There was understanding of the reasons for the
problems. In other words, we as the Federal Government, at
all points, have eought to have the pilots operating within
the system so that they would have negotiated their claims
within the system. They wouldn't do that and therefore we
couldn't have allowed them to have their 30% because
that would have created an enduring and disastrous problem
for the Australian economy as a whole and for Tasmania in
jpArticular. On that bacsic I have indicated that Tabwuaaila
will be a significant beneficiary of the substantial package
of assistance to the tourism industry. Let me make it clear
what the elements of it are. It's a $ 30 million package
made up in this way. There will be $ 18.5 million for an
intensive international advertising campaign which will be
for the whole of Australia and advising potential tourists
around the world of the attractions of Australia in general
and of course, Tasmania will be very much included in that
very, very substantial international advertising. Secondly,
of the $ 11.5 million remainder of the package, $ 5 million of
that will be for an Australia-wide sort of generic
advertising campaign urging Australians to take their
holidays in Australia, to tour Australia and Tasmania will
obviously be in part a benificiary of that. Of the
million of the rest of the package, there were arguments put
to me that it was really the north of Australia that needed
to be dealt with because their high point of the tourist
( PM cont) season had coincided with the worst part of the
problems in the airline industry and that that wasn't true
of Tasmania. I said well I don't accept that and I insisted
and so that's what's happening. That $ 6.5 million will be
divided equally between the Northern Territory, North
Queensland and Tasmania. So Tasmania will get $ 2.2 million
for its specific advertising. So Tasmania is going to
benefit in those three ways, international advertising, the
general Australian advertising, but $ 2.2 million for itself.
I also pointed out to the meeting that I had raised the
issue of tax payments with the Taxation Commissioner and
I've informed the meeting that any operators or people who
can show that they have been directly and adversely affected
by the problems in the airline industry in a way which have
created difficulties for them in meeting their tax payments,
that those considerations will be taken into account
sympathetically by the Tax commissioner?
JOURNALIST: Ian Macphee said today that he intended to ask
the National Crime Authority to re-open inquiries into
currency dealings by Sir Peter Abeles. Would you have any
comment on that?
PH: I think in these areas that Mr Macphee sort of gave
some indication of what he's worth by his performance in the
Lakeside Hotel the other night. That's about how much
importance you can attach to him. These issues are old hat
and have been looked at by the last Head of the National
Crime Authority, Mr Justice Stewart, and been found to be
totally lacking in substance.
ends
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