PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF PRIME MINISTER INTERVIEWED BY ROD HENSHAW ON
BRISBANE ABC RADIO 4QR 27/ 02/ 90.
E 0 E Proof only.
RH: Prime Minister good to see you thanks very much indeed for
making time available to us this morning. You've had a pretty
busy sort of a morning so far.
PM: Well it's been reasonably busy, but I'm going to launch
into an attack on the media.
RH:# Well you've got plenty of them here to listen to you.
PM Right from the very beginning because I discovered that part
of the reason f or the great traf fic jam we were in is that the
media bus in which our people have come here was parked outside
and blocked off one laneway of traffic. So it's the media's
fault again.
RH: ' We were talking to Bluey Thompson there a little while ago
it's probably him that's driving it is it?
PM: Oh I don't know about Bluey, Bluey's a good bloke, I don't
think it was Bluey Rod.
RH: okay, it's nice of you to make time for us this morning,
we've got a lot of listeners that want to talk to you so I won't
take up too much of their time, but just briefly, this morning
the news is that you're going to spend $ 100 million now for the
allocation of road improvements, and that seems a lot of money at
a glance but given the fact that it's for the whole of Australia
are you really pushing that as a big vote catcher?
PM: No it's not pushing it as a big vote catcher. Let's just
get it into perspective Rod, we've spent very, very much more on
roads than the opposition did when they were in Government, 18%
more in real terms comparing the two periods. In annual terms
that's about $ 235 million per annum, in real terms more, so we've
done a lot but we understand that roads are an area of concern.
We're not going to just do the drunken sailor promise of the
Opposition and talk about billions and billions. What I've done
is to say we will impose this increased tax on luxury cars which
will bring in about $ 100 million a year and make that available
to spend on a program which we'll title the Provincial Cities
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PM ( cont) s and Rural Highways Program. In co-operation with the
States we'll add that to the very substantial existing funding on
those areas of roads which they regard as most important. In
Queensland here I think that will be particularly useful in
regard to north Queensland and west of the Divide.
RH: How about the Pacific Highway? I think Charles Blunt is
about to he has foreshadowed an announcement later this week on
the Pacific Highway and the dual carriageway between Sydney and
Brisbane? PM: Well, in regard to the Pacific Highway, that part that you
talk about there, what we've said of course is that under the
existing funding that's available and the States funds in NSW if
they wanted to give that the highest priority that would be able
to be done within the sort of timetable that the Opposition is
talking about the next 10, 15, 20 years, it's possible to be
done the whole thing. But, if in regard to this $ 300 million
extra, which is available over the next three years as a result
of this additional promise, the State Government wants to, with
existing funds, add some of this to that purpose then we're
prepared to discuss that too.
RH: okay, well as I said I don't want to take up too much of our
listeners time, but you're pushing the seven years theme as a
Government which has faced up to its problems, it's been
responsible but the fact remains it has been brought up in the
campaign before I know, the fact remains there are still people
out there who are wanting a change from high interest rates, the
highest inflation of any OECD country in the world and the everincreasing
foreign debt. Now can they be blamed perhaps for
questioning whether or not you can arrest that situation. You've
failed in the past what's....
PM: No of course, we haven't failed in the past. The people
out there, you've got to attribute to the Australian electorate a
0 greater degree of intelligence and breadth of perception than
involved in some of those questions Rod. They've got to make a
choice and now you've seen in the last two or three days the
truth that I've been talking about, about 14r Peacock and the
Liberals. They are saying, aren't they, that you want answers.
Well what's been shown now in the debate is that not only have
the Liberals not got the answers they haven't even got the
questions, they can't ask the questions let alone provide the
answers and what you're listeners are going to be saying to
themselves well look course we want lower interest rates, that's
true. But they're going to say what's Mr Peacock saying and
what's he promising that he can do to bring about lower interest
rates, and the answer of course is that inevitably under the
Peacock policies you get an explosion of interest rates. Rod
there are two things which determine what happen to the economy-
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PM ( cont) i essentially and interest rates in particular are
included in that, and that's wages policy and what you do with
your Budget. if you can't control wages, if wages blow out then
of course inflation goes through the roof, interest rates go and
the economy collapse. Now, again, on Sunday night Rod, you saw
it I asked Mr Peacock, I said ' at the press conference when you
were asked this critical question, you just said who's to know'
and that's what he said, he said ' who's to know' what will happen
to wages under my policy. So I put it to him again, I said look
if you're talking about reduced interest rates you recognise that
a reduction in inflation rate's important, you must have a target
wage growth in your mind, what is it? No answer. So he can
concede an he must do that there'll be a wages explosion.
Secondly, PM: Well he doesn't concede that, what he actually says is that
his policies
PM: that he doesn't know. He says he doesn't know and he
agrees with the statement that I attributed to him, which he must
do which was on the 31st of August last year, and these were his
exact words, he said ' Australia needs governments to get out of
industrial disputes, to get out of wage fixing as such,
governments just get in the way'. Now those are his exact words
Rod RHt But he threw the same sort of thing back at you with
promises you made
PM: Not on wages he didn't
RH; %** and on those very things that I mentioned there.
PM: On the contrary, you are asking essentially about interest
rates, I'm saying to you that on the critical question of what
determine interest rates Rod, he walks away. He concedes that in
regard to wages there must be a wages explosion. Why do we have
the pilots everywhere I go supporting Mr Peacock? For a very
simple reason that they accept, as they should do, that he meant
what he said on the 31st of August that governments should get
out of disputes, let it be between the parties. That would have
been a 30% wage increase for pilots, it would have been a wages
explosion. So if you have a wages explosion, interest rates
explode. He's got a $ 6 Billion unfunded set of promises so the
deficit explodes. If your deficit explodes and wages explode,
then the economy's gone.
RU: Okay, we'll take some calls our lines are open now, in fact
they're pretty well chokka, so you're speaking with the Prime
Minister.
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CALLER Is Hello Mr Hawke how are you. It's Krs Scarf from
Longreach speaking. I was wondering if your Government is reelected
will you be going ahead with the Over Horizon Radar for
north of Australia?
PM: Yes indeed Mrs Scarf I'm glad you asked about that Over the
Horizon Radar because there are two things at least that are
important about it. The first and obvious one is the importance
of it for Australia's forward defence planning which we have
undertaken in a way which has never been equalled before in the
history of this country, and what we're doing, the essence of our
forward defence planning programs is Australia's self-reliance.
And an important part of that as you know is to re-orient our
defence strategy thinking to see that across the north of
Australia we have capacities which enable us to deal with any
potential threat in the future. An intrinsically important part
of that is the concept and then the installation of the Over the
Horizon Radar. What's very interesting, secondly, about it Mrs
Scarf is the magnificence of the Australian scientific
inventiveness and technology that's going into this. Not only
are we going to be providing for Australia, but I'm very proud to
say that other countries are showing a great deal of interest in
what we're doing in this area.
RHt okay, thanks for your question Mrs Scarf we have to move on
because we have a board full of calls.
CALLER 21 Tony Miles here. Mr Hawke, just before I ask a
question may I say I've got two children in the Defence Forces
and you are actually running down the Defence Forces.
PM: Well, of course, that's not right Tony.
TONY: I can argue that however, what I want to know is, I'm
a cleaner, I earn $ 17,000 a year, I want to know as my wages keep
falling because of inflation how you can justify the over-ruling
of the Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal which awarded you a
postal allowance of $ 9000 and yo4 increased it to in excess of
$ 30,000, which is more than double my wages?
PM: Well, Tony, let me let's get the facts straight in terms
of what I've done about Remuneration Tribunals and salaries. In
that area Tony I have incurred the wrath of many of my colleagues
on both sides of the Parliament because as Prime Minister I took
the view that we would not accept decisions and recommendations
of the Remuneration Tribunal which sought to give us very very
significant increases in salaries, because I took the view Tony
that if we were
TONY: TONY: interjecting....
PM: Can I please finish my answer Tony I'll do it quickly. I'm
talking about what the Tribunals were talking about with regard
to salaries and I have personally taken the initiative to see
that we didn't get those sorts of increases because I didn't
think it was appropriate that I and other Members of Parliament
should get excessive salary increases if we were asking for
restraint from the rest of the community. On the question of
the postal allowances what has been done there is it's regarded
as important that Members of Parliament who so often get abused,
I guess by you and others for not being in touch and
communicating with their constituents, should have a capacity to
enable them to be in full communication with their constituents
and something which generally has been greeted as it should be.
CALLER 31 Good morning Mr Hawke, at the CHOOM conference you
put forward a motion demanding democracy and increased sanctions
against South Africa. There are 14 African countries in the
Commonwealth and these voted with you demanding democracy in
South Africa. I challenge you to name me one that has democracy
and ask that instead of backslapping when are you going to demand
democracy in these countries?
PH: Well, of course, that's a very convenient way of
overlooking the fact that every country in the Commonwealth
supported the position, with some qualification I suppose on the
part of Mrs Thatcher. If you want to attack the conservative
government of Canada, led by Mr Brian Mulroney and imply that
there's a lack of democracy there, you can do. I'm not saying
indeed that there is an ideal political system in every country
in the Commonwealth. But what I am Baying, and I am saying
vigorously and what is being said by the overwhelming majority of
countries around the world, is that South Africa is absolutely
unique in the world in having an entrenched Constitutional
position which denies to the overwhelming majority of the people
within that country a right to participate in its Parliamentary
and democratic processes simply on the basis of their colour.
There is no other country in the world of which that is true and
that is why it is objectionable arqd that is why the Commonwealth,
together with the United States and the European countries over
several years now, have imposed sanlctions which sanctions have
brought about the changes that are taking place. At no stage
have I wanted sanctions for the sake of sanctions. As I have put
it, I do not encourage sanctions for the Bake of bringing South
Africa to it's knees but to it's senses and fortunately there are
great signs now that South Africa is being brought to it's
senses. I have been a leader in the Commonwealth in pressing for
sanctions, I've also been a leader in the Commonwealth in
welcoming the changes that are now taking place in South Africa.
I welcome greatly the fact that Mandela's been released, I
welcome the sensible statements that he's making there and I hope
and pray that in fact in the period of the not too distant future
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PM ( cont) as a result of the things with which we've been
associated and of which I'm proud that we will see the emergence
of South Africa as a true multi-racial, democratic society.
RH: Just taking all those things into consideration, would you
look at relaxing the restrictions which apply to sporting bodies
going to South Africa?
PM I have in fact said that the Commonwealth should now be
prepared to consider these things. I put it very precisely, I've
said I welcome and welcome unqualifiedly the steps that President
De Kierk has taken, I'll put it this way Rod I've said he's now
set the stage for negotiations. Once that stage is actually
occupied and the meaningful negotiations are underway which we
can see are going to lead to the dismantling of the pillars of
apartheid then, of course, we should move.
RH: But if a sporting team went over there tomiorrow they'd
still be rebels wouldn't they? Even given the relaxation of
that... PM: Of course they would be and they understand that. I mean
there is no question but that the present conditions must stay.
But we must also say very clearly that w're ready to move to
lift them. As someone put it in New Zealand when I was over
there when these changes were being announced, you don't get your
gold medals for the heats, you get it for the final. Now what's
happening is we're really setting up the stage... on which the
negotiations will take place and no one will be keener than Bob
Hawke and the Government of Australia to see the sanctions
removed if those real negotiations are taking place and leading
to change because we want I mean what it's all about, is to get
a democratic, multi-racial South Africa as part of the
international community of nations.
CALLER 4 ( from Toowoowba) s Good morning Mr Hawke, I have two
small questions to ask you. in 1972 1 bought a pharmacy for my
daughter. I borrowed $ 100,000 bridging finance at Now after
7 years of your Government overdraft interest now is 22% to 28%,
or 20.5% prime rate. Now that's the interest section of it. Now
the other one is, at that time prescriptions for people were $ 4,
that covered all prescriptions and everything anybody wanted.
Now they cost $ 11 which is an increase of 175% in 7 years or 27%
inflation per year, which is not even shown in the CPI.
RH: Your question is obvious, I wonder could you come to it?
CALLER 4: Well that's it why is the interest rate do
anything about it and what's he going do about the prescriptions.
P14: Okay, I'm glad they're two little questions, I wouldn't
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PM ( cont) s have liked two big ones air, but let me deal with the
two little questions that you've asked. Now obviously in regard
to the first you're talking about what's happened to interest
rates. Well Rod and I had a bit of a brief discussion about this
at the beginning. Let me remind you that at no stage under my
period of Government have interest rates reached the peak which
they did under the previous Government, they hit 90 day bill
rates hit 22% in April of 1982, they are now 16%, so we'vye never
cracked the heights of the conservatives. Now I have made no
attempt to hide the fact that last year we had to tighten
monetary policy. I didn't like it as I've said I'm neither a
sadist nor a masochist, I don't want to hurt myself and I
certainly don't want to hurt the people of Australia, but we had
a situation where we had the tightest fiscal policy ever four
successive years of real reductions in Commonwealth outlays,
never been done before, three successive years of surplus, never
been done before. So tight fiscal policy, tight wages policy and
on top of that we had to have tight monetary policy because quite
simply last year our expenditure went up by our production by
4% and the gap was filled by imports which we couldn't afford to
keep bringing in. So, interest rates had to be highI I didn't
like doing it but it's working and the banking industry is now
saying, the banking industry are saying that interest rates will
come down. Now if you want go to the area of prescriptions and
the whole area of health, well look, I suggest that you listen to
the debate today between Mr Shack and my Minister Dr Blewett
because you can then have the opportunity of comparing what this
country would be like under the Liberals or under us in this
whole area. I simply rely, and I ask you to take aboard Mr
Shack's words, this is Mr Shack the Shadow Minister for Health..
this is what he said on the 25th of January this year, a very
recent statement, he said ' the Liberals and the National Party do
not have a particularly good track record on health and I do not
need to remind you of our time in Government'. Now there is a
self-condemnation of our opponents, they wrecked the total health
system of this Government, of this country in Government, they
had 7 years in opposition to come up with a scheme and they've
got to stand up abjectly naked in policy terms on the
January and say ' we wrecked it in Government and in Opposition we
can't come up with an answer'
RH: Your detractors would have it that at least they're being
honest, but no Government has really been able to come to grips
with how to actually conduct feasibly public health.
PM: On the contrary, when we came to office Rod, there were 2
million of your fellow* Australians who were uncovered, who were
faced with the spectre of fear in not being able to meet doctors
bills or hospital bills. We've-brought in a scheme, Medicare,
under which every single one of our fellow Australians now does
not have that fear, they are covered. So we have a scheme which
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PH ( cant): is at once universal but fair. it means that I who
have a high salary pay more, and I guess you've got a reasonable
one yo'd pay more, as we should, so that every Australian is
covered. Never been done before, and that scheme is one which is
looked at around the world as being outstanding in terms of its
universality and it's fairness.
CALLER 5; Uhy consensus Bob is it...
PM: Well it's Bob Hawke, I don't know whether that's funny or
not. CALLER 5: Okay well you can say that it's funny or not, but I'd
Just like to say to the voters of Petrie, Forde, Hinkler and
Fisher to reflect on your consideration of our heritage and
basically if you are for consensus as we're led to believe, what
is a better measure of consensus than a referendum on Asian
immigration. Now we have basically two parties with bipartisan
policy on which we cannot vote. If these were two multi-national
corporations and so defying the will of the public the Government
would legislate to change the rules. But when they make the
rules themselves there's no go. Now if you're for consensus and
any number of respected people from academia and any other place
have put up questions that can be held on a referendum, you
continually deny them, your series of failed Immigration
Ministers have denied them, right, so when are you going to give
the will of the Australian public -which is reflected in pollsa
go, consensus?
PM: Well I find that one of the more tortured questions that's
ever been addressed to me but I'll try and make some sense out of
it if I can and as I see the thrust of your tortured question
you're against immigration into this country from Asia. You are
in this democracy entitled to your opinion, but if I wanted to
think of one thing more calculated to condemn the children of
this country to a second, third or fourth-class future, I could
not think of anything more calculated to do that than your racist
position. The fact is that the most dynamic region of the world,
and what will certainly be the most dynamic region of the future
ahead of us, is the Asia-Pacific region and what is implicit in
your question is that you think the people of this region, leave
the morality out of it I'll come to that in a moment, but just
look at the economics of it. You think that the people of this
region will allow a bifocated attitude by Australia to say yes,
Australia, we will buy all your primary products, we'll give you
a share of our manufactured markets, sure, we'll treat you equal,
but we will cop being treated by you as second-class citizens, as
second-class human beings. I'll tell you what the countries of
the region would do, and they'd be entitled to, if you think
we're second class, or third class or fourth class human beings,
well you keep your iron ore, you keep your coal, you keep your.
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PH4 ( cont) tourism, you keep everything else because if we're
inferior human beings okay so be it and we'll treat Australia
accordingly. if that's what you want to do for your kids and the
future of this country well, my friend, as 1 say it's a democracy
you're entitled to your view but let me say you couldn't be more
profoundly unpatriotic to this country than entertaining that
view. And, of course, as I say on the morality of it I don't
know whether-you entertain any semblance of christian views,
perhaps you don't perhaps you're contemptuous of them. I just
want to say what I've said before, I happen to believe profoundly
in the concept that I learnt from my father and that is if you
believe int some concept of a God then if there's a fatherhood of
God then we are all brothers and sisters in this world. So I
reject you profoundly in terms of fundamental patriotism for the
future of this country and I reject you profoundly and with total
contempt on moral grounds.
RHt I've been watching your eyes during that dissertation Prime
Minister, you feel quite emotional about that don't you?
PM: Well you can look at my eyes.....
RH: Well we do have eye contact...
PM: I know, I'm simply saying there is nothing that I feel more
deeply about than race. I mean if I were born black, as I could
have been, does that make me a lesser human being? A little
black kid in Africa or a little brown kid in Asia? Are they
inferior human beings because the colour of thetr skin is
different? They're not and this idea that you're better because
of the colour of your skin or the shape of your head or your
eyes. I mean I just find it profoundly objectionable,
profoundly, but as I say more importantly in one sense than moral
repugnance I feel about that Rod, it's my concern as a Prime
Minister for the future of this country. I mean it is so true
S that we would be condemning our kids and their kids to, you know,
third, fourth class economic status if we said to the countries
of Asia and the Pacific you are inferior citizens, we regard you
are so inferior we'll let everyone else in as a citizen but not
you and expect that burgeoning economic part of the world, as
they are, thanks Australia we like the insult that's very nice
but we'll regard you as equals economically when you regard us as
human beings, as inferiors. I mean it would condemn this country
to an abomination of a future.
CALLER 61 Good morning, Bob it's Craig Hardy from Central
Queensland here. We're concerned about the Shoalwater Bay issue
up here. Senator Graham Richardson has recommended to Stewart
West, the Minister for Administrative Services, that sand mining
be allowed in this area. We're concerned because we see it as
the biggest natural area on the whole east coast of Australia
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CALLER 6 ( cont); South of Cooktown. I do understand that Graham
Richardson has had trouble in coming to his decision, he believes
it's a difficult decision I can understand that. We also believe
the Australian Heritage Commission has looked at it and is
recommending directly against Band mining in this area, so we
seem to have a conflict here. I'm just wondering whether to
resolve the issue and I don't believe the issue has been looked
at properly because of the restrictions placed on the EIS process
in this case I believe this is an ideal situation to be looked
at by the Resource Assessment Commission. We're looking at a
project in isolation, we're not looking at it on a whole project
to try and come to some sort of balance where we can look at
protecting our best areas and maybe looking at mining those areas
that have been degraded elsewhere. I'm just wondering whether
you might be able to give us an undertaking that the Resource
Assessment Commission could look at this project, along with sand
mining in general, rather than allow the leases to be gone ahead
with. PM: Craig what I can say is this to you# you are right in
saying that Senator Richardson, as he is obliged to under the
legislative processes of which you are aware, he's made a
recommendation to the Minister Stewart West. But that is as far
as it's gone. Let me say to you that no decision has been made
by the Governmont and as you appreciate we're in a caretaker
period where no decisions of this sort are taken, but we will
have to consider this matter. After we are re-elected it will
come before the Government and what Senator Richardson has done
is one part of the legislative process. He's put his
recommendation to the other Minister. The Government has not yet
made a decision.
CALLER 7: Mr Hawke, I'm really not clear on what your policy is
on privatisation. Your Ministers appear to be saying quite a lot
of different things and you're very silent on the matter.
PHI Well, let me stop my silence if you think I've been silent,
I haven't been silent on the matter. The first point I want to
make is that in the whole scheme of the economic management of
this country the question of privatisation as you refer to it is
a very peripheral thing in terms of the fundamentals. There is a
very basic difference between the Opposition and ourselves on
this. They have an ideological obsession with privatisation and
they would privatise everything. Now, I've made it quite clear
for instance that as far as I'm concerned I would never
contemplate putting Telecom into private hands because the people
of Australia, and may I say particularly many of the people in
outback Queensland would pay an enormous price if that were done
and we're simply not prepared to contemplate that sort of thing
at all. And there's a difference between us. They would do this
and impose a cost upon the ordinary citizens of this country. As
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PH ( cont): t far as the two airlines are concerned, within my
party I have the processes being followed now and they are
looking at the way in which the capital requirements of the two
airlines, that's Australian and Qantas, may be satisfied. When
that process is concluded we'll look at that issue. But there
is, as I say, a fundamental ideological difference between the
Labor Party and the others on this. No enterprise would be safe
from privatisation under them, including Telecom, and that would
be something that ordinary Australians would pay a very high
price for if that were ever contemplated.
RH: Okay have we got time for one quick one before
PM: Yea, sure Rod sure.
RHt We've got Rosemary from Toowoomba.
CALLER 8: Good morning, nice to speak to you. Look I don't
understand overseas, you know, the balance of payments at all,
maybe you could help me. Look I can't understand, I think I
heard you say that the Government doesn't have any overseas debt.
Is that right?
PMt That's right, could I just explain it to you. The debt
that Australia has is composed of 63% of it is composed by the
private sector, the private sector owes 63% of it. Fifteen
percent by State Governments and you'll see that this will come
to 103 and I 1ll explain to you why if you don't try and be
smart I'm talking to Rod, Rosemary 63% by the private sector,
by State Governments and 25% by various instrumentalities.
When r came to office the Commonwealth Government owed overseas
debt, but because I've done what's never been done before
Rosemary, that is run the business of the Commonwealth Government
of Australia in surplus for $ 17 Billion for the last three years,
we've used that to pay off overseas debt, and when I say we don't
owe any debt it's because our reserves are more than the small
amount of debt that we owe, we are nett international creditors.
So you, as a citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia in respect
of the Commonwealth Government, owe no debt. How the other part
of the story which is predominantly private debt is yes, that's
high but it represents decisions that have been made by the
private sector on commercial grounds whereby they believe that
they can undertake investment projects which will generate
sufficient income to meet their indebtedness obligations. And,
of course, the other side of that debt Rosemary is that that
borrowing has been used to finance projects like, for instance,
the North West Shelf project, the biggest investment project in
Australia's history, Now that debt which has been borrowed is
now being reflected in the ships plying between the north west of
Australia and Japan, selling our natural gas to Japan and earning
V 12
PM ( cont): us as it will now over the years billions of dollars.
So I'Im not saying that in a complacent sense and indeed that's
why we've got the policies in place to increase the export
capacity of Australian manufacturing industry, we've increased
manufactured exports by 54% in the last 4 years, we're bringing
down imports now, and that will mean that we won't be so exposed
in the future to changes in commodity prices, we'll have a more
structured set of exports which will mean that through time as we
become more competitive increase our own capacity to export and
replace imports, we will gradually bring down that debt to
acceptable and sustainable levels.
RH: Okay, according to one of your minders you have time for
one more Mr Hawke, are you going to sack him after this or
PM: Not at all, as you can see I'm very relaxed about the
questions. RH: Okay our final one, we've been told you have to be at a
place by 10 o'clock...
PM4: Oh well we'll just have to put that back a little bit yes,
Okay. CALLER 9: Good morning Prime Minister 1Tawket it's Graham Brown,
I'm ringing from Christian Heritage College in Mansfield. I just
wanted to congratulate you on behalf of our College for granting
us Austudy. Now we've been trying to get Austudy for about the
last two to two and a half years and at last it's come through
for us and we're just really happy about it and we just wanted to
thank you so much for it.
PM: Well thank you very much Graham. if I could just comment
upon that saying that now, since we've been office, we've trebled
the number of Austudy recipients and that's part of what I in a
sense have the greatest pride in in my Prime Ministership. Could
I just make a brief point to you and your listeners. When I came
to office, only one in three of our kids stayed on in school, and
in their seven years in office the conservatives had lifted that
retention rate from 34% to 36%, just two percentage points. Now,
by more than doubling the secondary education allowances to low
and middle-income families, by trebling the number of Austudy
payments, we now have an Australia in which the retention rate,
or staying on in school, has been lifted to two-thirds, two out
of three of our kids. That's the most fundamontal change that's
been made in this country that now instead of the kids just
mainly from the well-to-do suburbs being sure of staying on, kids
from all areas are staying on in school. That's the fundamental
building block of education to have your kids staying on in
school and it's on that you build what you do in TAFE and the
universities and so on and I think it was an absolute tragedy.
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PM ( cont); that after 7 years they'd only lifted that retention
by two percentage points, we've lifted it by 26. Moved it from 1
in 3 to 2 in 3 of our kids staying on and Graham, may I say that
I thank you very much because you're part, if I may put it this
way, of a total pattern of a revolution in education in this
country where all our kids are going to have the opportunity to
develop and train their talents.
RH: Okay, we'll have to leave our calls there. Prime Minister
just before you go, we're into week two of the campaign, you're
not going bankers yet?
PM: No, I'm not going bonkers, but I don't think you'd disagree
with me would you Rod that if I'd left it to May the 12th, and
we'd been in election mode from now until then fair chance a lot
of us would have gone bonkers I think. I feel very good.
RHt What about getting rattled. I mean we saw you sweep away
those microphones the other day. No I thought you were actually
going to sweep away a media bus this morning.
PM: Well if the modia bus hadn't been there mate I would have
been here a bit earlier, but no I feel very relaxed, I feel well
and I'm very pleased with the reception that I'm getting around
Australia generally and from interviewers in particular Rod if I
may say so.
RH: Mr Hawke many thanks for your time this morning.
PM: Thank you.
Ends
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