TRANSCRIPT OF NEWS CONFERENCE, DARLING HARBOUR EXHIBITION
CENTRE, SYDNEY 2 MAY 1990
E OE PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can you clear up once and
for all whether the consumption tax is on the
Government' s agenda?
PM: You'll get a very clear statement of the
Government's position on this from the Treasurer early
next week which will make it abundantly clear that what
we said in the election campaign we meant. And that is
that we will not be introducing a broad-based consumption
tax. JOURNALIST: In the term of this Government Prime
Minister? PM: Certainly we will not be introducing it in the term
of this Government.
JOURNALIST: Has it disturbed you that the debate has
been thrown wide open again by one of your Ministers?
PM: No. You ought to know me by now. You've witnessed
me as Prime Minister for seven years. I don't get the
same amount of consternation in my mind as you in the
media get from your own headlines. I mean someone makes
an offhand comment, what do we see boom, boom, boom,
headlines all over the place. Now you get the collective
media knickers knotted. I don't...
JOURNALIST: On State finances, Nick Greiner has baulked
at the fact that NSW is going to get $ 100 million less.
What's your reaction to that?
PM: Again, I don't get terribly upset when I see a
newspaper headline that a Premier expresses concern that
he might, as a result of an independent commission, get
some redistribution of available resources away from him
to other States. He wouldn't be doing his job if he
didn't express his concern. But these things have their
own processes. We get the report from the Grants
Commission and we consider it and then decisions are
taken at the Premiers' Conference and Loans Council
Meeting. Those processes will just go ahead normally.
JOURNALIST: government actually going to ask you
for more money to pay teachers wages.
PM: nothing new. I mean we've been in Federation
now for nearly 90 years, and throughout Federation the
States have been asking the Commonwealth for more money.
JOURNALIST: Just back to the environment for a moment
Prime Minister. You've said quite a bit about timber
this morning and sustainable development. The submission
on imported rainforest timber that's now on the Cabinet
agenda, do you have a position on that that you're
prepared to state at the moment?
PM: I tend not to I mean there are exceptions but I
tend not to state my position in advance of Cabinet
considerations. Generally speaking that's a wise course
of action. But I can make the general comment that we
have indicated our concern as an Australian Government
for the preservation of world rainforest resources.
We've made financial grants in respect of Brazil and we
have made available to Malaysia the services of
Australian rainforest experts to help to advise Malaysia
in policies for the preservation of their rainforests.
So we have an international concern and we will look at
this report and make what we think is the appropriate
decision. JOURNALIST: Yet Australia's still importing quite a bit
of PM: Yes, of course. That's why we've got a report isn't
it? JOURNALIST: Are you considering tax concessions for
producers of environment friendly goods?
PM: Not only considering it, we've done it. We've made
tax concessions in respect of recycled paper for
instance. JOURNALIST: Would there be tax penalties against carbon
producers, greenhouse
PM: The consideration of how we deal with the greenhouse
effect is an ongoing matter and we certainly won't be
rushing in to an ad hoc decision of that sort. But we
will be, as we are in so many other environmental
matters, taking a world lead, I believe, in decisions to
ensure that we at least meet, or more than meet, the sort
of international environment expectations.
JOURNALIST: Peter Cook says that a consumption tax is
unnecessary. Does the Government rule a consumption tax
out? PM: Just listen to the answer I've given already would
you please.
JOURNALIST: The coal industry has expressed concerns
about the environmental push for limiting emissions of
carbon dioxide. Does the resource sector have a primary
worry here in Australia?
PM: Well naturally the coal industry is going to have
some concern I guess about the increasing global worry
about the level of emissions. And naturally if you were
in the coal industry you'd be looking at what that meant
for your industry. It's not surprising.
JOURNALIST: Professor Geoffrey Blainey says it's going
to damage our export industry.
PM: I take very little notice of Professor Geoffrey
Blainey on any matter whatsoever.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, you say that you've already
answered the consumption tax question. I wasn't here.
question on the consumption tax?
PM: Alright, well I'll take account of the fact that you
weren't here. I've indicated that we said in the
election campaign that this Government would not be
introducing a consumption tax. That is our position.
I've had a discussion with the Treasurer and we've agreed
that he'll be making a very definitive statement in a
speech on this I would think early next week.
JOURNALIST: It must worry you that it's a question that
won't go away though.
PM: Do I look terribly worried? I mean obviously you
weren't here a moment ago. So let me repeat what I said.
The media has the capacity to get their if I can use
the phrase their knickers in a collective knot because
some fellow makes some passing observations. we get
headlines Government crisis. I Just ask you to have a
look at me. Do I look very crisis-ridden or torn about
this issue? I mean, you've really got to understand
politics. Politics are not made by your headlines, as
much as you might like to think they are. They're not.
JOURNALIST: ACTU trying to pave the way though, well
it appears that they're trying to pave the way.
PM: Well it may appear to you, but I suggest that you do
another analysis. The ACTU is not trying to pave the
way. I'm just fascinated by the observation. I'd like
to know what you rest that on.
JOURNALIST: did say the Government was considering
it. PM: Senator Cook didn't say the Government was
considering it. I saw the program and said that
people were talking about it, but
JOURNALIST: He said it would be considered.
PM: Well, I've told you it would be considered. It will
be considered in a statement by the Treasurer early next
week in which it will be made quite clear what the result
of the consideration is. No change in the position of
the Government. I mean when you have people getting up
here, there and everywhere saying consumption tax,
consumption tax, I mean we don't block our ears and say
we haven't heard them say that. We say oh well, people
are talking about a consumption tax. The Treasurer and I
have had a discussion about it, together with some of our
other Ministers I might say, and I reaffirm what I said
during the election campaign, and this is the last time
I'm going to say it because it really is getting boring
for me even if it's not for you. There will not be a
consumption tax imposed by this Government. And the
Treasurer will be spelling out very clearly the reasons
why next week. Now, end of discussion.
JOURNALIST: Brigadier Garland of the RSL has made a
remark this morning which you no doubt saw. Is it
embarrassing for the Japanese Defence Minister?
PM: I think it must be embarrassing for the RSL.
JOURNALIST: Can you understand why somebody like the
Brigadier might make a remark like that?
PM: I have a lot of challenges in my life as Prime
Minister. To fathom the mind of Brigadier Garland is not
one that I intend to add to my challenges.
JOURNALIST: Is it more of an embarrassment to the RSL
than the Japanese Defence Minister?
PM: I wouldn't have thought that the Japanese Defence
Minister should be embarrassed by the observations of
Brigadier Garland.
JOURNALIST: Have you got any plans to go to Nyngan or
Dubbo? PM: No. The people of Nyngan had conveyed to them, and
in the flood areas, had conveyed to them by Paul Keating
in his capacity as Acting Prime Minister while I was at
Gallipoli, my deep concern. I've expressed those and
we're going to be taking the actions, the financial
actions that are necessary to ensure that we do as much
as we can in cooperation with the State Government in
this matter. I don't think at this stage a visit by me
is necessary. They know, through the visit of the Acting
Prime Minister and my own statements before I left, and
the actions that we will be taking, the depth of our
concern for it. I don't think a visit is necessary.
ends