TEL: 9. Aug. 92 18: 25 No . OO62 1
PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON P J KEATING MP,
DOORSTOP, TRADES HALL, ADELAIDE, 9 AUGUST 1992
9 On PROOF COPY
J: Prime Minister, can we ask you about the opposition
by the Left to the sale of gantas, are you expecting
problems getting It through?
PM: Well the Federal Secretary of the Labor Party has
got that matter in hand, it's a process there and I
expect we'll get a reasonable result from it. It's
not eay making changes in Australia, it's the point
I keep laking to Dr Hewaon. The reason we've had
this closed domestic two airline policy which the
Liberals gave us and Oantas flying outside of
Australia and not being able to make it into one
company and then sell it is basically becauae of the
fact that nobody's ever taken these issues on In the
political parties and we are and it's the right
thing to do and I expect that the Labor Party will
respond accordingly.
J; Are you prepared to over-ride the wishes of that
segmet of the Party?
PM: We've got proper processes, we' 12 see where they go.
J: Prime Minister given the disastrous standing of the
Bannon Government in the polls, are you concerned
about how that uvud impact on a Federal election
result?
PM: Political fortunes come and go. people have written
John Bannon of f in the past and he's got up and won
again and I think he will next time. These are not
easy times, the 1980s were a period of growth right
around the world, the 1990s haven't to this stage
been and It's not easy living in an international
environment with low growth and that's a problem for
everybody. But again as I said in the Convention
today that this Government is still making changes,
we've just made revolutionary changes to vocational
education, to airline%, to transport, to television
all within the last couple of months. So we're
pressing on and I think that initiative brings Its
own reward and the Bnnon Government is doing the
same.
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J: On the -' Sunday' program this morning Mr Blewatt said
that reiterated that there wouldn't be an Increase
in Medicare levy this term of your Government,
however he didn't rule out that one could be
announced before the next term should you win reelection.
Is that the story at this stage?
PM: It's very close to Budget now and I'm not here to be
basically running through things which people
comprehend to be Budget m'atters.
3: The $ 12 million for-the Indian Pacific, that
guarantees the future of an important passenger
service?
FM: Well It means we are going to rofurbish that
service, it will guarantee Its future. That
refurbishment is going to take place in South
Australia. we're putting another $ 4 million Into
Ilnton on top of the $ 3 million which was
announcein~ the ' One Nation' statement which will
mean that those workshops can undertake and fulfil
that work and so It will be good for South
Australia, but as wall as that provide a first class
passenger seice and therefore hopefully growth
between Western Australia and the East coast. But
of course, AN successfully ran it to date and AN Is
based In South Australia, It will be a good thing
for South Australia.
3; Two key Initiatives that you've flagged, you've
spoken a lot about today the youth summit and olso
the Infrastructure spending, -the two-areas which the
Bannon Government highllghted long ago and which the
Federal Government seems Blow to take up. How much
ground have you lost by wasting that time?
PM: It's not a matter of westing time, it's only
recently that we proposed that there should be a
national training authority and by getting all the
states by c-operation and not by confrontation as
Dr Kewson would do It, we've got the States into a
landmark change. We will now build a vocational
eduatonsystem with TAPE, with technical and
further education, whic h 1 hope will be as good as
any In the world and we'll be able to sit beside our
universities as a alternative system of education
for many kids that just can't get access to
university and it's a good Labor thing to have done.
And we've done it as well with non-Labor States
which is more to their credit. In terms of
Infiastructure, it's always been a cry In South
Australia to provide a standard gauge railway to
Melbourne. I'm happy to say that this Government
Will be the one to have done it, that I wan able to
push that propiusdl through at the right time and as
a result will not only build a new track from
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Adelal4e to Melbourne but refurbish the line from
Melbourne and Sydney and from Sydney to Brisbane so
that from Brisbane to Perth via Melbourne and
Adelaide we'll have for the first time in 100 years,
the first time in a century a standard gauge
railway. Thank you.
ENDS