PM Transcripts

TEL: 4.0ct. 93 15: 13 No. 002 P. 01/ 0
PRIME MINISTER 108/ 93
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE FION P. J. KEATIN~ G, MP
ELECTIONS AND THE CONVENTIONS OF GOVERNMENT
Just over six months ago, Dr Hewson made an unsuccessful appeal to the people of
Australia to elect him as Prime Minister. if he can hold the wolves of his own party at
bay, he will no doubt try again in a couple of years' time.
But Dr Hewson's behaviour in recent weeks threatens to undermine the democratic
process itself, and to pollute his own leadership ambitions for the fu~ ture, He has now
put himself under a grave obligation to spell out just what his determination to
vandalise the Government's budget means to the future of representative democracy in
this country.
Does Dr Hewson now concede and accept that any future Liberal Government has
forfeited the right to frame and enact budgetary and economic policy? Do his own
actions now lead him to conclude that being elected the majority party in the House of
Representatives means only that the Government is entitled to whatever power it can
negotiate with marginal and minority parties in the Senate? Does he accept that he is
trampling on the basic principles of operation of the democratic system of government
in this country?
Dr Hewson, who seeks to be elected to power through the conventional method of
leading a party to a majority position in the House of Representatives, is the leading
participant in a dangerous move to transfer power to the less representatively elected
upper house. Down that track lays chaos and potential disaster. Dr Hewson might
feel frustrated and cheated that he didn't get what he wanted from the last election, but
that doesn't entitle him to take out his petulance on the entire system of government.
There are grave dangers for any country when the power and authority of the elected
government is blurred or undermined. There is a very fine line betwecn the
Opposition's right to make forcefuil political capital, and irresponsible, intolerable
behaviour. Some timie in the next several days, Dr Hiewson will walk back from, or
over, that line. The media have a duty to inform Australia about the course of action
he takes, and to call him to account if he crosses that line.
CANBERRA 4 October, 1993