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Ladies and gentlemen, Senator Ridgeway and I have decided to call this joint
press conference to make a joint appeal to the Australian people to vote
yes to the preamble on Saturday. And the fact that the two of us have come
together at this news conference symbolises the value of the preamble as
a uniting element in constitutional debate in Australia.
Because Senator Ridgeway is a self-declared yes voter on the republic and
I am a self-declared no voter on the republic. But on the issue of the preamble
both of us together are asking the Australian people to vote yes because
we see the preamble as a way as we go into the next century of expressing
what unites us rather than continuing a debate about what doesn't unite
us.
And the values continued in the preamble are values that I believe the overwhelming
majority of Australians support. For the first time in 100 years there will
be a positive gracious, decent statement going into our document, our Constitutional
document, regarding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of
this country.
The other statements contained in the preamble are all statements that encapsulate
fundamental Australian values. I believe that if the preamble is carried
it will make a very positive contribution to the reconciliation process
in this country. And in practical terms that remains an important goal of
the Government. I have appreciated very much the practical contribution
that Senator Ridgeway and many of his other colleagues within the indigenous
leadership have made towards the process of reconciliation.
Inevitably, the republican debate was going to dominate the airwaves and
the newspapers and public comment over the past few weeks and we would like
to bring a greater public focus in the remaining days of this referendum
campaign on the preamble. We want Australians to understand that it is a
uniting statement. It is a statement that carries all upside and no downside.
It is a statement that the most conservative Australian who has the most
hostile views towards the republic imaginable can vote yes to. It is equally
a statement that a person who is an enthusiastic republican can also say
yes to. And that, in a sense, it is symbolised in that unity and that coming
together.
And I am delighted that Aden and I have had the opportunity this morning
to hold this news conference and to, from our different perspectives on
the republic, he a republican, I an anti-republican, nonetheless joining
together inviting the Australian people to cast a yes vote in favour of
the preamble.
I'll now invite Senator Ridgeway to address the news conference.
SENATOR RIDGEWAY:
Well, I guess the first thing I should say is that it probably comes to
no surprise that I will be voting yes for the preamble and yes for the republic
on Saturday. It's also of no surprise that there are diverse views amongst
indigenous people about whether the preamble and whether the question of
the republic ought to be supported in any fashion. And it's clear that we
start from the no/no, to a yes/no, to a no/yes and a yes/yes.
So I am quite delighted to be here today to, in partnership with the Prime
Minister, advocate a yes vote and to call on Australians to vote overwhelmingly
yes in favour of the preamble. I think that it provides a very significant
opportunity, a moment in history that ought not escape the Australian public
in terms of the significance of what the preamble says about Australia and
about Australians.
For too long we have existed as a country that is nothing more than an annex
to a British act of parliament. And it's high time that through the preamble
and perhaps through the question of the republic that we deal with some
of the unfinished colonial business of our past. The preamble in many respects
is an opportunity to chart a forward moving path. And the only way to move
forward is by moving forward. I accept that there is criticism from some
people about perhaps semantics in terms of what it is the preamble captures
and what it doesn't. And I remind people again that it highlights and it
captures, I think, many of the values and principles that are important
to all Australians in terms of equality, in terms of respect, decency, in
terms of diversity. These are things, I think, that Australians can vote
for.
But I think significantly the preamble also identifies, recognises and captures
the faces of all Australians - Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, immigrants
and other Australians. But more importantly, it also in the broader sense
throws a very wide net to capturing younger and older Australians. It gives
people an opportunity to affirm themselves by voting yes.
And so on Saturday it will be an opportunity of Australians, irrespective
of whether they are of the persuasion of being monarchist or a republican,
to affirm something in themselves. And I call on the Australian people so
many days out from the time that they cast their crucial vote that they
vote unequivocally and overwhelmingly yes for a preamble that is a recognition
of Australian people and a recognition of themselves. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Do you have any questions for either of us?
JOURNALIST:
The polling shows that the support for the preamble has eroded quite seriously.
Do you both regret that you didn't get going earlier on this given that
we are only three days out?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I have tried to avoid in relation to both the republic and the preamble
to give a running commentary on the polling and I am not really going to
break that habit this morning. But clearly, we want there to be more focus
by the public on the preamble in the last days of the campaign. It was inevitable
that most of the airwaves were going to be dominated by the republic irrespective
of efforts that were made in relation to the preamble. It should be borne
in mind that there is no significant campaign against the preamble and to
my knowledge there will be no organised activity on the polling booths on
Saturday advocating a "no" vote for the preamble. So it comes
from the point of view of campaigning you are operating from a different
vantage point. The important thing about the preamble is for people to know
what the words are. In the nature of things, the Electoral Commission found
itself unable to put all of the words of the preamble on the ballot paper
because of size considerations. It's therefore important and a number of
steps are being taken including in the remaining days of the campaign to
bring to the attention of the Australian people the wording of the preamble.
Our experience has been that once people know what is in the preamble that
they give very ready assent to the aspirations of the document because they
are aspirations that most Australians feel extremely supportive of.
JOURNALIST:
Senator Ridgeway is a yes vote more important to you than a yes vote on
the republic?
SENATOR RIDGEWAY:
Well, I have always considered that the pre-eminent question has been the
issue of the preamble because that's what it does in terms of giving a reason
for Australians to want to vote for a republic. I think that it's one thing
to talk about Australia maturing and coming of age and perhaps shoving off
from mother England, but it's also another question to fill the vacuum by
affirming something in Australians themselves. And the preamble to a great
extent does that. But irrespective of the outcome on Saturday, even if it's
a no vote on the question of the republic, the issue of the preamble is
one that must be resuscitated and it must be revived in order to ensure
that Australians vote for themselves. That's what the preamble seeks to
do. I don't believe that the campaigning for this issue is too little too
late. The pre-eminent question for other Australians has primarily been
the issue of the republic and I respect the fact that both camps have had
an opportunity and a large amount of time in terms of airing the issues
to deal with those concerns. People I think have gotten to the point of
having nearly made up their minds about which way they're going to vote.
There is an opportunity now to draw attention to the issue of the preamble
for both camps in order to ensure that there is an overwhelming vote of
yes support for the preamble.
JOURNALIST:
Senator Ridgeway, if the preamble is lost, what moral message does that
send to the rest of the world that Australians rejected including Aborigines
or recognition of Aborigines in their constitution?
SENATOR RIDGEWAY:
Well I think that it's a significant moment in history and that the eyes
of the world are watching Australia in terms a range of issues including
race relations, one of the things that we have to be mindful of is that
if there is an overwhelming vote of yes then that will come about by the
tenacity, the moral tenacity of Australians who understand how significant
this moment is. And I place my faith in Australians because I believe that
by and large people express a goodwill in resolving a lot of the unfinished
business, that this can be a yes vote and people can vote according to the
moral issues that the question of the preamble raises. I would hope that
perhaps on Sunday or earlier next week we will have a very clear result
that says the preamble has been successful.
JOURNALIST:
Senator Ridgeway, a lot of Aboriginal leaders have expressed their disappointment
that there's not actually. that this isn't in the body of the Constitution.
means that there is no real change in law. So what real advantage is there
in the reconciliation process to having the preamble to the Constitution?
SENATOR RIDGEWAY:
I think you have to understand the constitutional reform has been part of
a phase in and incremental process. There's no way of removing that. There
are other issues in the constitution that ought to be dealt with this time
around as well including some of the racially discriminatory provisions,
but they're not being dealt with. Having said that people ought to understand
that the preamble is not the place for setting standards or rights. It is
the place that recognises the human dimensions of Australian society. And
the preamble that's currently on offer does all of those things. But in
addition to that I think that it lends itself to if there is an overwhelming
yes vote, to revisiting the issue in terms of the main body of the constitution
and dealing with the question of perhaps other rights based issues. These
are things I think that are going to have to be worked out over a longer
period of time. Perhaps the reconciliation process will chart the course
in terms of dealing with the harder and more difficult issues. But I think
that somehow you have to rally Australians around a significant focal point.
The preamble provides the opportunity for that occur and to ensure that
as we move down the path of dealing with unfinished business we are able
to take all Australians with us, not just a select few who can rally up
support and rally in support of a particular issue. It must capture the
rest of the nation.
JOURNALIST:
How much do you feel that "it ain't broke don't fix it" is resonating
with the Australian people in the final few days before the vote and do
you think that is going to be the decisive issue when they actually go to
vote?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think it's something that's resonating significantly. Yes I do. I think
it is one of the things that people have got to take into account. In fairness
to the bipartisan way in which this press conference was called, I don't
intend to use it as a major forum to put my point of view on the republic.
It's well known. Obviously that's important, but I'd like to endorse what
Aden has said about the preamble and that is that it's a statement of how
we see the human attitude and the human condition. And it's an attempt to
say something simple and noble about what we believe in as Australians and
it will be a great shame if that opportunity is lost. And if it is lost
it will be through perhaps people not being aware of the words, not so much
of them being opposed to the concept or what those words stand for.
JOURNALIST:
Are you worried about whether it sends out the wrong message to the outside
world?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't any of these things in the end send out as many messages as
some people like to think they do. I don't know that Australians hang on
every decision taken by the British Parliament or the American Congress
or indeed any other legislature. Everybody has their own way of handling
these things. I mean I am concerned about these issues in so far as they
affect Australia and in so far they affect how Australians relate to each
other. I think it would be enormously beneficial if we could go into the
next century with a united affirmation of some of the fundamental values
of the Australian community including in particular the recognition in a
positive, noble, gracious way for the first time of the role of the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander people. But not only that. Also the contribution
made by our diggers, the contribution made by immigrants, the importance
of the environment, the value of the rule of law, the equality of men and
women, and the common spirit that binds us together in times of adversity,
called by another name in other contexts.
JOURNALIST:
Isn't the wording of the question though unfortunate though Mr Howard, because
people are faced with just "do you support the constitution being amended
to include a preamble?" Given that it has received virtually no publicity
during the campaign, lots of voters are going to say, well..
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's not right to say it's had no publicity. Well it's actually had
quite a lot. I mean it's had quite a lot of electorate wide publicity. Many
of the newsletters that have been sent out certainly by many of the Coalition
members that I'm aware of on a householder basis having included a full
statement of what is in the preamble. So there would be for those who've
sought to find out in any way there has been quite a lot dissemination of
the words in the preamble. As you know from your own political experience
you have to disseminate again and again and again over a long period of
time for the message to get through to some people. Now that's just the
nature of the democratic and communication process. But I certainly share
Aden's view that now is an opportunity, as so many people I suspect have
formed a view about the other issue. Now here's an opportunity in the last
three days of the referendum to elevate really a knowledge of the fact that
there is another vote and in that way people will seek out and have the
opportunity of reading the words in the document.
JOURNALIST:
You couldn't have done better with the wording on the ballot paper?
PRIME MINISTER:
We looked at all sorts of ways and so did the Electoral Commission and it
became quite difficult. I mean remember all the debate about the wording
of the republican question? Michelle, you imagine the arguments we'd have
had with some people over the summation of the preamble.
JOURNALIST:
You couldn't have just put it there?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, you could have. You could have put it on the back. But all the advice
we had from the Electoral Commission was against that.
JOURNALIST:
Senator Ridgeway, you spoke of "reviving the preamble". Are you
saying that if Australians vote 'no' - that you won't let this matter rest?
SENATOR RIDGEWAY:
I think that this is part of an historical process in terms of the development
of national political history. If there is a no vote it's not a question
of not advocating for further constitutional change in the future. I think
that that's going to arise in any event. As to whether we get an opportunity
to revisit the question of constitutional reform even in the context of
another preamble, I don't believe that if there is a no vote this time around
that an opportunity will make itself available in the foreseeable future.
And I would say that on all counts that even on the question of a republic
that if there is an overwhelming no vote I don't believe that Australians
will want to revisit the issue for at least another 100 years.
JOURNALIST:
Do you agree with Senator Ridgeway that a strong vote for the preamble could
open the way for further constitutional reform and that even the suggestion
that some of these rights issues might ultimately be incorporated into the
body of the Constitution?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well our position as a government is that we would like the preamble supported.
We are not saying to the Australian people that has an automatic consequence.
Indeed we don't believe it has any consequence in relation to the formal
wording of the constitution. I respect the fact that Senator Ridgeway might
have another view on that and it is properly open to him and his party to
argue that point of view but the Coalition is for the preamble, that's it,
as to other matters, well, they have to be dealt with on their merits. We
do believe that the preamble will make a very valuable contribution to the
reconciliation process and that's why I'm very keen to see it supported.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, are interest rates going to rise further?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't comment on the future of interest rates, you know that, in
either direction. Now, let me say in relation to the increase that was announced
this morning by the Reserve Bank - the Governor has pointed out that the
many reductions in interest rates which have given us our lowest level of
interest rates for 30 years occurred in a climate of a recessed, indeed,
declining world economy. The very small adjustment that's been made this
morning reflects the fact that the world economy is growing now quite strongly,
that the outlook for growth is better than what it was a year ago. There
have been in countries like Korea very significant improvements in our region
in the level of economic growth and that of necessity the stance of monetary
policy ought to change somewhat. As to the future, I don't speculate in
any way or either way about what's going to happen.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, do you think the Queen or Royal family will be distressed
if Australia votes to be a republic on Saturday?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think it's been made abundantly clear and I'm sure it is the view of the
Queen that this is entirely a matter for the Australian people.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think she'll be upset?
PRIME MINISTER:
She has made it perfectly clear all along it's entirely a matter for the
Australian people. I am certain that whatever decision is taken by the Australian
people she will accept and respect.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible] I'm about to report back to Aboriginal radio. Given the conflicting
reasons Aboriginal leaders have given to Aborigines have been given about
whether to vote yes or no to the preamble, do you have a message to them?
SENATOR RIDGEWAY:
Well, I think the message to indigenous Australia is that there needs to
be an understanding that there has been an absence of recognition of indigenous
people in Australian society for almost 100 years. This provides an opportunity
for indigenous people to finally gain some recognition in the Constitution.
It's not the end game. I think it's the beginning of an ongoing process.
But I think that people need to understand that in a broader context of
it is an opportunity to vote yes and affirm something that unifies the nation
rather than divides the nation. So in talking in the context of unfinished
colonial business we have to create a starting point for being able to bring
about the substantive issues of what unification of Australia means in terms
of all of those that make up all walks of Australian life. So, a call to
indigenous Australia is to understand that this is clearly a need to understand
that for the first time they will get recognition and that they can feel
comfortable about voting yes irrespective of the semantics because it plays
a vital role in terms of their recognition in national life.
JOURNALIST:
Peak interest groups are saying that the interest rates have risen too early.
Do you share their view?
PRIME MINISTER:
These matters are decided by the Reserve Bank. The Reserve Bank has decided
to lift the official interest rate by 25 basis points. They've given certain
reasons which I fully understand and I think they are intelligent reasons
but I'm not going to get into a debate about whether it should or shouldn't
have happened. It was a decision of the Reserve Bank. We've held very strongly
to the view since becoming the Government that monetary policy should be
set and administered independently by the central bank, therefore, I'm not
going to get into a debate either way accept to observe that the reasons
advanced by the bank make a great deal of sense to me.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, Rupert Murdoch today seems to be likening your government to
the Suharto regime for not embracing the Productivity Commission's suggestions
on media ownership, draft suggestions..
PRIME MINISTER:
I didn't see that. I didn't see that.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible] .. in the business section of The Australian.
PRIME MINISTER:
I haven't got to that, Michelle. I'm still wading through the Sydney
Morning Herald.
JOURNALIST:
Well, can I just quote: (inaudible)"..sounds like Indonesia under Suharto"..
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I'm sure citizen Murdoch was being, you know, particularly - how shall
I put it - particularly expansionary and colourful in his political comparisons
when he was making that. Of course any comparison between us and the Suharto
government is quite absurd and I'm sure he's had his tongue well and truly
planted in his cheek.
JOURNALIST:
He had a few side-swipes on the front page.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, I read those.
JOURNALIST:
What did you think of those?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think we've got the pace of reform in this country right. This has
been a very reformist government. I don't think we've been timid at all.
I think we've been balanced. I think we've been courageous but we haven't
been foolhardy. And economic reform is just not something which is handled
for the benefit of the boardrooms of the nation. It is also something that
has got to carry the people with it. And unless you carry people with economic
reform you will lose your authority both political and moral to undertake
reform. And I understand the mood and temper of the Australian people and
that is that they will accept reform if you satisfy two conditions. If you
persuade them that it's in the interests of Australia and also if you persuade
them that it is fair. And it can't be handed down to them in some doctrinaire
fashion. You have to