5 September 1999
E&OE…………………………………………………………………………………..
Thank you very much. To Joy Howley, the President of the Victorian Division; to Peter Costello, the Federal Treasurer and Deputy Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party; to my other Federal and State Parliamentary colleagues; and collectively to my fellow Liberals.
It is an enormous delight for Janette and I to be here today, to associate ourselves emphatically with the cause of reelecting the Kennett Government to the Treasury benches in Victoria for another four years. Politics my friends, is in the ultimate all about making a difference. There’s not much good occupying the big office and having a big car and getting all the big invitations unless you actually do something with the authority that high office gives you. And I think it can, without any doubt and even amongst his fiercest critics, it can be said ladies and gentlemen, that in the time that he has been Premier of this State, Jeff Kennett has really made a huge difference.
The transformation of Victoria, the restoration of pride in the City of Melbourne, the way in which the economy of this State has become a leader amongst the Australian States is a tremendous testament to the leadership of Jeff Kennett, and it’s a remarkable tribute to the quality of the government that the Coalition has provided since it swept to power in 1992.
When I addressed the Federal Council of the Liberal Party in July in Canberra I spoke of my ideals for seeing Australia being a ‘can do’ country in the new millennium. And of all of the States of Australia none has better exemplified the ideal of a ‘can do’ State led by a ‘can do’ Premier than has the State of Victoria because in so many fields over the last few years Victoria has led the way. And the people of Victoria should never forget the appalling economic mess that was inherited by the Kennett Government in 1992. As a frequent visitor to the State of Victoria in the various positions I held before the change of government, I sensed in this State a longing for strong leadership, for a firm economic direction, and a sense of the future. And the relief that swept through Victoria when the former Labor government was defeated in 1992 was palpable . But most importantly the man and the people who replaced the discredited Labor regime have in every sense of the word matched and fulfilled the expectations that were invested in them by the Victorian people in 1992
The debt has been cut dramatically, growth has been restored, employment has grown, the City of Melbourne has flourished like never before, and the people of Victoria have had restored to them a sense of well being and a sense of pride in their State. And that has not been through accident, it has not been through luck. It has been through high quality government and strong leadership. And Jeff Kennett and Pat McNamara and all the other members of the Coalition Government deserve our thanks and our gratitude. And as the leader of the Federal Government, as the leader of a Coalition Government that works with the government of Victoria, I’m delighted on behalf of my Federal colleagues, not only here today but all around the State of Victoria, to pledge our support and our commitment to the re-election of the Kennett Government.
We must never take, as Liberals, any election for granted. Fight to the very last hour, fight for a strong victory right up until six o’clock on polling day. Take nothing for granted, assume nothing. Assume always that you have a political enemy to keep at bay and to defeat. And if you do that the people of Victoria can have what I believe they deserve for the next four years, and that is a strongly returned Coalition Government led by Jeff Kennett so that the work that he’s done can be added to and built upon as we go into the new millennium. And the pride that Victorians feel in their State and in their capital city can continue to flourish and continue to grow. I wish Jeff and his colleagues well. They have my total support and all of my good wishes.
[Ends]