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, Vx 17
FOR PRESS:-P. M. No. 67/ 1969
AID FOR THE ARTS
Statement by the Prime Minister, Mr. John Gorton
The Government's intention to aid and encourage the
highest possible national standards in the Arts is reflected by the
substantially increased provision in the Budget for grants and other
support through the Australian Council for the Arts.
The allocation of 850, 000 for 1969-70 which
represents an increase of 183, 651, or 71%, over expenditure
last year, will provide for support in several new areas as well as

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
SPEECH
The Hon. C. E. BARNES, M. P.
ON
BOUGAINVILLE COPPER DEVELOPMENT
( Ministerial Statement)
[ From the ' Parliamentary Debates', 12 August 1969]
Mr BARNES ( McPherson-Minister for
External Territories)-by leave-Mr
Speaker, this statement is cOncerned with
the recent incidents near Kieta, Bougainville,
in the Territory of Papua and New
Guinea, in connection with the provision of
land for the Bougainville copper project.
On 31st July a lease was issued to Bougain-

FOR PRESS: P. M. No. 66/ 1969
SAILING SHIPS FOR COOK CELEBRATIONS
Statement by the Prime Minister, Mr. John Gorton
Two Governments have confirmed that they will be
sending sailing ships to Australia to take part in next year's Captain
Cook Bicentenary Celebrations.
Chile's training barquentine, " Esmeralda", will
be in Sydney for the re-enactment of the landing ceremony at
Botany Bay on 29 April. Japan's cadet training barque, " Nippon
Maru", will also be here for the Bicentenary Celebrations, but
her sailing schedule is still being worked out.

69/ 16
FOR PRESS: Issued by the Cffice of the Press
Secretary to the Prime Minister.
AUSTRALIAN SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN
Lieutenant-General Sir Reginald Pollard, K. B. E.,
C. D. S. who is in charge of the planning of the visit to
Australia next year by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal
Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, will be Her Majesty's Australian
Secretary for the occasion and will be a member of the Royal
Household throughout the visit.
Sir Reginald will return from London tomorrow

FOR PRESS: F 13'* 1969
P. M. No. 65/ 1969
ROYAL VISIT 1970
Statement by the Prime Minister, Mr. John Gorton
The Queen has been pleased to approve an itinerary for
Her visit to Australia next year with The Duke of Edinburgh.
They will be in Australia from Easter Monday 30 March
to Sunday 3 May, and will visit the Australian Capital Territory, New
South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania. The itinerary is:-
March to 2 April
2 April to 4 April
April to 8 April
8 April to 12 April
12 April to 23 April
23 April to 28 April

FOR PRESS: P. M. No. 64/ 1969
DROUGHT RELIEF FOR QUEENSLAND
The Prime Minister, Mr. John Carton, referred
today to the extra measures of drought relief assistance which
he had agreed to make available to the Queensland Government
in a letter to the Premier on 29 July.
He recalled that in 1968-69 the Commonwealth
gave approximately $ 2 million to Queensland on a dollar-fordollar
sharing arrangement between the Commonwealth and
the State. Mr. Gorton has now told the Queensland
Government that in 1969-70 the present financial year the

69/ 1,
FOR PRESS: P. M. No. 63/ 1969
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
The Prime Minister, Mr. John Gorton, has received
the following message from President Nixon:-
" Dear John, I very much appreciated your message
welcoming the safe return of our astronauts. It
symbolises perfectly the special bonds of friendship,
co-operation and understanding which exists between
the Australian and American people. I will most
certainly look into the possibility of Astronauts
Armstrong, Aldrmn and Collins visiting Australia.

p 69/ 109
STATE COUNCIL MEETING OF THE VICTORIAN
DIVISION OF THE LIBERAL PARTY
Melbourne, Vic. JULY 1969
Speech by the Prime Minister, Mr. John' Gorton
Mr. President, Mr. Premier and Delegates:-
This is, as the President has said, merely a fleeting visit.
I have to be in Queensland by lunchtime, then have a meeting of the
Women's Sections from all over Queensland, and then attend a fund-raising
dinner for one of our candidates. So you can see, it is not an uncrowded
day. But this part of it is one that I would not, for anything, have missed.

LIBERAL WOMEN'S RALLY
BRISBANE, Qld. JULY 1969
Speech by the Prime Minister, Mr. John Gorton
I never have looked up the number of women on the rolls
throughout the Commonwealth of Australia In the way your President has,
but I did just happen to discover that on the Queensland rolls, as distinct
from the Commonwealth rolls, there are 15, 000 more women than men.
So our minds must have been working in the same direction, Madam
President. We were both looking to the strength. And indeed we were

FOR PRESS PM. No. 62/ 1969
YOUTH ORCHESTRA FOR EXPO
Statement by the Prime Minister, Mr ohn Gorton
The Government has decided to send the Australian
Youth Orchestra to Japan to take part in
The Orchestra will represent Australia in EXPO's
' World of Youth" Festival in Osaka next July, during which it will
give a week of daily performances.
The National Music Camp Association established the
Australian Youth Orchestra in 1967. It comprises 92 of Australia's
most talented young instrumentalists, ranging in age from fourteen