PRESS, RADIO AND TELEVISION CONFERENCE
GIVEN BY THE PRIME MINISTER, SENATOR
JOHN GORTON, AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE,
CANBERRA 17TH JANUARY, 1968
PRIME MINISTER Well, gentlemen, this is a press conference for the
purpose of enabling you to ask me questions In the hope that I will be
able to provide some sort of an answer to them. It Is not an occaabn
for me to make a statement but rather an occasion for you to raise
matters which are In your minds.
Q. V/ hat action will you take If you get a bad answer today?

FOR PRESS: 11 2 4 JAN 1968
L / 8 R AV PM. No. 9/ 1968
POSTAL DISPUTE
Statement by the Prime Minister, Senator John Gorton
This evening, I sent the following telegram to the General
Secretary of the Amalgamated Postal Workers' Union ( Mr Slater)
" MY TELEGRAM OF JANUARY 14 HAS ALREADY
TOLD YOU THAT A CONFERENCE WITH THE PUBLIC
SERVICE BOARD WILL BE ARRANGED AS SOON AS YOUR
UNION WISHES AFTER THE DRIVERS HAVE RETURNED TO
NORMAL, REPEAT NORMAL, WORK.
" THE BOARD WILL GIVE FULL CONSIDERATION TC
ALL THE MATERIAL WHICH YOUR UNION PUTS FORWARD

FOR PRESS: 25JAN96 AAft P. M. No. 8/ 1968
PMG MOTOR DRIVERS' DISPUTE
Statement by the Prime Minister, Senator John Gorton
I gave directions that I should be kept fully Informed
on the postal dispute during the week-end, and was kept ac, 1ised of
developments by the Postmaster-General and by officials.
I discussed the matter with the Chairman of the
Public Service Board, Sir Frederick VWheeler, at my home this
afternoon. At midday today I had received a telegram from the
General Secretary of the Amalgamated Postal Workers' Union ( Mr Slater).

FOR PRESS ~ E'o'b 2 4 JAN 1968 ~ PM. No. 716
t"-ALKS WITH MR THOMSON ON BRITIH
WITHDRAWAL
Statement by the Prime Minister, Senator John Gorton
The Right Honourable George Thomson, British
Secret ary of State for , Ommonwealth Affairs, today told the Australian
Government of British proposals for speeding up the withdrawal of
British forces from Singapore and Malaysia.
The precise proposals will not be disclosed partly
because the British Cabinet has not yet, as we are told, made final

FOR PRESS: JA16 1 p. M. No. 616
MR LEE'S " AST OF SUEZ MISSION
Statement by the Prime Minister, Senator John Gorton
The Australian Government fully supports the
Prime Minister of Singapore in his attempt to persuade the British
Government not to speed up withdrawal of British forces from
Singapore and Malaysia. Hower er, we do not feel the actual physical
presence of a senior Australian Minister, who could only arrive in
London a few hours before the talks were due to begin, would add
much force to the support already expressed.

S\ ST ER'S 9
FOR PRESS: CL2JA16 L/ SRA R' PM. No. 5/ 1968
CONGRATULATIONS FOR NEW PRIME MINISTEIR
The new Prime Minister, Senator Gorton, is receiving
congratulatory messages from many parts of the world. Following are
texts of some of the messages
U. S. A. " Warmest congratulations to you on assuming the
great and challenging office of Prime Minister. It gives me
strength and comfort to know under your leadership the same
close and mutually satisfactory friendship and relations as
between our friends Menzies and Holt will continue between