NQ DATE
? M/ 64 2 April 1973
AID TO GILBERT AND EILTICE ISLANDS
Australia is to give assistance to the value of
$ 450,000 to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony for the
~ construction of a water supply system in the town of Betio
on the Tarawa Atoll.
Announcing this today, the Special Minister of
State and Minister assisting the Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Senator Willesee, said that the assistance included equipment,
Spipelines, pumps and storage tanks. These materials will be
supolied through the Department of Works, which will also

PRESS STATEMENT NO. 67
2 April 1973
VISIT TO CANBERRA OF HIS EXCELLENCY HAMMER DeROBURT PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAURU
The Prime Minister, The Honourable E. G. Whitlam, M. P.,
announced today that His Excellency Hammer DeRoburt, President of' the
Republic of Nauru, would officially visit Canberra from ' April 3 to
April During his visit the President of Nauru will have talks with
Mr. Whitlam and several other Government Ministers on matters of
mutual interest between Australia and Nauru.

3 A
NQ DATE
M/ 63 30 March 1973
APPOINTMENT OF AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER
TO GHANA
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Whitlam,
announced today that Mr R. J. Percival had been appointed
Australian High Commissioner to Ghana. Mr Percival will
succeed Mr J. M. McMillan who has been appointed as
Ambassador to. Turkey.
Mr Percival, who was born in 1926, was educated
at Canberra High School and the University of Melbourne
Swhere he received a Bachelor of Arts degree. He joined
the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1941 and has served

NQ DATE
M/ 62 29 March 1973J
SIGNATURE OF AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA
EXTRADITION TREATY
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Whitlam, and the
Austrian Ambassador His Excellency Dr Franz Pein, today signed
an Extradition treaty in Canberra on behalf of their respective
countries. The Prime Minister said that the Treaty was the second
treaty on reciprocal arrangements for the surrender of fugitive
criminals signed with a foreign government in the past fortnight:
W a similar treaty was signed with Sweden on 20 March this year at

Press Statement ED3.
Review of Previous Government's Programmes
The Prime Minister ( the Hon. E. G. WVhitlam, MP-) announcid
today t~} at the Government was establishing a high level " task force"
under the leadership of Dr, H. C. Coombs to undertake a close scrutiny
of the continuing policies of the previous Government. The de-cision to
undertake this scrutiny resulted from recent discussion by Cabtnet of
the broad question of expenditure priorities and the review would relate
to the spending programmes ( including " disguised expenditure" through

PRESS STATEMENT No. 66
27 March, 1973
THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO LONDON
The Prime Minister announced today details of a
forthcoming visit to London.
He said that it had been a matter of priority in his
mind that he should make a visit to London as soon as
reasonably possible. Its purposes would be, as Prime Minister,
to meet the Prime Minister of Britain, Mr Heath, and also very
importantly, as Prime Minister, to call on the Queen.
For both purposes he felt that he should make the visit

THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE
AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
TUESDAY, 27 MARCH, 1973
PRIME MINISTER: Ladles and gentlemen, because it was
anticipated that the statement on political terrorism would
be made in the two Houses at the ordinary time at which I give
this Press Conference on Tuesday I'd arranged with you to give
the Press Conference at 3.30 p. m. There was a procedural
change in the Senate and so I've therefore waited until
the statement was concluded in the Senate before coming down

NQ DATE
M/ 61 27 March 1973
FOOD AID FOR BANGLADESH
The Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Mr E. G. Whitlam, announced today that Australia would give
Bangladesh a gift of 12,600 metric tons of wheat.
0 Mr Whitlam said the gift was in response to appeals
by the Bangladesh Government and the Secretary-General of the
United Nations for assistance in supplying food grains to
Bangladesh.
0 The gift, valued at $ 940,000, augments the 54,000
metric tons of wheat which Australia shipped to Bangladesh

A
NQ DATE
27 March 1973
S PRIR MINISTER TO VISIT IMIA
~ The Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Mr Whitlam, announced today that he would make a short visit
to New Delhi from 4 to 7 June.
Mr Whitlam recalled that, at his press conference
* on 13 March, he had said he hoped to be able to accept an
invitation from Mrs Gandhi to visit India this year. He had
also said that no Australian Prime Minister had visited India
since 1959. It had, therefore, given him considerable pleasure

R 7 NQ DATE
M/ 59 26 March 1975
APPOINTMENT OF AMBASSADOR TO TEBANON
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Whitlam,
announced today that Mr P. N. B. Hutton had been appointed
0 Australian Ambassador to Lebanon. Mr Hutton will succeed
Mr H. N. Truscott, who will return to Canberra to take up
duties in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Hutton, who was born in 1928, was educated
Sat St Virgil's College, Hobart, and the University of
Tasmania. He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in