ljj> AUSTRALIA.. J
PRUME NIMSTMER Press Statement No. 537
July 1975
MEDIBANK AGREEMENTS
The Prime Minister today signed the Medibank hospital
agreements under which the Australian Government will meet half
the net operat;. ng costs of the public hospital systems of
Victoria and West-ern Australia.
The agreements will be flown to Melbourne and Perth
tonight for endorsement by the Premier of Victoria, Mr Hamer
and the Premier of Western Australia, Sir Charles Court. The
agreements are due to take effect from Friday 1 August.

PRIME MINISTER'S QUEENSLAND BROADCAST NO. 19 -THE BUDGET
SUNDAY 27 JULY 1975
On Friday my colleagues and I finished a week of
intensive Cabinet discussions to frame the Budget which the
Treasurer, Bill Hayden, will be bringing down next month.
It wouldn't be proper to tell you what is in the Budget, but
I can tell you something of our general approach to it. I
might mention in passing that our Budget discussions were
more than a little hampered by the farce which the Senate
has enacted in the past two weeks, requiring Ministers to be

SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, MR E. G. WHITLAM, M. P.
AT THE OPENING OF BLAKENEY LODGE, TUMUT, 26 JULY 1975
IT GIVES ME VERY GREAT PLEASURE TO RETURN TO
TUMUT WITH MY WIFE TO SHARE JN THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF
BLAKENEY LODGE. WE HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO BE PRESENT AT
THE OPENING OF A NUMBER OF OLD PEOPLE'S HOMES IN NEW
SSOUTH WALES IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS. IN FACT, THIS IS
OUR THIRD IN JUST TWO MONTHS ST. BEDE'S AT HURSTVILLE
WITH BISHOP CREMIN, OZANAM VILLA IN LISMORE WITH
O BISHOP SATTERTHWAITE AND NOW THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, AND

SPEECH NOTES FOR PRIME 1MINISTER FOR CIVIC RECEPTIOIN, TUMUT,
26 JULY 1975
1, I AM DELIGHTED TO BE HERE TODAY WITH MY WIFE TO
SHARE THE WARMTH AND HOSPITALITY OF TUMUT SHIRE. IT SEEMS
LIKE YESTERDAY THAT WE WERE IN THE AREA TO HELP CELEBRATE
THE TUMUT AND DISTRICT SESQUI-CENTENARY'WHICH EVERYONE
ENJOYED SO MUCH.
SON THE WAY DOWN FROM CANBERRA THIS MORNING I HAD
ANOTHER LOOK AT THE SPECIAL SOUVENIR PROGRAM WHICH WAS
PREPARED LAST YEAR FOR THOSE 150 ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS,
AND IT CONTAINS QUITE FASCINATING INFORMATION ON THE EARLY

0?
', CSAUA Press Statement No. 536
July 1975
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE STATES
SPECIAL GRANTS
The Prime Minister announced today that the Australian
Government had approved the recommendations of the Grants
Commission on applications made by the Queensland and South
Australian Governments for special financial assistance for
the year 1975/ 76.
The amounts approved for payment in 1975/ 76 total
$ 36,300,000 for Queensland and $ 2,500,000 for South Australia.
The Prime Minister said that special grants are

AA
Jj AUlSTKAI.! A, 1
PR. IE gINBSTER PRESS STATEMENT 53' 0
24 July 1975
DAME IVY WEDGWOOD, D. BE.
0 Dame Ivy Wedgwood, will be fondly
remembered by all Victorians as the first woman to
represent their State in the Senate, and by all of us
who served with her in the Parliament as a gracious
and esteemed colleague.
CANBERA, A. C. T.

ii > AST ALIAC
PIM# E MINISTER PRESS STATEMENT NO. 534
23 July 1975
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
The Australian Government has decided to initiate
a special longitudinal survey of Vietnamese refugees who had
recently settled in Australia, the Prime Minister, Mr Whitlam
announced tonight. The study will be carried out by Dr Jean Martin of
the Australian National University. Dr Martin and her associates
will interview the refugees at regular intervals over a period
of about five years.
The survey would concentrate on those who had neither

Press Statement No. 533
21 July 1975
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT STAFFING CEILINGS
The Prime Minister, Mr Whitlam, announced
today that the Government had directed that staff ceilings
for the financial year 1975/ 76 were to be applied to
Australian Government employment.
The decision to impose the ceilings reflects
the Government's determination to restrain government spending
and bring down a responsible Budget in keeping with current
needs. A staff ceiling of 1.5% has been applied to the
operative staff growth of the Public Service. In line with

S* * 1 J
PRIM] E MINISTER'S QUEENISLAhD BROADCAST NO, 18
THE SENATE INQUISITION
JULY 1975*
THIS WE-EK WE HAVE SEEN YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE
OF THE OPPOSITION'S CONTEMPT FOR PARLIAMENTARY PRINCIPLES
AND ESTABLISHED POLITICAL CONVENTIONS ONE HAS TO KEEP
RETURNING TO THIS THEME BECAUSE THESE PRINCIPLES, THESE
rCONVENTIONS AREN'T JUST DRY LEGAL FORMALITIES--THEY ARE
THE BASIC RULES OF THE POLITICAL GAME> EVER SINCE WE CAME
TO OFFICE THE OPPOSITION HAS BEEN BREAKING THESE RULES
S WHENEVER IT SUITS THEN, THEY HAVE REJECTED LEGISLATION

I lr Speech by the -Prime Minister at Opening of
. Ipswich, C ivic Hall.,. July. 19 75
Mr Mayor., Madam Mayoress, Treasurer, Mrs Hayden, Ministers
Mrs Campbell, Mrs Edwards, Senator and Mrs Bonner,
Mr Marginson, Mrs Marginson, Mr Hales, M. L. A.
Mrs Hales, Civic Fathers and Citizens.
Now this is the formal opening that I am about to perform. I
did the symbolic opening two hours ago at dusk in the presence
of hundreds and hundreds of the rising generation. And I believe
that symbolises what this occasion means for this city. Because