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TRANSCRIPT OF NEWS CONFERENCE, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
26 FEBRUARY 1989
E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you sent off the letters to the
States about the housing summit. Are you in a position to
let us know what you told them?
PM: Importantly, we've indicated to the States that over
the next five years we've identified some 2000 hectares of
Commonwealth owned land that we'll make available for
housing. That's the equivalent of the best part of some
30,000 blocks or the equivalent of some 15 to 18 new suburbs
and then a similar sort of amount in the some ten years,
five to ten years after that period of release of those 2000
hectares. So that's a significant contribution that we've
identified and we've also sent them a paper which sets out
the state of activity in the housing industry. So I think
on the basis of what we've provided we now have the
opportunity for a sensible constructive discussion between
ourselves and the States and I certainly want to make the
point that we're not in the business of political point
scoring, we don't want fights about this. We really want to
do what we can together to tackle what is a fairly serious
issue in the community.
JOURNALIST: There's speculation about an early election
again. Can you tell us your current thinking on the date?
PM: No change. Let me repeat I'm getting tired of it but
I repeat it will be some time between the latter part of
this year and the middle of next year.
JOURNALIST: Does that rule out September and October Prime
Minister? PM: I suppose September/ October would be reasonably
identified as being within the latter part of this year.
I'm not being coy about this, that's what I've said and
that's what I mean.
JOURNALIST: So September would be the earliest?
PM: It's very hard to see it being before that.
JOURNALIST: What will you be telling Caucus this afternoon?
What's your message to your
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PM: Obviously Peter you wouldn't be expecting me to give
you all the detail of what I'm going to but essentially I
can say this, that I'll be pointing out to them that we're
now virtually on the eve of the completion of six years of
government. By the time we go to the election it will be in
the order of seven years of government, seven years of us
compared with seven years of the conservatives immediately
preceeding that. It will be a good basis for comparison to
go to the electorate. We have the task, the major task
remains, the. running of the economy. It's a difficult task
but fortunately it's the task of running a strong and
booming economy and at the same time as we have to ensure
that that doesn't overheat to an unacceptable degree we'll
be continuing in this year with the task of improving the
living standards of Australians in general through the
processes of getting an effective wages/ taxes outcome. Also
at both ends of the spectrum, the age spectrum that is, we
will be doing things of importance for the aged and for the
young. Now I emphasise that these things are not being done
for the sake of an election, they represent the continuum of
policies and processes that have been underway for several
years. But they will be impacting in 1989, it's appropriate
that they should do because that's the natural time of
outcome of the processes that have been underway during the
life of this government. So in total we, I believe, have
reason for confidence but not complacency.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is a treaty with Aborigines
still on the Government's agenda?
PM: It's on the agenda but I remind you of what I've said,
and that is that I hope that it may be possible to achieve
that within the life of this Parliament but at all times
I've said I'm not going to concertina processes in an
unrealistic way. It's essential if that sort of outcome is
going to be effective in the long term that both the
Aboriginal community and the non-Aboriginal community have
the opportunity of a full deliberation, consideration of the
issues involved. We'll continue to work on that.
JOURNALIST: Is the question of the judges' salaries more
difficult now than when the recommendations were made last
year, and when will Cabinet consider them?
PM: It was always going to be a reasonably difficult one
because you had the two issues. One, the intrinsic issue of
what you need to pay the judiciary but secondly, associated
with that, our consideration of it takes place in the
context of us still needing the community as a whole to
exercise restraint in their wages claim. So we'll be
dealing with that in a way which I think will meet both the
requirements because there is no doubt there is a need for
an increase in salaries for members of the judiciary but
it's got to be handled in a way which does not give any
basis for exaggerated claims outside that area.
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JOURNALIST: Does that mean they can't look forward to the
full recommended increases of the Remuneration Tribunal?
PM: We'll work this out precisely in the near future. What
I'm saying is that I'm not going to be saying on television
or a news conference just what the precise sort of outcome
is within the limits of the Remuneration Tribunal report.
It's not the appropriate place to do it.
JOURNALIST: Is election speculation damaging the perception
of your Government at the moment?
PM: No.
JOURNALIST: In terms of the next election Prime Minister,
how useful is it to ensure on the Labor Party's part that
John Howard remain Leader of the Opposition?
PM: I don't mind who I have to fight as Leader of the
Opposition. I've gotten used to John Howard but what are
they going to do, are they going to recycle Andrew or are
they going to bring in John Elliot, Peter Shack? I mean
none of them really are going to inspire great confidence in
the electorate. One would be a recycled leader, the others
obviously not up to it, so if it's John Howard then that's
ok. But basically I noticed that while John Howard has been
entering into speculation about what may happen on this side
of politics I'm not going to return the compliment really.
I just suggest to John that I think he'd have his hands
pretty full in making sure that he watches his own flanks.
The interesting thing is that it's only on the conservative
side of politics where the problems of leadership exist.
ends