226
PRIME MINISTER
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JOURNALIST: xr Hawks, have you in fact eliminated child
poverty in the term in which you said you would in the 1987
promise? PN: As I said, Bishop Hollinguworth and others recognise
that because they are not playing games like the Opposition.
We said we would do what was within our power. That is to
eliminate the financial need for child poverty. No
government can determine what happens in an individual
family as to whether a child runs away from home. But we
said, in consultation with the welfare industry, that we
would set targets of welfare payments which would be
percentages of pensions. Nov that was agreed with the
welfare industry that if we met those percentages, those
targets, that would seet the promise of eliminating the
financial need for poverty. We not those targets six months
ahead of schedule.
JOURNALIST: I think from meiory though you said that by 1990
no child would be living in poverty.
PN: Well see you obviously want to play the Opposition game.
1' m saying that when you read the full. statemnt, as it was
there with the election policy speech, it said that we would
provide a situation where there would be no financial need
for poverty. Do you believe that any govena or do you
want a society which the government is qoinq to go into every
homo to determine whether the domestic dispute and the kid
leaves home and goes out in the street? Obviously no
government anywhere in the world can create a situation where
it determines what happens in each domestic household. What
you can do and what we made the promise to do, was to create
a massive increase in financial outlays to families, the low
income families, which has now gone to more than half a
million low income families in this country, there is the
money. There is no financial need for a child to live in
poverty. That promise is delivered, that promise is what we
said we'd do and it has been acknowledged by the welfare
-2-
JOURMLIST: The pilots did turn up at the Commission this
morning. Is that a hopeful sign?
PM: Well 10a glad they did. I respect what the President of
the Commission said. He didn't want any coint about what'.
happen inq in there and I hope that those who ve said that
they were outside the system, that the system wasn't for them
and the guidelines wasn't for themi, I hope they realise that
they need to operate within the system. But I've got no
commoents, on what
JODRNALIBT: We've had som later information on that. The
Industrial Relations Commission has adjourned this morning,
the AFAP has refused to submit to arbitration.
PH: Then all I am say is that you have a clear situation of
a continuing determination by this sml 1 group of people to
put thineSlVes beyond the system. The airlines and the
W Government and increasingly the community will act in a way
which in necessary; that is that the airline operations will
be restored without those people.
JOURNALIST: Is it doregister the Federation?
PH: Oh well that'. a imatter that can be handled through the
processes of the Commission if people want to initiate that.
But that's not you know the intrinsically important part of
what's necessary to deal with this situation. That is mixply
that the airlines must and will recruit people on the basis
of individual cotrct and then the airline system will be
restored because it in quite clear that the Government and
the community is not going to tolerate a situation where a
simall group of people can say they are above and beyond
everyone else and can destroy the economy. That's not going
to happen. The airline systes will be restored.
Melbourne has lout the Grand Prix. Olympic
Ga0118e s
PH: ( inaudible)
ends