,  i

PRIME MINISTER

FOR PRESS .  10 SEPTEMBER 1978

EMBARGO AGAINST DELIVERY

ÃÂ 1

ELECTORATE TALK

Just a thousand days ago Australians elected the Liberal-  National Country Party Coalition to take the reigns of  Government.

They were heady days, often filled with bitterness and  emotion.

The national debate centred on those values and ideals that  set us apart from one another. Division - rather than  unity - had become part of the fabric of Australian political  life.

Although as a nation we still face economic problems, there  is today a greater sense of cohesion, a greater purpose  throughout the community.

Division still exists, argument still prospers - but without  the rage of previous days.

Australians still argue about politics - about politicians  and the decisions they make - but they now accept that  governments must make unpopular decisions and take unpalatable  choices.

They accept that governments cannot rule by popularity polls.

Australians understand that illness of the kind we faced  takes time to cure, and that healing is not without pain.

Australians have shown they want a government with a sense  of national purpose and a commitment to national unity;  they have shown they want a government committed to free  enterprise, to achieving and to promoting the growth and  development of this nation.

In essence they want a government that gives everyone a  fair go - and which is not indebted to any class or any  vested interest. '

That is what we have striven for, that is what we earnestly  seek.

.. . / 2

In recent years, the worth of government has tended to be  judged almost solely on how successfully it handles economic  problems. It is the economy that attracts the headlines,   the analysis and constant scrutiny.

In a time of rebuilding and restoring public confidence in  a government's ability to come to tors with mainstream  issues,  that is a fair judgement.

For,  without solid foundation - without a sound economy -  other initiatives of government eventually do little  more than add to community burdens.

While the fight against inflation and restoring the economy  to full health has been at the core of our concern, our  achievements in welfare and social life, and protection of  individuals - to name key areas of human need - have been  nonetheless signigicant.

They stand too as a reminder of the fundamental differences  we have with the Labor Party in approach to government.

Our social welfare policies have channelled assistance to  those areas of real need.

In this area, where governments have an obligation to provide  resources, we have constantly sought to add to - and not  subtract from - individual dignity and independence.

We have sought to enhance self-respect and reduce mindless  reliance on government to "do it all".  And that is one  reason why we have striven to encourage the work of voluntary  agencies which can provide human understanding and concern

so much better than government.

Australia today is at a critical stage in developing a  cohesive, united and multi-cultural nation.

Few Australians in their lifetime have to face the same  frustrations - the loneliness and anxieties - as the migrant  family. '

Against that background, the government accepted without  reservation the recommendations of the Galbally Report -  the most comprehensive review of migrant services and  programmes ever undertaken in Australia.

Now government is involved in a new approach to the whole  area of English language teaching, communication, information,  community services for migrants, ethnic media, consultation and  co-ordination.

This period has also marked a real turning point for the  Australian Aboriginal.

The core of the Government's policy regarding Aboriginal  advancement is summed up in the term 'self-management1.  '

3

It was never good enough for politicians and bureaucrats to  impose on the Aboriginal people their concept of what was  best for the Aboriginal people.

Aboriginals have the same rights as every Australian citizen  to determine what is best for them. Pride and self-esteem  is not solely the privilege of white Australians.

The setting up of the Council for Aboriginal Development  and the National Aboriginal Conference now effectively gives  the Aboriginal people new voice, new hope - and helps put  an end to the offensive paternalism of past policies.

In the decades since Federation, the bureaucracy has grown  enormously in size and power. Many people have felt  powerless in the face of the governmental apparatus.

The Government has taken steps to make sure that people  dealing with the Government are treated fairly and promptly. We have sought to make sure that discretions are properly  used and that grievances against the government are properly

and impartially investigated.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Ombudsman provide  legal avenues for the citizen to carry out this process.

The Industrial Relations Bureau also provides protection  for individuals against actions of both employers and trade  unions.

We are determined that the rights and freedoms of all  Australians are not only defended but enhanced and revitalized.

The Government’s concern about unemployment - about the social  costs of dole queues - is a real concern. The only argument  is about approach to solutions.

What we as a government have faced, is that unemployment  will not be solved by "one stroke of the pen" policies or by  putting people on the Government payroll.

It will only be solved with a fundamentally sound economy,  so that private enterprise is encouraged by low inflation  and low interest rates - and with incentive from government -  to expand and provide new job opportunities.

That is the course we have taken. That is the course we  will follow.

In 2 h  years we have sought to weld our country with common  purpose, common concern. I believe we are succeeding in  that.

That is not to say that with hindsight we may have tackled  some problems in a different way. I guess hindsight is  a valuable ally in all situations throughout life.

. . . / A

4

However, I believe that our basic approach to solving economic  problems,  our creative reforms, has been completely right for  Australia,

The Government is well aware of the responsibility we hold as  we move towards the 801s .

Make no mistake,  we have an opportunity to make Australia  an example to the world - an example of how determination to  overcome basic economic problems can enhance the life of all  our people.

We have an opportunity to join that narrow band of countries  where decisions are taken because they are right, not because  they are thought to be politically popular.

Our purpose is to create an Australia in which every Australian  shares in a great national pride.

The opportunities are great - - the possibilities exciting.

-- oOo--

