What lessons will be read?

Press, 20 October 1980, Page 20

What lessons will be read?

Time will tell what lessons the coalition will read into the election result. Under normal circumstances, the Government could have been expected to have shed a number of back-benchers after five years in power. Did it get enough of a fright to ask questions about unemployment, about poverty, and about the costs of health insurance?. Will it shrug the election off and simply revert to government as usual? In his speech claiming victory, Mr Fraser appeared unusually subdued and conciliatory. :

1 Both major political parties in New Zealand had observers in■ Australia for the election and both parties may draw some lessons from the campaign and the result. K one of the lessons brought back is about the advantages or disadvantages of abrasive party leadership, this may have a distinct effect on the leadership issue in the. National Party. Some admiration is held in certain quarters in New Zealand for the stern fight the Australian Government has put,, up against inflation. The Government was returned but it may hot have been for that reason. The parallel , in New Zealand might be with develop-

ment policies. Is the - Government’s development policy going to be what attracts the voter next year? Will Labour find issues of greater appeal?

The return of . the Government in Australia probably means that economic and other relations with; New Zealand will continue -as they have done. With any luck, and because of a notable lack of public response to Mr Fraser’s attempt to make defence a major issue, there will be less grandstanding by him on this matter. Presumably the studies towards closer economic relations between New Zealand and Australia will continue and /presumably, the emphasis will be on an outward-looking arrangement. Yet there is a point to remember. - The Australian Labour Party came close to forming the Government of New Zealand’s closest neighbour and because it has been concentrating on; other matters, few of its senior people have any idea of the extent to which the studies have progressed. It would: be a sound move if the new Australian Government took the A.L.P. into its confidence about this issue.