Talks aim at total free trade

Press, 9 May 1981, Page 6

Talks aim at total free trade

PA Auckland ? The Australian * Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Doug Anthony) arrived in-, Auckland last evening for talks on! closer economic relations, saying his ultimate objective was. total freeing of Tasman trade...

■ln perhaps the strongest Australian statement so far, Mr Anthony said the aim of his country in' the drawn-out talks was ‘ nothing less than total freeing-up." Mr Anthony said “men of good will" were required to try. to find solutions to the stumbling blocks which had dogged the talks to date. ■However, he dismissed as “playing politics" the bickering between the New Zealand Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) and the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) saying, with a broad smile, it was "fair enough." for Mr Mitldoon to make some of his recent statements.

■He said it would be “regrettable” if the talks were affected by adverse New Zealand reaction to the Australian decision to require passports for Tasman travel. ■Mr Anthony’s statements appeared to be an attempt by, the Australians to shift the responsibility on. to New Zealand for making, the talks produce/results, ; ? J Although teams of officials on both sides of the Tasman have done much groundwork over the months, issues such as dairy access and banking

have been raised by Mr Muldoon as stumbling blocks in the talks. :

-Mr Anthony last evening was clearly trying to give the impression he wanted to see firm progress, and that it was up to New Zealand to •help.

The latest round of talks on closer Tasman economic relationships will start in' Wellington next week. Informal discussions will be held on Monday at Parliament and on Tuesday, highlevel talks will begin between Mr Anthony, Mr Muldoon. the Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Taiboys) and other New Zealand Ministers. Today and tomorrow Mr Anthony is a guest of the Government and will spend his time relaxing and fishing in the Bay of Islands. He jokingly said before leaving Auckland for North- - land last evening: “Good will will depend on the success of my fishing,” Mr Anthony said he wanted the talks next week to finish with good will on ■both sides, but he did not wish to see people impatient or expecting miracles. “There are many difficult areas and it would be wrong for me to exclude such things as dairy access as difficult,” he said? “It requires men of good will to try to find a solution to these problems. “Our objective is a total freeing-up and I hope that will be achieved. I am talk-

ing about nothing less. But it is a big move forward and it cannot be achieved overnight.”

(Before leaving Australia yesterday Mr Anthony said in Canberra that the issue was one which would need further meetings beyond those next week.) Last evening he said he would not like to put a time frame on how much longer the closer economic relations .discussions would continue.

Other problems Mr Anthony said would be discussed included the question of access to the Australian market for New Zealand financial institutions, plus the tariff-quota New Zealand had imposed on imported wines, which has irked Australia.

He said it would be “very regrettable’ if the Australian passport move affected the talks, because the talks were about something long term; permanent and important and, Australia had good reasons for requiring passports for Tasman travel. Mr Anthony shrugged off the issue of Prime Ministerial bickering such as MrMuldoon’s attack this, week on Mr Fraser’s press secretary, Mr David Barnett.

“The remarks don’t deter me. I live in a political atmosphere and these things come 24 hours a day. Of course the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) can make the comments. It is fair enough for him.”