Queensland Premier confident on Games

Press, 30 April 1982, Page 1

Queensland Premier confident on Games

Mr Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Queensland’s Premier, is a “positive thinker” and will not consider the possibility of a Commonwealth Games boycott “until it happens.”

In Christchurch yesterday, he said he was confident that the Games in Brisbane would proceed. He would not speculate on the possibility of an African boycott. “I do not cross my bridges before I come to them.” he said. “I think it will sort itself out quite well. I am a great believer in bringing people together in sport. The Commonwealth Games is one of

the best ways of getting fellowship and good will. I can never agree with mixing politics and sport." Mr Bjelke-Petersen said he was not worried about, comments made by Mr Daniel Whitehead, the Brisbane Commonwealth Games Foundation's general manager. and which were reported in “The Press" yesterday. Mr Whitehead had said that a scaled-down Games was possible if the black African nations decided to boycott the Games because of New Zealand's sporting contacts with South Africa. Mr Bjelke-Petersen said. “If I were Mr Whitehead, I would not even talk that

way, let alone think that way. I do not think like that until it happens.” Mr Whitehead, who said that there had been a hardening of attitude by the black nations in recent weeks, said he was disappointed that the New Zealand Government had not made a. stronger statement against apartheid. However. Mr Bjelke-Peter-sen said he would not ask the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) for a stronger statement. Mr Muldoon had played “straight down the line" on the Springbok tour issue and had been “more than fair." A stronger statement was not necessary. Mr Bjelke-Petersen said he could not do anything to encourage the black African nations to attend the Games except to make clear that they were welcome. "I cannot do anything specific to make them'come other than providing the tens of millions of dollars worth of sports complex which we-

have built. We cannot make them come." Asked about the possibility of protest action at the Games by land-rights activists. Mr Bjelke-Petersen said he was determined that there would not be a take-over of the Games by any particular group, whether it was "by a couple of Maoris or not." Any activists who caused trouble would get “short shrift."

■ He did not plan to ask Mr Muldoon to stop passports from being issued to activists who wanted to go to the Games. Legislation passed by the Queensland Government included special provision for an emergency. The Queensland Government would have to accept responsibility for any action taken under these special provisions, which would lapse immediately after the Games. Mr Bjelke-Petersen said. "You have laws here and we have laws there. If you abide by them, there is no problem. If you run counter to the laws, naturally you run into trouble."

t Mr Bjelke-Petersen said I that demonstrators who caused disruption only des1 troyed their own argument. Asked about assertions i that Queensland had become 1 a police Slate, he asked why ; people kept going there if I that was the case. He said - that each week, 1000 visitors . went to Queensland. He admired Mr Muldoon » and the New Zealand Gov- • ernment. He said. “I like positive 1 people. I like people who can » lead a strong government. ■ People do not like wishy- » washy government." Mr Bjelke-Petersen was in Christchurch briefly yester- » day at the start of a five-day ). visit to New Zealand with his i wife. .Senator Florence s Bjelke-Petersen. From t Christchurch, they flew to Manapouri and today they ’ will visit Queenstown. j Tomorrow, they will fly to 5 Palmerston North to attend i the centennial celebrations of > the St Luke's Lutheran

Church. Mr Bjelke-Petersen was born in Dannevirke and his father was a minister at the church for 14 years. On Monday. Mr BjelkePetersen will meet Mr Muldoon and members of the Cabinet. He and Mrs BjelkePetersen will return to Australia on Tuesday. On an Australian radio programme yesterday, Mr Whitehead called on the New Zealand Olympic and Com-

monwealth Games Association to condemn strongly last year's Springbok tour of New Zealand. The association should condemn the tour in terms that would “satisfy the African and Caribbean nations that they really do believe that it was a bad tour that should not have happened." If New Zealand failed to condemn the tour, “there would be a real risk that the Games could be wrecked. I believe that if the Brisbane Games are a disaster, not 'only will future Commonwealth Games be in jeopardy but the Commonwealth itself will be in jeopardy."

Replying to Mr Whitehead on the same programme, the association’s chairman. Mr Roy Dutton, said that the association had spoken out consistently and continually against apartheid and had appealed to all New Zealanders not to have sports contact with South Africa. Asked if he would respond to Mr Whitehead's appeal by condemning the Springbok tour. Mr Dutton said. “I am not saying that we will condemn the tour. But if we have to speak out .again (at next week's Commonwealth Games Federation meeting in London), we will.” Mr Dutton disagreed with Mr Whitehead's view that by condemning the Springbok tour, the association could save the Games from disaster. Mr Dutton said. “I would hope that a matter of a few words is not going to be so important. We stand on a record of deeds and facts rather than words,"_