Mr Hawke pledges help to farmers

Press, 3 July 1985, Page 7

Mr Hawke pledges help to farmers

NZPA-AAP Canberra The Australian Prime Minister, Mr Hawke, pledged a package of Budget measures to ease farm costs when he addressed a rally of 25,000 farmers outside Parliament House in Canberra. “We will do all that is in our power to reduce the impact of costs upon you and particularly in the fuel area,” Mr Hawke told the mostly hostile crowd. He was jeered as he told the farmers that ever since he had been in public life he had recognised the importance to Australia of its rural communities. He attempted to pay primary producers several other compliments but they were all met by cries of derision, including, “Fair Go" and “We want Joh,” the latter referring to Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. The president of the

National Farmers’ Federation, Mr lan McLachlan, then addressed the crowd and said, “Flattery, Prime Minister, as you can see, will get you nowhere.” Mr McLachlan said a new determination was sweeping rural Australia and the rally was a “storm warning” to the Government, to the community and to politicians of all parties. A resolution passed unanimously by the crowd said that farmers would take direct action if their demands were not met in the Budget to be brought down by the Treasurer, Mr Keating, on August 20. The rally’s two main themes were protest against increasing costs, particularly of fuel, and the threat of a capital gains tax, which the farm sector regards as death duties in disguise. Mr Hawke told booing farmers that if they agreed the present tax system needed reform they should

realise that conservative governments had been in power for 30 of the last 35 years. Boos and hisses greeted all politicians except Sir Joh who took a “royal walk” along the barricades, shaking hands and chatting with protesters. Mr Hawke came face to face with an effigy of himself with the message, “Hang Hawke’s Government before they tax us into the grave”. One farmer waved a huge cow pat in the air whenever Mr Hawke said anything disagreeable. A convoy of 45 semitrailers arrived before noon blowing their air horns and. drawing reciprocal roars of appreciation from the farmers. The truckies’ protest was organised by the fuel price lobby group “Enough is Enough”.