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CONFIDENTIAL
Document No. 14
RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE RIGHT HON. GEOFFREY RIPPON, QC, MP, CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER, AND THE HON. J. D. ANTHONY, M P, AUSTRALIAN MINISTER OF STATE FOR PRIMARY INDUSTRY, HELD AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA, ON WEDNESDAY,
16 SEPTEMBER, 1970
Present:
The Right Hon. Geoffrey Rippon, Q C,
M P
HE Sir Charles Johnston
Mr. Tickell
Australian agriculture
Mr. Anthony
Mr. Anthony said he was surprised that GATT had not been discussed at Mr. Rippon's meeting with Mr. McEwen yesterday. However, this was not his problem and he would not pursue it now. As Mr. Rippon well knew, the main. problem for Australia created by British entry into the Community was agriculture. From his own experience he knew that the Community was extremely rigid. He recalled the fruitless attempts to make the Community party to the International Sugar Agreement. Mr. Rippon said that the Community was at an early stage in its growth and would certainly change: he hoped that with Britain in it this change would be in a more liberal direction. But it was only fair to say that the members of the Community were generous with their aid to developing countries and had not been unhelpful over UNCTAD. He thought the right solution for commodities was to remove trade barriers as well as trade preferences.
Australian fears of enlarged Community
2. Mr. Anthony said that Australians feared the growth of a monster which an enlarged Community could become. In reply to a question, he said he thought Australian agricultural exports to the members of the Community had declined in recent years. A lot of the market for Australian meat had, for example, been lost. Moreover, the preferences the Community had given to Greece and Turkey had diminished the market for Australian dried fruits. Because Australia had relied on the British market, she had not attempted some of the markets in Community countries until too late. Mr. Rippon said that he would be interested to see the figures for Australian exports to the Community; but the Australian Government must realise that the Community would be far more likely to take the attitude the Australian Government wanted if Britain was inside it. As for Greece and Turkey, they were extremely important for Western Europe from the strategic as well as political point of view. Mr. Anthony said that Israel hardly fell into that category. Mr. Rippon repeated that British influence would be far greater in the Community than outside it. One of the reasons for the failure of the last negotiations was our attempt to lay down too many conditions. This time we intended to pursue different tactics and the Australian Government should allow us to do our best. Indeed it would be gratifying if the Australian Government could make some public recognition of the wider political significance of the British candidature for membership of the Community and the long-term advantages for
CONFIDENTIAL