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little encouragement in London and utter indifference in Brussels. So he had been forced to fall back on Australia's legal rights under GATT. He had never claimed that Australia had the same case as a developing country and he would certainly not try to climb on New Zealand's back. But something had to be done for those primary producers who would be deprived of their livelihood, and a transitional period would be of little value particularly since the benefits would taper off. He tried at one point to suggest that Mr. Barber's Luxembourg speech implied that in relation to sugar we should not restrict our efforts to developing Commonwealth countries. Mr. Anthony supported him by pointing out that Australian agriculture was going through its worst period since the depression and our membership of the Community would accentuate present pressures. He said there was a general feeling that Britain was preoccupied with the Community and insufficiently concerned about the Australian agricultural situation.
United Kingdom position
3. Mr. Rippon took them over the essentials of our position. We should have to try to make provision for those developing countries and dependencies which simply could not otherwise sustain themselves. But change had to come and we could not take responsibility for the inevitable effects of changing trade on Australia. We would do our best to present the Australian case but it was not realistic to expect more than a transitional period. Our efforts would be concentrated on securing as long a period as possible for agriculture, so that it might be five to seven years before the full effects would be felt. Once we were in the Community its agricultural policy would change but we could not make this conditional entry.
4. Mr. Anthony took a hard line in a television interview on the night of Mr. Rippon's arrival and repeated this in a separate discussion with Mr. Rippon.
Papua New Guinea
5. The Minister of External Territories raised with Mr. Rippon the question of Papua New Guinea and emphasised how heavily dependent the Territory was on the United Kingdom market for coconut oil and pyrethrum in particular. Papua had of course originally been a British Colony and the Territory had close affinities with the Solomon Islands. Mr. Rippon said it would be difficult to contemplate any special arrangement for a territory which was dependent on a country outside the Community. He added however that Papua/New Guinea could be used with the Community as a good example of the need to find some solution for the Community's relationship with emerging territories as a whole. Mr. Barnes asked if Mr. Rippon would receive a delegation from Papua New Guinea which was planning to visit London and other European capitals later in the year. Mr. Rippon promised to do so.
National Press Club speech
6. Mr. Rippon's main public appearance was at the National Press Club. His speech was well received and questioning was not hostile.
Picture given to Mr. Rippon
7. The Australian Prime Minister is still recovering from the minor operation (removal of a fistula) which he had last week, and sent a message through Mr. McEwen saying that he much regretted not being able to see Mr. Rippon.
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