XN000022-1974-10-16 — Page 69

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Wednesday, October 16, 1974

opened and additional sessions provided to meet the demands

made for the service. At the same time, the Family Planning

Association which formerly ran many of these clinics will of

course continue to provide services in their own premises

and I should like to pay a sincere tribute to their co-

operation in this endeavour. For the future, the Association

will be concentrating on areas not already covered by

Government clinics, By the end of this year they will be

providing services of various kinds at 32 locations, including

eight which have been opened since October last year. In

addition they have planc vo provide services at a further

three sites in the near future.

Your Government is very conscious of the social and financial

implications of excessive population growth. Our first objective

here has been to see that there are enough clinics conveniently

available to all members of the public. Once we have reached

that point, and we are getting near it, we will be in a position

to concentrate on bringing home to the public the benefits to

be derived from using these clinics. I am aware of proposals

going much further than this, for fiscal and other discrimination

against large families. While the Government has an open mind

on this, I am sure Hon.

Members would agree that such a course

should only be considered after the results of other action to

secure our ends by educational and voluntary means can be seen.

/IMMIGRATION

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