TNAG-0281-FCO40-317-Visit-of-the-Chancellor-of-the-Duchy-of-Lancaster-to-Hong-Ko-1970 — Page 23

CONFIDENTIAL

19

Document No. 11

RECORD OF A MEETING BETWEEN THE RIGHT HON. GEOFFREY RIPPON, Q C, M P, CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER, AND AUSTRALIAN MINISTERS HELD AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA, ON TUESDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER, 1970

Present:

The Right Hon. Geoffrey Rippon, Q C, M P, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

HE Sir Charles Johnston

Mr. H. B. C. Keeble

Mr. Tickell

The Right Hon. J. McEwen, CH, MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry

Hon. J. D. Anthony, MP, Minister of

Primary Industry

Sir Alan Westerman, Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry Mr. J. ff. Richardson, Minister

(Commercial), Brussels

Australian aide-mémoire

At Mr. McEwen's invitation Mr. Rippon outlined the British position. He had studied the aide-mémoire* which Mr. McEwen had left after his previous visit to London. He understood Australia's problems. He understood also her need to protect her own secondary industries. But Britain too had her industrial requirement for a large home market. Trading partners changed and countries developed. Australia was now prosperous and it was not realistic to expect the Community to treat her on the same basis as developing countries. It would suit Britain to have a short transitional period for industry and a long one for agriculture, but it would probably be necessary to reach a compromise. In any event Britain was not likely to be a member before 1973 at the earliest. The transitional period would then begin and it was difficult to foresee the situation which might exist at the end of a transitional period several years from now. He agreed with the points made in the aide-mémoire about the need for as long a transitional period as possible, world commodity agreements and the avoidance of predatory dumping. He hoped progress could be made on these but both Britain and Australia had to accept the need for change.

2. Mr. McEwen recognised the political importance of the EEC as a means of preventing future wars in Europe. It was worth paying for this, but the price should not be too high. Australia had never suggested that Britain should not enter the Community nor had she suggested that Australia herself should be regarded as a developing country. But there were certain problems which now had to be discussed. Australia could afford the loss of foreign exchange, but could not tell 70,000 dairy farmers or all the Queensland sugar growers that their livelihood was gone. The problem was a human one.

3. Ten years ago Britain had tried to secure terms which would avoid damage to Commonwealth interests. Perhaps that was part of the reason for the failure of those negotiations. Now the position seemed to be different. Mr. Barber had not been encouraging at the time of Mr. McEwen's visit to London and this * Not printed.

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