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Wednesday, 17 September 1958
Page: 1339

Mr LESLIE (Moore) .- I listened with considerable interest to the remarks of the honorable member for Wilmot (Mr. Duthie) and particularly to his plea on behalf of a very able gentleman in Tasmania who is attempting to establish a mining industry there.

Mr Brimblecombe - It was a plea on behalf of private enterprise.

Mr LESLIE - I am indebted to the honorable member for Maranoa for that suggestion. Undoubtedly, the honorable member for Wilmot made a plea to build up private enterprise in Tasmania because the Labour government there has done nothing to assist this man to establish his industry. The honorable member addressed a very strong plea to this House and to the Government to do something for this man, but he made it in the wrong place. His plea should have been made to the Tasmanian Minister for Mines or to the Tasmanian Government in the Tasmanian Parliament, where the responsibility for the matter completely rests.

Mr Duthie - Not entirely.

Mr LESLIE - The honorable member now qualifies what he said previously and confirms what I have said. He says, "not entirely ".

Mr Duthie - The Commonwealth Government is responsible for assisting this man in Tasmania.

Mr LESLIE - It is the Tasmanian Government's responsibility to assist him. It is only when a matter is beyond the capacity of the State government to do something that it should appeal to the Commonwealth for assistance. The honorable member has not suggested that that has been done. I ask him what has the State government done, in the first place, to assist this man. 1 suggest that the Tasmanian Labour Government has refused to help him, and possibly other representatives from Tasmania agree with me. The honorable member urged the Commonwealth Government to spend money to assist scientists in valuable experimental work, but a little earlier he condemned Australia, Great -Britain, the United States of America and other western democracies for spending money on valuable experimental work in the exploration "of outer space. "He condemned them for devoting money to scientific purposes. But he did not condemn the Russian people for ing in Tasmania would receive better treat, doing that. Of course not! He said not one word about that! But he suggested that ment in Russia than he could obtain in the 'gentleman whose cause he was espousthis -country or in the western democracies.

Mr Duthie - Quite right, too.

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