London, 18 December 1972
1338. Confidential
Immigration
1. In the circumstances, I agree that it would be a good idea to prepare the ground with Waller.
2. Unless the Australian Government decides that it does not wish to express any views to us on this subject, I agree that you should make use of the point (your paragraph 6) 1 that there could be some domestic pressure on Mr Whitlam to take up our offer of consultation. I am aware that it may not be easy for you to get this message across to Mr Whitlam and it might be best if Waller could make the point first.
3. Agree also that it might be wiser not to press Mr Whitlam for a rushed interview but ministers still wish to be able to inform Parliament before it rises on 22 December on lines described in paragraph 3 (B) of my telegram No. 1330.2 We do not, of course, need any firm Australian reply by then.
4. As regards your paragraph 3,3 best initial approach may well be to appeal to Mr Whitlam for confidential advice: but, at some stage in the conversation, you would have to make it clear to him that we shall in due course want to refer publicly to the fact that we are engaging in discussions with Australia on this subject (or that the Australian Government does not wish to respond to our offer to do this). You could go on to say that the object of official talks in January would be to have preliminary exchanges of view, without commitment on either side, before ministerial discussion at a later stage. The practicability of schemes founded on the idea of reciprocity would be one of the matters to be explored. But it is most unlikely that either reciprocal arrangements or any other far-reaching change could be embodied in revised rules to be tabled in January.
5. These first two stages of consultation might not therefore have any direct effect on content of the rules as tabled in January but when they are debated ministers would want to be able to tell Parliament that discussions had taken place with Australia (and New Zealand): that the views so far expressed would be (or in some cases had been) taken fully into account: and that, if appropriate, HMG would be prepared to amend the rules later in the year after further consultation with the Commonwealth Governments concerned.
6. The Prime Minister is answering questions tomorrow (19 December) about possibility of an early meeting with Mr Whitlam. Question of immigration may be raised in supplementaries. We should be grateful to have any further indication of Australian views deriving from your talk with Waller as soon as possible.
1 Document 362.
2 Document 360.
3 Document 362.
[UKNA: FCO 24/1318]