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Hawke not critical
BRISBANE, Thursday.
- The President of the
ACTU and the ALP, Mr
Hawke, refused tonight to
criticise Mr Whitlam's de
cision to replace Mr
Crean.
Mr Hawke said that under
the Australian system it was
the Prime Minister's
responsibility to allocate
portfolios.
"Mr Whitlam has made his
decision", he said. "I will not
criticise that. I have been
informed from within the
Prime Minister's Department
that Mr Crean has willingly
accepted the transfer".
Asked if he now had "egg
on his face" after supporting
Mr Crean as Treasurer, Mr
Hawke said, "I am getting
used to people claiming that
I had allegedly got egg on
my face".
Mr Hawke said in Bris
bane on Wednesday night
that Mr Whitlam should
make an uncquivict 1 state
ment on Mr Crean's position.
Asked if he believed Dr
Cairns would be a good
Treasurer, Mr I-Iawke said,
"We will have to wait and
see. Economic decisions are
not made by one man. They
are made by the cabinet".
The Leader of the Opposi
tion, Mr Sneddon, in Can
berra last said night that
changing the country's
Treasurer did not change the
economic situation.
"Mr Crean's dismissal as
Treasurer represents a fur
ther pressure on the crum
bling structure of the Labor
Government", he said.
"His replacement by Dr
Caims cannot be expected to
lead lo any immediate
improvement in economic
management for a number of
reasons".
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