asked the Minister for Labour if, in respect of his recent visit to Australia, he will state the date on which he left Ireland; the date on which he arrived in Australia; the date he left Australia; the date he arrived back in Ireland; the names of members of the Australian Government whom he met; the matters discussed at such meetings; and in respect of any other places he visited on his way to and from Australia, the purpose of such visits.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Minister's Australian Visit.
31.
The dates requested are, respectively, 30th September, 5th October, 14th October and 16th October.
I met Mr. Clyde Cameron, Federal Minister for Labour and Immigration, and we discussed matters of mutual interest to our portfolios. I also met Mr. J.A. Rafferty, Victorian Minister for Labour and Industry and Mr. F.M. Hewitt, New South Wales Minister for Labour and Industry, with both of whom I had similar discussions. I also had discussions with Mr. I.G. Sharp, Director General of the Australian Department of Labour and Mr. R.B. Marsh, Vice-President of the Australian Congress of Trade Unions.
On my outward visit, I broke my journey in Bangkok as I also did on my way home. In my capacity as President of the Second European Regional Conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), I met and had discussions with Mr. Jain, Head of the ILO's regional office for Asia, which is located there, on their regional aid programme for Asia. Subsequently, I had discussions with the divisional heads of the office on specific programmes. I also had discussions with Mr. Assakul, Minister of the Interior, Thailand, who is responsible for ILO affairs in the Thai Government.