‘Signs Of Impatience’ With Parliament

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31781, 11 September 1968, Page 28

‘Signs Of Impatience’ With Parliament

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 10. Parliamentary small talk and political childishness were creating clear signs of impatience in the electorate, a former chairman of the State Services Commission (Mr L. A. Atkinson) said tonight.

Mr Atkinson was presenting the K. J. Scott memorial lecture at Victoria University. His theme was “The public official’s role and responsibility in the community." Parliament’s traditional democratic check of the executive was still performed, but less effectively than before the Government machine became so complicated, he said. The traditional tools of the member—questions, motions for returns, debate on estimates, and consideration of annual reports—seemed to have lost some of their cutting edge. Too often they were used to gain a political point rather

than to exercise the elected member’s check on the executive.

Parliament had to retain the respect of an increasingly educated electorate, he said. Unless the standard of poli--ticians was high and their business conducted in a busi-ness-like manner, then they would only partially fulfil their function.