Opposition Tactics Delay Government Bill

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32391, 2 September 1970, Page 1

Opposition Tactics Delay Government Bill

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 1. The Opposition stonewalled in Parliament today, denying the Government an easy passage on two minor banking measures and making sure that the Payroll Tax Bill could not be pushed through its second reading today.

The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk) summed up the Opposition’s point of view during a procedural wrangle in which the Government pleaded for co-operation.

“The Government got itself into this mess,” said Mr Kirk. “It is up to the Government to get itself out.” “This mess,” to which Mr Kirk referred, was the amendment to the Trustee Savings Banks Amendment Bill which the Opposition forced through last week. The Opposition had argued that the Post Office Amendment Bill (which the House was ostensibly considering) could not be dealt with except in conjunction with the .Trustee Savings Banks Amendment Bill. The Government, when it finally offered to bring the trustee savings banks measure higher up the Order Paper, attached a condition to the offer: that the bill should be re-committed to a “committee of the whole,” where last week’s Opposition amendment could be nullified by a Government motion. At this point, potential “co-

operation” ended—and the House, for two hours, discussed mostly what the Speaker (Sir Roy Jack) referred to as “a long succession of perhaps tedious points of order.” There was irony in plenty about the debate, even if it lacked constructive points. The Prime Minister (Sit Keith Holyoake) at one stage complained about the “time wasting” of “these silly points of order”—and was promptly informed by the Opposition that virtually all the points of order had been raised by Government speakers, not by members of the Opposition. This was factual, although the points of order, once having been raised by Government members, were spoken to at length by the Opposition. Sir Keith Holyoake conceded the point, but added that the points of order

(mostly aimed at speeding up the business of the House) had been upheld by the Speaker. He maintained that the country was “sick and tired” of the wasting of time by Parliament. The object of the Labour Party’s stonewalling was not announced —but its major effect was to deny the Government quick passage of the Payroll Tax Bill, of which the Opposition has expressed its disapproval at earlier stages. Although the Government managed to get the House on to discussion of the Payroll Tax Bill at 5.20 p.m., only three hours and 10 minutes of Parliament’s time remained of the day. Urgency had not been taken on the measure, so no late sitting could be demanded. Although it was technically

possible for the Government to move a closure motion before 10.30 p.m., previous Speakers’ rulings indicate that there is little likelihood of the debate being stopped before the House rises. The stage of the Post Office Amendment Bill on which the Opposition stonewalled today was the consideration of the report on the bill by the House. This is normally a purely mechanical matter, occupying the House for seconds, rather than minutes. But the Opposition today spun it out for more than two hours, and even forced a division (lost 40-37), on an amendment seeking to delay consideration of the report for seven days. The bill was finally given a third reading, only 10 minutes before the House adjourned for dinner.