The Press SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1972. The Cabinet

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33095, 9 December 1972, Page 14

The Press SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1972. The Cabinet

The Prime Minister’s allocation of portfolios among his 19 Cabinet colleagues is the most complicated division of related responsibilities in any New Zealand Government for many years. Mr Kirk obviously had to take into account the need to fit the talents and interests of his team to the work that has to be done; but he is also showing—like his predecessors—that Ministerial responsibilities do not have to be borne by experts. He has achieved this by dividing authority, and yet has retained the over-all control of broad areas of responsibility in the hands of his most able men. It appears that when the interests of two or more Government departments are in conflict, or when contending public demands are faced, differences will be reconciled not by one Minister but by several Ministers before the full Cabinet gives its ruling. For a new Ministry, which might all too easily succumb to the pressures of departmental experts, this might be a wise plan. Three Ministers will be dealing with fuel and power. Three Ministers are in charge of transport portfolios—and the surprising appointment of Dr Finlay as Minister of Civil Aviation becomes understandable if the value of his legal knowledge in a transport triumvirate is considered. Maori Affairs and Island Affairs—administered by one department since 1968, and controlled by one Minister since 1964—are now in two portfolios. Although Mr Kirk has put senior Ministers in charge of key portfolios, the division of authority clearly keeps the Prime Minister himself in unchallengeable authority over his Cabinet. Committee work within the Cabinet is no novelty, but Mr Kirk’s allocations, in sharp distinction to the increasing consolidation of related responsibilities in successive National Governments, will compel every member of his team to serve apprenticeships in diverse fields. The first National Cabinets worked on similar lines; and Mr Kirk presumably expects that there is time enough for him to achieve a more rational allocation when Ministers have shown their abilities. His first Ministry will no doubt serve well enough the ideal of collective responsibility. It remains to be seen whether this diffusion of authority will also produce efficient government Consultation and interaction between portfolios is important for the sake of consistent policies; and the Cabinet system ordinarily serves this end. The fragmenting of authority might well prove to be too cumbersome to last very long.