Broadcasting bill opposed

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33601, 1 August 1974, Page 3

Broadcasting bill opposed

fX Z. prtft Aitoeiation) I WELLINGTON. July 31. A Broadcasting Amendment Bill, proposed by the Opposition spokesman on radio and television. Mr H. J. Walker (Papanui) — designed to bring more independence to broadcasting — was given a first reading in Parliament today. But Government speakers hotly opposed the bill. say-i mg it reduced independence. The bill is extreniely unlikely to proceed further through Parliament. Mr Walkers bill has five mam points, it demands equal tune for candidates for public office, it demands equal time for both sides of controversial issues, it re«tores the former demand that anv Government direct*on ’o a broadcasting corporation must be in writing;

land must be tabled in Parlia-l Iment. $5OO FINE It says that the Minister j of Broadcasting, rather than: i the Broadcasting Council, should decide applications for short-term radio warrants. Also, it provides a fine; of $5OO for anyone wilfully; i interfering with the indepen-; dence or impartiality of broadcasting. Proposing the bill, Mr, I Walker said no-one could possibly object to equal time! for candidates and for issues.; The public office equal time] provision says that stations (will nbt be obliged to give! time to candidates for public office, but if any station does give time to any candidate, from a party gaining 5 per cent of the vote at the previous election, then equal time must be given to all ither candidates. The law that directions) must be tabled in Parliament 1 should never have been omitted from legislation, as. it was last year by the; Labour Government, said Mr; Walker.

I Labour had created “secret means” for broadcasting to (be directed, and without such a rule Labour politicians had taken to ringing broadcasting ! people and telling them to iconform “or else,” he said. Written directives, tabled in Parliament, would be i much more acceptable. The short-term provision (resulted from the recent decision of Mr Douglas to issue a short-term warrant to Radio Bosom in Auckland but not to Radio Rheema, a gos- ; pel group, in Christchurch. .The issuing of warrants must be taken out of political hands and put in independent hands. “Broadcasting must be responsible to Parliament as a whole and not to any party,” said Mr Walker. “Only in this way can broadcasting be truly independent.” MINISTER’S REPLY The Minister of Broadcastling (Mr Douglas) replied that : the provision for directions to be tabled in Parliament; ■ would destroy a basic! principle of Labour’s Broad-; casting Act — independence. 1 The Adam Committee on.

Broadcasting had devoted much time to this issue, and had decided that the old Jaw should be abolished. Furthermore, the post of Minister of Broadcasting should be abolished, said Mr i Douglas. i The two equal-time provisions indicated that National I did not trust broadcasters to use their judgment, and showed that Mr Walker did not understand the present broadcasting rules which called for balance and fair treatment. Judgment of what was fair and balanced was best left to the independent council set up by Labour than decided by a Minister. POSSIBLE CHANGE Mr Douglas said he had some sympathy for the view that a Minister shculd not issue short-term warrants, !but he doubted whether the council should have the job I either because it had a vested interest. ( Possibly there could be a I change in this law, and he ■would welcome suggestions ion how it might be done.