Secrets Act: no urgent changes
(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 24. - The acquittal of Dr W. B. Sutch last week of charges under the Official Secrets Act showed the “refusal of a New Zealand jury to be stampeded in peace-time into a conviction under a war-time act,” the Acting Prime Minister (Mr Tizard) said today.
Mr Tizard said after the Cabinet meeting that the Prime Minister (Mr Rowling) had quite dearly stated that the act would be reviewed. This was also the consensus of the Cabinet, but there would not be a review immediately. Mr Tizard said that neither
the Sutch trial nor the question of reviewing the act had been discussed by the Cabinet today. The fact that the 1951 act had beeri used only once was “hardly indicative of great oppression,” he said. Some people had said that they feared the act, Mr lizard said. But from a practical point of view the Sutch trial had shown that such fears were groundless.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19750225.2.9
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33777, 25 February 1975, Page 1
Word Count
165Secrets Act: no urgent changes Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33777, 25 February 1975, Page 1
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.