Delay in review of Official Secrets Act criticised

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33869, 14 June 1975, Page 13

Delay in review of Official Secrets Act criticised

An announcement that there will be no review of the Official Secrets Act this Parliamentary session has drawn criticism from the Canterbury Council for Civil Liberties.

The council’s secretary (Dr K. Clements) said that it was "shocked” at the announcement. It felt it was a breach of an understanding agreed on April 10 at a meeting between the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties, the Prime Minister (Mr Rowling) and the Minister of Justice (Dr Finlay). At this meeting, both Mr I is too far-reaching and

Rowling and Dr Finlay had given the New Zealand council an assurance that a re- ] view was necessary and * forthcoming, Dr Clements said. “Dr Finlay’s statement on Monday is diametrically; opposed to the statement ] made in April when he an- ] nounced that the Official ] Secrets Act as it new stands oppressive,” he said. It also contradicted Mr ] ] Rowling’s statement of April > ] 10 “that a bill to replace the i ■ Official Secrets Act was be-' j ing prepared as a matter of i ] urgency and Dr Finlay was ] to take up the matter ] immediately.” The Canterbury council wondered what had happened between April and June to make the Government less concerned about the Act. Dr Clements said that the i council also expressed anx- ] iety about Sir Basil Arthur’s I suggestion that the Official ; Secrets Act might be invoked I to prosecute journalists on I the Labour Party newspaper, ] the “Nation,” which published an article on the i container-port issue. “We want the Government ] to stop prevaricating, and accord the highest priority to reviewing the Official Secrets Act, in view of its earlier acknowledged statements about the Act’s repressive nature,” Dr Clements said.