Chance for bill on homosexuality

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33873, 19 June 1975, Page 1

Chance for bill on homosexuality

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 18. Private legislation legalising adult homosexuality would be allowed to pass all its stages if supported by a majority of members of Parliament, said tbe Prime Minister (Mr Rowling) today.

He was speaking during a debate on whether Government business should take precedence over private members’ legislation for the rest of the session.

The Crimes Amendment Bill would be treated as an issue of conscience, and was therefore in the hands of Parliament, he said. Time would be made available for a second reading debate and if the bill was given a second reading, it would then be able to continue through its committee and third-reading stages to become law. If it was voted out on the second reading, it would obviously go no further.

Challenge Mr Rowling was replying to a challenge from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Mr Taiboys) and other Opposition speakers,

asking about the future of the Crimes Amendment Bill, proposed by Mr V. S. Young (Nat., Egmont). The bill legalises homosexual acts in private between consenting adult males.

Before Mr Rowling’s assurance, Mr Taiboys said it was obvious the Government caucus had decided that the bill would not be allowed to go past the second-reading stage. Deadlines

The Prime Minister said that a number of financial bills resulting from the Budget had deadlines on their enactment.

The Electoral Amendment Bill also needed to be passed urgently because of work to be done by Government departments before the election.

The Government wanted to avoid an end-of-session scramble, said Mr Rowling. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Muldoon) said that the Prime Minister’s reasons

for moving the resolution were “not good enough."

It was the earliest the resolution to give precedence to Government business had been moved in the recent history of the House — “certainly in the 15 years I have been here.”

Election year The Prime Minister was concerned to get rid of private members’ business on Wednesdays because he could not afford to have private members’ views aired in this, an election year, said Mr Muldoon.

When Mr Rowling said that the Crimes Amendment Bill would be given a second reading he was being “devious” — it would be given a second reading, then allowed to lapse. The Crimes Amendment Bill, and the fact that the Labour Government caucus was split almost exactly in half on it, was the real reason for the move, Mr Muldoon said. ‘More important’

The Minister of Labour (Mr Faulkner) said that Mr Muldoon’s priority was clearly the Crimes Amendment Bill. Mr Faulkner was worried about more important bills which would affect all the people — like redundancy measures which should have been before Parliament years ago and the Waterfront Industry Bill.