National will repeal act

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33938, 3 September 1975, Page 2

National will repeal act

(A’ejc Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 2. If the National Party becomes the Government in the next General Election it will repeal legislation which automatically suppresses the name of an accused until proved guilty.

Speaking during the resumed debate on clause 14; of the Criminal Justice; Amendment (No. 2) Bill, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr' Muldoon) said that the) Dominion council of' the, National Party, had resolved unanimously today that this; proposal be repealed, leav-i ing the courts with the present rights to decide on suppression of names. Mr Muldoon said that the National Party opposed the

-proposal, and felt taht most Hof the people in the country ‘ did so, too. * He emphasised the importance of the principle of open ;) justice, and said that if the were passed, not 11 just the press, hut no-one present in the court, would be (able to say what happened “SOCIAL REFORM” The chairman of the ,)Statutes Revision Committee, ( Mr T. J. Young (Lab., Hutt) said that there was not one organisation concerned with problems of social reform which had opposed the clause ( He said that the courts ; would remain open. It was not the intention of the Govlernment to interfere with the principles of open justice. Magistrates were not con|:sistent in their attitude to name suppression. Therefore the committee felt that it was better that .he name of the accused was suppressed u til (he was found guily. In reply to Mr P. I. Wilkinson (Nat.. Rodney) who (said there were no similar provisions for name suppression in any other countries Mr Young said that codes of honour with regard to reporting existed in other countries that did not interfere .with the principles of open justice.