THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE Firm control shown in an explosive situation

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33941, 6 September 1975, Page 3

THE WEEK IN THE HOUSE Firm control shown in an explosive situation

(From CEDRIC MEN TIPI. AY) WELLINGTON, September 5. This week was one in which the firmer, more positive attitude of the Acting (Speaker (Mr J. D. Hunt) has been fully tested. There have been some gains, hut in some cases the reactions have also sharpened to the point where a trial of strength has been apparent.

Mr Hunt has not hesitated to speak his mind —but neither have some members of the Opposi-I tion.

This morning, the Leader! of the Opposition (Mr Mui-1 doon) went so far as to ask( Mr Hunt to think again over his rulings — and was re-, buked for his pains. Mr D. L. Thomson (Nat., Stratford) has tabled a notice of motion objecting to Mr Hunt’s action in denying one motion, and amending others. Net gains have been the stemming of the flow of verbose motions designed only for their publicity value, as they cannot be debated this session. There has also been!

ian improvement in the use, jof question-time, though 17 !i questions remained unans-(< 1 wered when the House rose i 1 (this afternoon. I Week’s highlight j The highlight of the week T . was the three-day Opposi- i jtion campaign directed at't (the Attorney-General (Dr! Finlay), and his handling of ( leases lodged against the,. Government, and the Prime i Minister (Mr Rowling), by!| the general manager of i Matai Industries. / This began with an ex- , change of questions and < answers on Tuesday,h extended to the lodging of a . notice of motion on Wednes- . day, and culminated in an s adjournment debate on ! Thursday.

The exercise accomplished!! lothing but the release oiir iressures — but there might (r >ave been a long-term gain i or the Opposition .in the .< mplanting of doubts in the tublic mind concerning the < efficiency, if not the hon- I isty, of the Labour adminis- ; ration. t The continued onslaughts < if the small Opposition on < illeged weaknesses in the : Sovernment seem to have/ iroduced a feeling of appre- | tension in Government cir- - :les. Dr M. E. R. Bassett ! Labour, Waitemata) Referred I not for the first time) to ‘ he "dirty tricks brigade.” I vhich he alleged was re- i sponsible for all the trouble tirred up recently. “Dirty tricks” t Dr Bassett listed the "dirty J ricks” as including the . harges made against theq /linister of Tourism (Mrs! ( ’irikatene-Sullivan), the sug- t estions of irregularities over he importation of stereo / ear by the Tizard family, / nd “the O’Brien business,”! js well as the attack on Dr e inlay. “What is next week’s r ensation?” Dr Bassett asked, r

le is not the only Governnent member pondering this, md the National Party techtique is plainly to keep them guessing. One beneficial result of the Opposition campaign could ■>e the tightening up of security by Government nembers. Mr F. D. O’Flynn Lab., Kapiti), who is a Queen's counsel, complained tbout the "unfair practices” >f the Opposition. He extlained that he had borrowed some of the documents renting to the Matai case from Dr Finlay’s office — and had ‘inadvertently” left them in :he bills’ office' copying room. Copied His broad inference is that hese documents came into he hands of Mr Muldoon (as he copying-room is virtually, i “public place” for memters), and that they were :opied before being restored, o Dr Finlay. It would seem that, if there s a “dirty tricks brigade” in he Opposition, its work is jeing made considerably I sasier by the existence of I ibsent-minded and unaware nembers in the Government anks. •