Govt leaps to press secretary’s defence
FA Wellington The Government hit back on Tuesday at statements critical of the Prime Minister’s Department, and the Prime Minister’s press secretary. Mr G. W. Symmans. “It is significant that attacks on the staff of the Department by the President of the Federation of Labour (Sir Thomas Skinner) and the secretary of the Labour Party (Mr John Wybrow) are being made while the Prime Minister is overseas,” said the acting Prime Minister (Mr Taiboys) in a written statement. “Both Sir Thomas Skinner and Mr Wybrow refer to the Prime Minister’s Department as the ’think tank,* and both make the absurd claim that members of the Department are running the country. “The Department advises
the Prime Minister in the same fashion as all Government departments advise and make recommendations to their Ministers. They do not make policy, nor do they make decisions which are the prerogative of the Government. “Mr Wybrow has said in an accusatory fashion — as though it were wrongful or sinister — that the Prime Minister’s press secretary is acting as a spokesman on Government policies. “It is, of course. Mr Symmans’s primary purpose to ensure that Government policies are publicised. He does not make policy, but he certainly publicises it. “For Mr Wybrow to say that the press office should not be involved in politics is like saying that banks should not soil their hands (with money.
“Sir Thomas Skinner has claimed that Mr Symmans was ‘ejected’ from a meeting between two Cabinet Ministers and the representatives of the unions which went on strike because of the visit to Wellington of the American nuclear warship Truxtun. “Union officials objected to Mr Symmans’s presence, and the then Acting Minister of Transport (Mr Templeton) asked Mr Symmans to withdraw, rather than waste time on an irrelevant argument with the unions. But Mr Templeton had even’ right to insist that Mr Symmans be present.
“I want to make it clear to Sir Thomas that the Government will nominate its advisers, not the F.O.L. or the Labour Party.”
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19761012.2.145
Bibliographic details
Press, 12 October 1976, Page 27
Word Count
342Govt leaps to press secretary’s defence Press, 12 October 1976, Page 27
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.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.
Log in