Labour 'vote-fishing in murky waters’

Press, 7 November 1978, Page 10

Labour 'vote-fishing in murky waters’

PA Wellington The Labour Party is “fishing in murky waters” for its Australian votes, according to the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon). He repeated an assertion that the Labour Party was encouraging New Zealanders who had lived in Australia for more than three years to register for the General Election. Mr Muldoon said the Chief Electoral Officer (Mr J. L. Wright) had confirmed that cards had been received from people who gave only an Australian address. “There is nd means of enrolling such people in a New Zealand electorate,” said Mr Muldoon in a statement. Mr Muldoon told a Tamaki election meeting last week that Labour was enrolling people who had been in Australia for years. The allegation was denied by the chairman of Labour’s

Sydney branch (Mr David Shand), who said Mr Muldoon’s allegations were “spurious and predictable”. A report from Sydney quoted Mr Shand as saying the rules governing enrolment eligibility were clearly stated on Labour Party pamphlets, and on the enrolment cards.

Mr Wright told NZPA this week that he had received “very few” cards with Australian addresses on them . . .“certainly not the truckloads some people are referring to,” he said. “Because they have had Australian addresses on them, I have just put them aisde,” Mr Wright said.

He said that a New Zealander overseas had to be on the roll in this country to vote in the General Election, and must not have been absent from New Zealand more than three years. He had no way of knowing how many valid elec-

Itora! cards had been received from Australia. Mr Muldoon said that an interesting aspect of the matter was that in order to draw an Australian unemployment benefit it was necessary to declare an intention to live permanently in Australia. A recent Australian survey showed that more than 9 per cent of the New Zealanders in Australia were unemployed, he said.

“If they are drawing a benefit, clearly, by virtue of their declaration, none of j them is eligible to vote in New Zealand. “The Labour Party is fishing in murky waters for its Australian votes." Mr Muldoon concluded his supplied statement with: "I wonder if they have enlisted Sir Albert Henry as a consultant on fly-in voters.” Sir Albert was deposed as Premier of the Cook Islands when he was found guilty of election malpractices.