Wrangle over seating

Press, 26 May 1979, Page 2

Wrangle over seating

■ PA Wellington ! The Social Credit leader I (Mr B. C. Beetham) was at ■ the centre of a wrangle over : seating in Parliament yesterday. Mr Beetham had been ■ moved overnight from a I front seat in the Opposition ■cross-benches to a seat in ithe row behind. I His place in the front bench has been given to the i new Government member | for Horowhenua, Mr G. W. F. Thompson. | Some Labour members I have also had their seats (changed after the ousting of I Mr M. Douglas as member (for Hunua and his replace- ; ment by' the Government I member, Mr W. R. Peters. ! The Leader of the Opposi- ! tion (Mr Rowling) protested that seating arrangements I had been upset and that five members had to change places just because of the Hunua change. The Leader of the House (Mr Thomson) said that the matter should not be the subject of an “unseemly I wrangle” in public, but he I would discuss it privately (with Mr Rowling. Mr Beetham said that he !had been offered a seat in ; one of the front cross-ben-;ches and had accepted, but had now been moved back. “Members of the Govemrinent and possibly, some i members of the Opposition may not like it but I am the (leader of the third party in New Zealand, which received 274,000 votes, 16 per cent of the total vote, at the General Election,” he said. The Speaker (Mr Harrison) said that it was a matter for amicable discussion between the party Whips land Mr Beetham. Because

nithe Whips could not agree r|he had the option of offendtjing or displeasing the Govrj eminent, the Opposition or -;Mr Beetham in making a ■ decision. nJ “I took the option of disi I pleasing all three,” Mr Hara rison said. i The argument over Mr Beetham’s seat preceded ant other one, over whether he e should have a seat on the r select committee reviewing ’. Standing Orders and procedure. s Mr Rowling moved that s Mr Beetham be added to the f committee, which is chaired r by the Speaker and has four - Government and four Oppot sition members. Mr Thomson said that the - Speaker should not be reI garded as a Government s member of the committee, s Mr Beetham could make reps resentations to it if he » wanted to. The Prime Minister (Mr e Muldoon) said that the Gov- ; eminent would be in the mie nority on the select comy mittee if Mr Beetham was s added. I If Mr Rowling wanted Mr Beetham on the committee e he should give him one of i the Labour places, Mr Mul- - doon said. t Mr Muldoon said he believed Mr Beetham saw the - wrangle as an opportunity > for '“a bit of public propai ganda.” * Mr Beetham: That’s unfair. 1 Mr Rowling’s motion that - Mr Beetham be added to the r committee was defeated by 3 41 votes to 32. Mr Beetham then moved - to increase the committee by - an extra Government memi ber and himself, but there 5 was no seconder of his mos tion.