Mr Prebble is ‘astonished’ by P.M.’s attack

Press, 8 June 1979, Page 3

Mr Prebble is ‘astonished’ by P.M.’s attack

PA Wellington Mr R. W. Prebble, member of Parliament for Auckland Central, said in Wellington yesterday that he was “astonished” by the personal attack launched on him by the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon). At a special press conference on Wednesday evening Mr Muldoon accused Mr Prebble of smearing the Under-Secretary of Energy, Mr B. E. Brill, whose younger brother, Mr Roger Brill, was named in the script of the TV2 “Eyewitness” programme tabled in Parliament.

“When I approached Mr Keith Davies, the ‘Eyewitness’ television reporter who was sacked for having demanded that the drugs programme be shown, I did not know the names of any of the persons mentioned in the programme,”’ Mr Prebble said.

“I told Mr Davies that I believed the programme he was doing had the support of the vast majority of New Zealanders, and if he would make a transcript available

to me, and also prove to me that it was a responsible programme, I would be prepared to read it in Parliament. “Mr Davies accepted my offer, gave me the supporting evidence, and then the transcript. I could see that it was a responsible programme. “Mr Muldoon’s own actions raise some serious questions. Why, if he knew what was in the programme a month ago, did he not split the whole thing wide open and inform the public and Parliament? It appears as if Mr Muldoon actively encouraged the TV2 management to suppress this important programme,” Mr Prebble said. Mr Muldoon said on Wednesday evening that it would have been more responsible of Mr Prebble to have handed the programme transcript to the police than to table it in Parliament. However, Mr Prebble said yesterday: “The suggestion that the programme be referred to the police and left at that is ridiculous. The police themselves have

admitted they are losing the fight against drugs and have called for assistance. I believe the average policeman will support very strongly what I have done.” “I intend to continue my campaign for a Parliamentary select committee to investigate the TV2 programme, and also to investigate actively why the programme was suppressed. “. . . I hope that public pressure and the National Party’s own back-benchers will force the Government into action,” Mr Prebble said. Mr Prebble’s actions have been condemned by the Social Credit League’s spokesman on youth (Mr G. A. Clover' in Christchurch. “Mr Prebble has grossly abused the privileged position of Parliament to attack individual persons — who may well be entirely innocent of all charges connected with the revelations in Parliament — in a manner which makes it impossible for these persons to defend themselves,” Mr Clover said.