Hearings on development bill now closed

Press, 28 November 1979, Page 2

Hearings on development bill now closed

PA Wellingtoi Hearings of submission! on the National Devel opment Bill were closed b’ Parliament’s Lands and Agri culture Select Committei yesterday, in spite of pro tests by Labour members o the committee. j The committee heard 4! submissions over sitting: : which lasted almost 51 hours. But when the public hear ings were closed yesterday about 20 individuals o: groups still wanted t< appear before the committee ' Soon after 1 p.m. the com mittee excluded reporters tc consider a Labour move tc have the hearings extended. It is believed a heated de bate resulted before th<

s committee went to lunch half an hour later. 5 t Sir Basil Arthur (Lap., Ti- ■ maru) notified the cornin mittee’s chairman (Mr L. C. - Schultz, Nat., Hauraki) at e the beginning of yesterday’s ‘ hearing that he had “one or Ltwo” matters to raise. J But he agreed with a suggestion by Mr Schultz that these matters should be discussed after the day’s sunemissions were considered. •J This meant the news r media were excluded from the discussion because they Jean only be present when 2 submissions are being heard. )j The six Government and >ifour Opposition members of [the committed will ..deliberate - on the bill for the rest of ?the week. They are expected

to report it back to Parlia-I ;ment next week. The Prime Minister (Mr : Muldoon) had indicated that' the bill would be passed by Parliament next month with no big change in principle. But the committee is faced with an overwhelming number of submissions opposing ! the bill and is likely to suggest several machinery changes. These could include a clause accommodating some review by the courts; a requirement that the Minister :of National Development 'will have to release a report by the Planning Tribunal well before he makes a decsion for a main work to go ahead; and a tightening of definitions for works' of national importance.