Dept dismisses ‘difference’

Press, 24 June 1981, Page 6

Dept dismisses ‘difference’

The Department of Internal Affairs rates the difference between the “Timaru Herald” and the Timaru City Council over public debate of budget estimates as “a storm, in a teacup.”

On a surface appraisal the matter was not one in which the Department needed to intervene, said a spokesman. It was up to the newspaper and the council to resolve. Now that the application by the "Timaru Herald” for an interim injunction to prevent the council continuing its estimates debate in committee had failed, the Department viewed the incident as "‘over and done with.”

The Department’s informmation was that the council had continued its estimates debate in committee “very

briefly ”, and then “opened up again to the public.” “It is a public body’s right to go into committee whenever it wants to,” said the spokesman. ~! A; /.-' ' i The “Timaru Herald” com- 1 plained that the council had conducted its entire estimates meeting on June 15 in private, and prevented publication of works proposed for the year. But an application to the High Court at Chritjl,church for an interim injunction stopping, the council from closing its meeting .to the public again on June 16, failed because sufficient material was not put before the judge. The council says its estimates discussions continued, on June 16 in private for about 12 minutes, and then were opened to the public.