‘N.Z. team must compete at Games’

Press, 8 March 1982, Page 6

‘N.Z. team must compete at Games’

PAJ-L';.’ Wellington The.,state premier of Queensland (Mr Joh .Bjelke-; Petersen) is. adamant, that a New.J Zealand ■ team' must' compete in '•. the; Com-, mohwealth Games at-. Brisbane in spite of threats of an African boycott. Mr Bjelke-Petersen, speaking on. a television current, affairs programme, said the Games would lose a lot.of sparkle if the New Zealanders did not participate — possibly more than if the Africans did decide to. stayaway. He was also sceptical of suggestions by black African countries that the rules of the Commonwealth Gained Federation could be changed to exclude New Zea-land--from participating because of the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand.

“New. Zealand ought to be invited-' to come and must come. .'.You will, come, the Africans will come — I hope so'anyway,” he said. Nothing would be achieved byj. changing the rules. “We = will not advocate changing the rules to have Neiv . Zealand expelled. That would.be disastrous,” he said. Asked if he would be relieved if New . Zealand decided. to’ withdraw, voluntar-ilyy'Mfßjelke-Petersen said no, emphatically. He,, said he would hold, talks with the New Zealand Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) soon, and among. the topics he wanted to discuss would be the question of Maori activists wishing to cross; the Tasman to disrupt the. Games. - . • He'wanted the Maori activists: kept in New Zealand just as; did many Maori now living in Brisbane, whom he knew personally. •“The New Zealand Government should keep them over there/r-he said. It was normal for governments not to allow agitators into ..their countries. Maori

protesters-’ supporting Aboriginal ’land-rights activists in any protest during the ;Games should:know what, to ’ expect if. they caused disrupt tion, - said Mr, Bjelke-Peter-sen. • ’ ’ • ' - 7 He was prepared to declare a state of emergency to. ensure, that the Games proceeded.-- just ashe Had done, in 1971.- 1 during .the; Springbok tour of Australia, when there were big antiapartheid demonstrations in Brisbane. Asked .whether Maoris would be allowed on to Aboriginal, reserves before the Games, he said the people in . charge of these areas Would make, the decision, not the state. Government. -” " He would not comment on whether demonstrators would be able to congregate peacefully during the Games as 1981 anti-Springbok tour

protesters had been able to do before and during j-ugby matches in New Zealand. . Mr , ;Bjelke-Petersen . said his Government; had leariit a lot from the way the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand had been policed. “In some ways we learnt what not to do ... particularly in the early part/.’ he said. ■ ■ He accused the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) of setting up his own form of apartheid in Australia and also criticised the Federal Government’s attitude towards South Africa. “We have black man’s country and white man’s country in Australia now,” said Mr Bjelke-Peterson. In half the Northern Territory white men needed visas to get in. / “It is time Mr Fraser wakes up to what is happening in this country.”