Ministers resign

Press, 20 April 1982, Page 1

Ministers resign

NZPA Canberra Two Australian Government Ministers last evening tendered their resignations over what has become known in Australia as the "television set affair.” The Minister of Business and Consumer Affairs, Mr John Moore, first offered his resignation to the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Fraser), and was followed soon after by the Minister of Health, Mr Michael MacKellar.

Mr Fraser announced soon after that he had accepted the resignations. The resignations followed several hours of crisis talks in Canberra yesterday over Mr MacKellar’s failure to pay duty on a colour television set he carried with him when he flew back into Australia after an overseas trip last October.

The incident has become •severely embarrassing for

the Government since it was disclosed last Thursday.

Mr Moore became involved when, he warned Mr MacKellar, but took no other action when the matter was brought to his attention by the head of his department. Mr Moore’s resignation, followed soon afterwards by that of Mr MacKellar, makes it virtually certain that there will be a big reshuffle of the Ministry.

The Australian Cabinet met for almost three hours yesterday to consider the implications of the television set affair and that was followed by a meeting of the full Ministry, excluding Mr Moore and Mr MacKellar. Mr Fraser said he accepted Mr MacKellar’s assurance that in bringing a colour television set through customs last October he had no intention of misleading customs or of evading duty.