P.M. offers junior M.P.

Press, 11 August 1982, Page 1

P.M. offers junior M.P.

PA Rotorua The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) will offer a junior backbencher, possibly the member'of Parliament for Whangarei, Mr J. A. Banks, to debate wages, prices, and taxes with the Drivers’ Federation.

The federation, which seeks a $35 a week wage rise, yesterday challenged Mr Muldoon to debate and suggested possible dates and venues.

However, Mr Muldoon said last evening, “If they want someone, to debate with them I am prepared to find a junior backbencher.” When journalists at a press conference suggested that the sacked Cabinet Minister, Mr D. F. Quigley, might be the man for the job, Mr Muldoon replied, “I. was thinking of Banks — he could handle Campbell (Mr R. J. Campbell, the drivers’ advocate) without any difficulty.”

Mr Muldoon also noted that the Federation of

Labour had not accepted his offer to address its annual conference.

“I would be only too happy to address the federation,” he said.

Mr Muldoon earlier warned the Drivers’ Federation that it would not succeed in breaking the wage freeze.

Mr Campbell said that the federation would invite Mr Muldoon to a debate on the “implications of the Government’s policies on wages, prices, and taxes.” The debate would be held at a stopwork, meeting of drivers.

Mr Muldoon would have a choice of three venues, Hamilton on August 16, Dunedin on August 17, or Invercargill on August 31. In the event of his .being unable to accept, Mr Muldoon was asked to nominate a member of his Cabinet to take his place. The jpublic debate would be between the Prime Minister or his nominee and Mr Campbell.