Mr Minogue gives reasons

Press, 26 August 1982, Page 1

Mr Minogue gives reasons

Parliamentary reporter

The member of Parliament for Hamilton West, Mr M. J. Minogue, said yesterday that he would not support the Clyde dam empowering legislation on the ground of the Solicitor-Gen-eral’s advice to the Cabinet that legal avenues of appeal and rehearing were closed to the Government. , The two Social Credit members of’ Parliament agreed on Tuesday to support the legislation on the ground that the legal processes had been taken as far as they could to resolve the water right. But Mr Minogue said yesterday that he was not of the same opinion. He would not elaborate, but said that he knew the essence of the

Solicitor-General’s opinion

On the “wider issues” he was also still opposed. Earlier, Mr Minogue said these were that the citizen's trust in the legal process had been undermined, and that major schemes should be subject to thorough and pub : lie review beforehand. He also said that the legal delays had been mainly of the Government’s own making and that the Government had been determined all along to build the high dam, not the low alternative.

He would say ho more yesterday than that a high dam would produce excess power if no large energyuser were built, and that the “irrigation side of the deal” between Social Credit and the Government was specious. ’ .-?- '