Mr Quigley to test his theories on U.K. trip

Press, 19 November 1982, Page 3

Mr Quigley to test his theories on U.K. trip

Parliamentary reporter

The former Cabinet Minis-: ter, Mr Derek Quigley, will test his economic theories for about six weeks in Britain over the Christmas break.

He has been selected by the British Government as one of a party of prominent New Zelanders invited regularly to examine subjects of interest to them in Britain. He will leave on Tuesday, and will return some time in the New Year.

Mr Quigley plans to follow up topics he has raised in speeches since he resigned from the Cabinet in July after he aired risks in the Government’s ‘think big’ strategy in an address to the Young Nationals. Since then Mr Quigley has developed themes that he

believes will produce efficiency and keep the Government in office in 1984. These have focused on desirable levels of Government involvement in the economy, running of the public sector, tighter controls on Government spending, better meat marketing, less protectionism, and controls on Social Welfare benefits and superannuation.

It is his view that the Government appears to be considering his perspectives, but he welcomes the chance to further check his facts and hunches.

Among those he will see in Britain are Government advisers on the economy, heads of big corporations, trade unionists, economics correspondents, and innovators in policy fields.

Mr Quigley said yesterday that he wanted to study in particular the British meat market, see how New Zealand might improve its meat marketing, diversify, and further process its products. He would talk with oil companies on alternative fuel development, and try to find out if the British Government’s unwillingness to cut Government spending earlier than it did was the reason why the inflation rate did not fall sooner.

Britain was withdrawing investment from unproductive sectors and reinvesting in more productive ones. This gave him the chance to see how special job retraining schemes could fit into the dislocation, and how workers could be relocated, and their skills matched to new jobs

created. Subjects inviting his special interest will be industry restructuring, and its effects on industrial relations and unemployment; planning and control of Government spending; deregulation; quangos and social services; Public Service management; wage-fixing; staff levels; agricultural support schemes; and tax reform. Mr Quigley said that he had hoped to include a westward trip through the United States looking at marketing of New Zealand foods and meat, and deregulation, but his schedule in Britain had become so busy that the United States was being squeezed out. Mr Quigley will be accompanied by his wife, Mrs Judithi Quigley.