‘We need fire’—P.M.

Press, 18 December 1982, Page 1

‘We need fire’ —P.M.

PA Wellington The Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, said yesterday that he had been disappointed with the performance of new members of Parliament in house debates this year. In his valedictory speech, Mr Muldoon said that with 15 new members he expectted the standard of debate would be raised and that some of the older members would be infused “with some of the spirit of the young and the restless.” “We do not need revolution in the Chamber but we need fire,” Mr Muldoon said. Too much reliance might be placed on researchers so that members had only to memorise speeches that were prepared for them. Mr Muldoon advised members to do their own research because someone who did so

was seen to speak from the heart. Mr Muldoon rejected Opposition complaints of an end-of-session rush of legislation, saying that the year had run very smoothly until recent days. There were 110 sitting days of Parliament this year, compared with 85 last year. The House sat for a total of 609 hours and 31 minutes, 23 hours and 41 minutes of this being after midnight. A total of 151 bills were reported back from select committees, and 185 bills were passed into law. Mr Muldoon repeated his criticism of last year that members made excessive use of notices of motion and questions for oral answer. This session, more than 800 notices of motion were lodged, but only 24 debated,

while 1695 oral questions were asked. “Those members who glory in the sight of their names attached to questions — 100 or more in one day in some cases—should feel humbled by the fact that few people outside this chamber and the Government Printing Office know of their efforts which involve so many peopleexpensive civil service people—in searching out the answers,” Mr Muldoon said. Mr Muldoon also noted Bellamys had saved $60,000 in wages by the 3 per cent cost cutting exercise. He attacked a recent report about lax security in the Beehive, saying "all and sundry” had been informed of risks in the building. These . would always exist unless “we want to turn the whole show into a fortress.”

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Rowling, said the year would be memorable for “mismanagement within the House and the economic disaster of the economy.” The session had begun too late, the Budget had been presented too late, and the House had ended up with a “legislative log jam” in the final few weeks. “The sooner that we lay down for ourselves a balanced programme for the conducting of Parliament the better it will be for this institution and for the country generally,” Mr Rowling said. “The sooner we have a Parliament that speaks in a balanced fashion, which provides for a balance between the members’ obligations to their constituents and their requirements in the capital, the better it will be," he said.