Minister accused of arrogance by M.P.

Press, 6 May 1983, Page 23

Minister accused of arrogance by M.P.

PA Wellington The Minister of Energy, Mr Birch, has been accused in Parliament of responding arrogantly to Coromandel people seeking a moratorium on mining.

The Wellington Central Labour member of Parliament, Ms F. Wilde, said that Mr Birch had written to them late last year saying that a moratorium would have to be invoked by act of Parliament and “he would not support the introduction of such a bill.”

She was speaking during debate on the Thames-Coro-mandel District Mining Bill. A private member’s bill introduced by the Government member for Hauraki, Mr G. E. Lee, it seeks an 18month moratorium on Coromandel mining activities so that Thames-Coromandel unified councils can study mining operations. Opposition members said that constituents had forced Mr Lee to bring his bill to

Parliament because Mr Birch had said that he would consider no further plans for a moratorium. “It was this negative and arrogant attitude on the part of the Minister to a legitimate request of the local people that has led to this bill’s being brought into the House,” said Ms Wilde.

Mr Lee said that the Minister was uneasy about the 18-month duration of the moratorium envisaged by the planned law — the studies might not take that long, but the moratorium would still apply. Also, the bill would set a precedent by allowing a local act of Parliament to overrule a public act, something Mr Birch has called the inhibiting of Government by local body actions. Mr Birch said last week that if this precedent was set, a series of local bills could be introduced to amend public acts. The member for Auck-

land Central, Mr R. W. Prebble (Lab.), told the House that he planned to bring in a similar bill to impose a mining activities moratorium on Great Barrier Island.

The Opposition welcomed Mr Lee’s bill, as did the Government member for Hamilton West, Mr M. J. Minogue. He said that there was a total absence of planning for mining in the region. Mr Minogue also asked how Mr Birch and the Minister for the Environment, Dr Shearer, would reconcile the “direct clash” between their responsibilities on the issue.

“What this bill suggests is that they cannot be reconciled, but we are given a breathing space (by it). Perhaps some of the missing planning . . . can be supplied,” said Mr Minogue. The bill was referred to the Local Bills Committee.