Call for bold new Anzac defence initiative

Press, 30 May 1983, Page 2

Call for bold new Anzac defence initiative

The time had come for a bold new initiative in defence with “our Anzac cousin,” Australia, the member of Parliament for Marlborough, Mr D. L. Kidd, said on Saturday. Addressing the annual conference of the Canter-bury-Westland division of the National Party, Mr Kidd said that a new A.N.Z.U.S. pact should be developed. It should allow “mutually supportive independence in foreign policy, not just for the partners, but as an anchor stone for a more independent, assertive community of South Pacific nations.” Such a pact would recognise the community of interests in the South Pacific and would help countries in the region have more control over their resources. Mr Kidd said surface navies were no longer the

deterrent they had once been. Naval policies should include a significant submarine force, with a jointlyrun facility for repairs and maintenance. Time and time again,

New Zealand and Australia had shown that they were compatible. This was a strength which could be built on to the benefit of both. It would result in a greatly enhanced defence capability. Mr Kidd said the two countries should work to achieve a ban on nuclear tests and a reduction in the stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

“We must apply ourselves diligently to the concept of a nuclear-free zone,” he said. This must be within the context of the United Nations’ principles. However, New Zealand should not object to nuclear powered ships. Because of its distance from the rest of the world, New Zealand might have to consider nuclear propulsion for its next generation of merchant ships.