No action intended by Labour over M.P.’s words

Press, 4 November 1983, Page 5

No action intended by Labour over M.P.’s words

PA Wellington The Labour Party considered bringing a breach of privilege charge against the National member of Parliament for Whangarei, Mr J. A. Banks, over an incident on Wednesday in a Parliamentary select committee. But the party decided against the action because it did not want to “dignify that piece of yobbishness,’ r said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Lange, yesterday. Opposition members alleged on Wednesday that Mr Banks threw a submission at a union witness appearing before the Industrial Law Reform Bill select committee.

They said that Mr Banks, having asked a provocative question and received a reply he did not like, said to the witness,’ “I’ve had enough of you, you turkey.” When approached by reporters afterwards, Mr Banks laughed and refused to either confirm or deny the claims. The committee’s chairman, Mr C. B. Townshend, confirmed there had been an incident but refused to comment further.

Mr Lange told reporters yesterday that some Labour members had described the

committee as "a Mad Hatter’s tea party.” “You have a member of the Government being annoyed with a reply a witness gave him — in the same week as that member attacked the courts for being soft on crime — picking up a file and heaving it at the witness, abusing him, and leaving the hearing. “That’s the end of the Government’s claim to rational and constructive approach to the bill,” said Mr Lange. “We considered taking steps for a breach of privilege charge against Mr Banks. But why dignify that piece of yobbishness by reference to a privilege committee? It is a standalone bit of boorishness that has had its own condemnation.”

The heated exchange came at a Parliamentary select committee hearing on the bill on Wednesday when the national secretary of the New Zealand Freezing Industries’ Clerical Union, Mr Michael Cullen, was giving evidence.

Mr Cullen said yesterday that he had told the committee that it ,was 4 of great concern to his that some National mem-

bers of Parliament had “never really understood the advantages of moderation in industrial relations.”

The remark, he said, triggered an immediate response from Mr Banks, one of four Government members on the committee. Mr Banks had accused Mr Cullen of showing a complete lack of respect for the National Party and its view of industrial relations. “I said that I didn’t think that he had any appreciation of industrial relations. He replied that he wouldn’t be spoken to by a ‘turkey’ like that He said that I was a fool and hurled the submissions over the table,” said Mr Cullen. Mr Cullen said he regarded the incident as “just one of those things.” In Parliament yesterday Mr F. M. Gerbic (Lab., Onehunga) attempted to lodge a notice of motion censuring Mr Banks. Several Government members raised points of order and the Speaker, Sir Richard Harrison, agreed to check the notice’s authenticity. In his'notice, Mr Gerbic wanted to move that the House severely censure M< Banks for his conduct in the

select committee “when he violently threw” a submission at the witness appearing for freezing industry clerical workers. He called on Mr Banks to apologise to the House and the witness for his conduct.

Mr D. M. J. Jones (Nat., Helensville) raised a point of order, saying Mr Gerbic was referring to something which took place during a committee meeting. The only way matters before a committee could be considered by the House was by means of a committee resolution.

Sir Richard said that what happened was not part of the committee’s proceedings and could be a notice of motion.

A further point of order was raised by Mr T. de V. Hunt (Nat., Pakuranga) about inclusion of the word “violent.” The Speaker said he would check to see if the word could be authenticated.

The Minister of . Justice, Mr McLay, also wanted the Speaker to obtain verification of the contents, saying that the only statements he had seen were from Mr Gerbic’s colleagues. . > A

Earlier report, page' 10