P.M. denies Australian claims on Tangimoana

Press, 13 June 1984, Page 2

P.M. denies Australian claims on Tangimoana

PA Wellington The Tangimoana listening station did not monitor New Zealand communications, nor those of “our friends” in the South Pacific, the Prime Minister told Parliament yesterday. An Australian defence expert, Dr Desmond Ball, says the main work of the station, near the mouth of the Rangitikei River on the North Island’s west coast, is to monitor diplomatic messages sent from Wellington, and ocean surveillance. Dr Ball, head of the Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, told a seminar in Canberra last month that Tangimoana was “an integral part” of the world-wide high fre-quency-direction finding network of the United States Naval Ocean Information System.

Sir Robert Muldoon read his statement to the House “in the light of a number of speculative and often inaccurate statements in the news media in recent weeks." He said that in 1980 the Government made public the existence of the Government Communications Security Bureau (G.C.5.8.), noting that it had been established in 1977.

The main installation run by the G.C.S.B. was at Tangimoana, and there had been some misinformed speculation about its function.

“I wish to say, quite categorically, that this station is not part of any targeting system. “It is not engaged in any form of weapons targeting for the United States,” Sir Robert said. “Nor does the Government believe that Tangimoana is any more a target than any other defence facility in New Zealand.

“It does not monitor New Zealand’s communications nor those of our friends in the South Pacific.

“It does not report to any centre other than the G.C.S.B. in Wellington and it does not come under the direction of any Government or external agency other than the New Zealand Government.” It was under the full control of the New Zealand Government. Dr Ball told the Canberra seminar that the G.C.S.B. was responsible for ensuring the security of official New Zealand communications (the C.O.M.S.E.C. mission) and for monitoring signals emanating from the southwest Pacific (the 5.1.G.1.N.T. mission.) The Australian Defence Signals Directorate (D.S.D.)

helped establish Tangimoana, he said. “The (Tangimoana) station is responsible for monitoring signals throughout the south-west Pacific and south Pacific across to South America as well as those emanating from New Zealand itself.

“Its principal missions are monitoring diplomatic messages transmitted from Wellington and ocean surveillance,” Dr Ball said. “The station is an integral part of the high frequencydirection finding network of the United States Naval Ocean Surveillance Information System, which also includes D.S.D.’s high frequency-direction finding facilities at Shoal Bay, near Darwin, Pearce air force base outside Perth, Cabarlah near Toowoomba, and H.M.A.S. Harman outside Canberra.” Sir Robert said the Directory on Official Information, issued in December, 1983, listed the functions of the G.C.S.B. as communications security, communications research and analysis, and technical security. The bureau came under the “oversight” of a committee of senior officials, known as the Committee of Controlling Officials. Communications security safeguarded New Zealand’s cyphers and classified information. Technical security aimed to prevent electronic eavesdropping. Communications research and analysis was another term for signals intelligence. “New Zealand, along with most nations, puts great emphasis on having the widest possible sources of intelligence on which to base its defence and other international policies,” Sir Robert said. “The foreign intelligence collection function of the G.C.S.B. is therefore of major importance and of significant value to New Zealand. Successive governments have endorsed the importance of such activities. “I have declared in full the functions of the Government Communications Security Bureau. The actual detail of the G.C.S.B. and the Tangimoana station is, and will remain, secret.”

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Lange, said he was grateful that the Prime Minister had defined the function of Tangimoana. “I am grateful that he has given an absolutely unqualified assurance which I believe to be of paramount importance, that that facility is under the full control of the New Zealand Government,” he said.