Portfolios under Labour

Press, 20 July 1984, Page 12

Portfolios under Labour

The Labour Party has nominated members for the new Cabinet; the Prime Minister-elect, Mr Lange, will allot the portfolios. How the portfolios are grouped will be important to the way in which Labour will leave its stamp on the country’s affairs; this may be just as important as the people who will take the portfolios. Although a proliferation of departments is to be avoided at all costs, it should be considered whether some departments remain in their present form. In the past, various groupings have made more sense than they do in today’s circumstances. The party is* going to be judged on its performance. How the portfolios and the departments are treated will help to determine that performance. Mr Lange has already said that he will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the Kirk and Rowling Ministries of the third Labour Government, the Prime Ministers also held Foreign Affairs. Mr Walding was Minister of Overseas Trade and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs. Under the National Party Government Mr Taiboys and Mr Cooper, in turn, had both Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade. Mr Lange will almost certainly not want to deal with Overseas Trade as well as Foreign Affairs and, indeed, would be ill-advised to do so. These portfolios can be split without difficulty. Even so, good sense can be seen in leaving the departments as they are. Having the supervision of the country’s foreign trade firmly connected with the country’s industry has obvious advantages. The Department of Trade and Industry has strong links with, and knowledge of, the industry of the country; the department has also a fund of knowledge of trade practices and laws governing trade in other countries. To some extent, it could be argued that the trade policy division of the Department of Trade and Industry could be accommodated within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; then, however, it would be separated from the grassroots industry of the country. When Trade and Industry officers are. posted overseas, they already form part of the Foreign Affairs structure. The system works well. Within the Department of Trade and Industry one deputy secretary deals with the trade side of affairs and the other' with the industry side. The department is easily able to service both the Minister of Overseas Trade and the Minister of Trade and Industry, whether these portfolios are divided or are on one desk. The Labour Party plans to establish a portfolio of women’s affairs. The National Party in Government had Mr McLay as the spokesman on women’s affairs. By establishing a portfolio, the Labour Party will be seen to give some extra emphasis to women’s affairs. Provided that whoever holds the portfolio does not see a need for a large bureaucracy, there should be no problem. The task in New Zealand

for such a Minister is not legislative, but one of dealing with attitudes. In employment, for example, Government departments, firms, and unions still need to change attitudes towards women employees and promotions. A Minister of Women’s Affairs will need a small number of people to monitor legislation and trends in employment, but mostly for educational purposes and to keep all members of the Cabinet alert to women’s interests. Mrs Ann Hercus has been spoken of as the person most likely to get such a post. Her energy and ability suggest that she should get a major portfolio as well. She certainly seems to be a candidate for more than portfolios of women’s affairs and consumer affairs. The holder of the women’s affairs portfolio should have in mind the idea that she ought to work herself out of a job. She will do this by ensuring that the chances of women’s interests being overlooked will decrease substantially. The Labour Party has suggested at various times that it would have a Minister of Island Affairs. The idea is not sound. It would emphasise the position of one of the groups of migrants in the country and would imply that the problems of other migrant groups are of less, or no importance. Immigration and the migrant groups in the country deserve constant attention. New Zealand’s immigration programme has been governed in the past largely by the labour needs of the country. Immigration programmes were established to attract skilled workers, or labourers, or for some other reason connected with a demand for labour. The Immigration Division is part of the Department of Labour. New Zealand has had high unemployment for some time and the outlook is still bleak. Other factors in immigration have gained prominence. One is New Zealand’s traditional relationship with Western Samoa; another is the need to ease refugee problems. Non-European migrants have a number of needs in common: training in language, and attention to knowledge of the law, or to education in customs. A case might even be put for considering a portfolio attending to the affairs of all non-European groups. A Minister of Immigration would be an appropriate person to give this attention. This leaves the link between labour and immigration to be considered. Obviously there should be extensive co-operation between the department that keeps its finger on the employment needs of the country and the body that looks after immigration. Links between the administration of immigration and several other Government departments — education, law, housing, and social welfare among them — should be strong. To establish a portfolio of Island affairs would be incomplete and give a wrong emphasis to New Zealand’s immigration and problems of community relations. Sound consideration of the portfolios, as well as to the people to fill the positions, will help to achieve the ends desired.