Moyle resignation demanded

Press, 14 March 1985, Page 1

Moyle resignation demanded

PA Wellington The Opposition yesterday called on the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle, to resign, accusing him of leaking to Federated Farmers news that the dollar would be floated.

It alleged that he did this before the decision was made on March 2.

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr McLay, urged the Government to establish an independent inquiry into the allegation. Mr McLay told NZPA that although the allegation was serious, it apparently did not involve a breach of Parliamentary privilege, and would not be a suitable subject for Parliament’s Privileges Committee.

He said such a move could be seen by some people as being coloured by party political motives.

He suggested that the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, refer the allegation to the Ombudsman’s office.

In Parliament yesterday, two Opposition members called on Mr Moyle to resign.

Mr A. P. D. Friedlander (Nat., New Plymouth) claimed Mr Moyle deliberately leaked a Government decision involving currency management. ,

“After the Government made the decision to float the dollar, and before it was announced publicly, he told a sector group of Federated Farmers that the Government would float the dollar within the next two months,” Mr Friedlander said.

“He then outlined benefits that floating the dollar would bring them, he talked of a sinking in the value of the dollar, he talked about this meaning an increase in export returns, and he talked about this offsetting their losses in S.M.P.S. “It wasn’t a general chat about the possibility of a float one day — he outlined clearly and unequivocally there would be a float, and he gave an indication of the time scale it would take.” Mr Friedlander said Mr Moyle, who is now in Lon-

don, was clearly in breach of his Cabinet responsibilities.

It was a total abrogation of his responsibilities to his Cabinet colleagues and to the nation, and he should resign. “This House cannot allow, cannot condone, and cannot forgive that type of behaviour,” Mr Friedlander said. “This House knows the reputation and standing of the Minister of Agriculture in matters of trust.

“He deliberately leaked a decision of Government involving currency management. Now he has been found out he must resign forthwith.” Earlier in the debate on private members’ notices of motion, the Junior Opposition Whip, Mr Michael Cox, said Mr Moyle had had discussions with Federated Farmers two weeks before the float was formally announced. Mr Cox said that this was improper and that Mr Moyle should resign. The first allegation was laughed at by Government members, with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Caygill, saying there was absolutely nothing wrong in

a Minister discussing implications of floating the dollar with a group which had advocated that course for many years.

“The Minister was talking to Federated Farmers ...

nothing more or less than that,” Mr Caygill said. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Trade and Industry, Mr Neilson, said it was not until the Friday, the day before the float was announced, that the decision was made.

“How could anybody have

guaranteed that a decision was to be made, even two months in advance? It was impossible,” he said. “When the Minister met Federated Farmers, the decision had not been made.” The secretary of Federated Farmers, Mr Rob McLagan, cast doubt on the allegation that Mr Moyle had leaked the plans to float the dollar. Mr McLagan said that neither he nor the group’s president, Mr Peter Elworthy, could remember any time at which Mr Moyle had suggested the float was imminent. “I think probably it is likely that at one or other of

those meetings he might have been asked what the Government’s attitude to it was,” said Mr McLagan. “I was present at one or two of those meetings, and I certainly never got any impression that the Government was about to float. "None of our people at the meetings ever reported to me that the Minister had suggested the dollar was about to be floated. I think that if he had made that in any implicit way, somebody would probably have said. “I am not aware of any such statement,” Mr McLagan said.