Govt errs over petition on cigarette advertising

Press, 15 July 1985, Page 20

Govt errs over petition on cigarette advertising

PA Wellington Government members of Parliament have admitted that they had made a mistake in making no recommendation on a petition to Parliament which urged the prohibition of cigarette advertising.

The recommendation was made by the Health and Welfare Select Committee and was relayed to Parliament when the committee’s chairman, Mr T. J. Young (Lab., East Hutt), reported back the petition of C. R. Turner and 4270 others calling for legislation to prohibit cigarette advertising. However, the Labour inember for Hamilton West, Mr T. C. Mallard, subsequently moved to have the petition referred back to the

select committee for further consideration.

“I believe very strongly that the recommendation of no recommendation is incorrect. This petition should be positively acted upon by the Government,” he said.

The Opposition spokesman on health, Mr P. R. Burdon (Nat., Fendalton), said the incident was an “unfortunate little episode,” and his colleague, Mr lan McLean (Tarawera), called it a shambles. The Minister of Health, Dr Bassett, said that during the committee’s deliberation a mistake had been made which Government members freely admitted.

Realising that, an approach had been made to

the Oppposition asking it to recommit the decision of no recommendation back to the committee. “But of course they were not prepared to do that. What they wanted to do was to try to come along to the House and play a bit of grubby politics,” said Dr Bassett. Opposition members said

the petition went too far, with Mr D. A. Graham (Nat., Remuera) saying that overseas magazines with cigarette advertisements in them would have to be censored. However, the debate was unresolved, being interrupted when the House adjourned for dinner.