Mr McLay makes changes to party’s spokesmanships

Press, 9 August 1985, Page 2

Mr McLay makes changes to party’s spokesmanships

By

MICHAEL HANNAH

in Wellington

The Leader of the Opposition. Mr McLay, yesterdayquit his role as’ foreign affairs spokesman in an attempt to signal a different style of leadership from that of the Prime Minister, Mr Lange. Releasing a new Opposition line-up of spokesmanships, Mr McLay criticised the amount of time he said Mr Lange had spent out of the country.

Although he was unable to say how many overseas trips Mr Lange had had as Prime Minister, or how many days he had spent outside New Zealand. Mr McLay maintained. "He's been away too much."

“A leader should spend most of his time within the country, dealing with the country's problems, not hobnobbing his way round oneparty black African States or the like, going to India two or three times in 12 months." Mr McLay said.

"I will be speaking out as leader of the party on a range of issues — economic, trade, foreign affairs, defence — those that are topical at a particular time. It is important that I indicate a significantly different approach from that of the Prime Minister in the leadership of a political party." However, the new line-up also reflects Mr McLay’s inability to draw on his whole caucus to fill official spokesmanships. The former party leader. Sir Robert Muldoon, is left on the back benches without specific responsibilities, and he is joined by the member for Ashburton, Mr Rob Talbot. who asked to be relieved of his responsibilities for horticulture and agriculture.

Mr Talbot had indicated he would retire at the next election, Mr McLay said, but had expressed an interest in retaining an “informal” role in tourism. Mr Talbot is a former Minister of Tourism. Sir Robert, however, has expressed no intention to retire, nor was he approached by Mr McLay to

take a spokesman’s role. Mr McLay explained that Sir Robert had indicated some time ago that he did not want a responsibility. Sir Robert had given no indication that there was any change in that regard but, under questioning, Mr McLay conceded he had not approached Sir Robert to take on a responsibility. "I didn't approach anyone particularly." he said. Other changes in the lineup see the Junior Opposition Whip. Mr Michael Cox, relinquish this job. as he had predicted he would to enable him to devote more time to his finance spokesmanship. A new Junior Whip. Mr Robin Gray, the member for Clutha. has been elected in his place. Mr Gray was responsible for much of the National Party's campaign organisation in the Timaru by-election. won for National by Mr Maurice McTigue. Mr McTigue has been given responsibility as a spokesman on irrigation, and as associate spokesman on regional development, South Island development, and Trade and Industry. The spokesmanship for foreign affairs has been passeed to Mr Warren Cooper, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is also responsible for regional development, resource allocation, industrial development, and South Island development.

Mr Cooper relinquished the role of national development. which has been taken over by the party's chief spokesman on finance, Mr Bill Birch. A new role of familyaffairs has been created for Mr Graeme Lee. member for Hauraki, better known for his opposition to the Homosexual Law Reform Bill and for a bill he tried to introduce outlawing gluesniffing. Mr McLay said the family affairs role would involve Mr Lee in health and social welfare issues, but it would go wider, into economic and taxation matters.

The Senior Opposition Whip, Mr Don McKinnon, has been relieved of responsibility for labour, and takes on State corporations, a role he has held previously. Mr McLay said this shift reflected the "very substantial" workload imposed on the Whips in Opposition.

The labour and employment roles remain with Mr George Gair, and his associate spokesman, Mr Bruce Townshend. Mr McLay’s remark that they would share responsibilities "as they see fit" was interpreted’ by some observers as indicating Mr Townshend may have been given room to take some of the spotlight from his front bench colleague. Mr Gair.

Mr McLay described the reshuffle as a fine-tuning of roles, rather than a major rewriting of them. He said his own move away from foreign affairs was not a sudden change of heart. “I had it in mind that I would probably give it up after a period of time," he said. Asked to comment on the spokesman for overseas trade, Mr John Falloon, who has recently entered hospital for treatment of a back complaint, Mr McLay said it was unlikely Mr Falloon would be away from work for very long. He was suffering from a pinched sciatic nerve, which required a short period of bed rest.

Otherwise Mr McLay pronounced the National caucus “confident."