The day in Parliament

Press, 11 September 1985, Page 8

The day in Parliament

PA Wellington Parliament’s first woman Sergeant-at-Arms, Miss Carol Rankin, took up her post for the first time when the House sat at 2 p.m. yesterday. The House observed a period of silence in memory of the former member for Auckland Central, Mr Norman Douglas, who died on August 26. Mr Douglas represented the electorate from 1960 until his retirement in 1975. The Speaker, Dr Wall, expressed the House’s sense of loss, and sympathy to Mr Douglas’s family. The Speaker read a message from the Governor-General, Sir David Beattie, recommending appropriations for the Customs Amendment Bill No. 2, the Goods and Services Tax Bill, the Law Commission Bill, the Meat Amendment Bill, and the State Service Conditions of Employment Bill No. 2. The Speaker said that Ms Helen Clark (Lab., Mt Albert) had raised a question of privilege over a “New Zealand Times” newspaper article of Sunday, September 8. The Speaker said the matter would be referred to the Privileges Committee. The report of the Consumers Price Index Revision Advisory Committee and the annual reports of the Maori Purposes Fund Board, the Invercargill Licensing Trust, the Licensing Control Commission, the Council for Post-graduate Medical Education, the Post Office, the Vocational Training Council, the Department of Maori Affairs, the Board of Maori Affairs, the Maori Trust Office and the Department of Internal Affairs were presented. The Prime Minister, Mr Lange, made a Ministerial statement concerning the decision by the South Pacific Forum to adopt the Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty and laid upon the table the text of the treaty and its three draft protocols. Ministers answered 19 questions.

The chairman of the old petitions committee, Mrs Mary Batchelor (Lab., Avon), made a statement to the House concerning the number of signatures attached to petitions presented by Bette Overall and the Anti-Vivisection Society. Mrs Batchelor said that when the two petitions were reported back to the House the number of signatures was quoted at 3100 when it should have been 51,872. The chairman of the Labour Committee, Mr F. M. Gerbic (Lab., Onehunga), moved the reporting back of the Higher Salaries and Allowances Bill. The bill was reported back and the House went into committee to consider the Parliamentary Service Bill and the Powers of Search (Internal Concealment) Bill. The Parliamentary Service Bill passed through its committee stages, during which it was split into two bills, the Parliamentary Service Bill and the National Library Amendment Bill. The Powers of Search (Internal Concealment) Bill also passed its committee stages, during which it too was split into two bills, the Customs Amendment Bill and the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill. All four bills were set for a third reading on the next sitting day. The interrupted debate on the Budget estimates then resumed. Votes for the Legislative Department, the Crown Law Office, the Justice Department, and the Government Printing Office were passed. Members then resumed the interrupted debate on the vote for the Foreign Affairs Department. The debate was interrupted when the House adjourned for dinner at 5.30 p.m. Debate on the Foreign Affairs estimates continued when the House resumed at 7.30 p.m. Those estimates were approved and members then began debating Treasury estimates of expenditure. Debate on the Treasury estimates was interrupted when the House rose at 11 p.m.