Parliament starts, stops

Press, 28 February 1986, Page 4

Parliament starts, stops

PA Wellington Parliament resumed yesterday afternoon, quickly embroiling itself in fierce debate over whether it should quit early for the day. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr McLay, taunted the Government with giving people the impression that New Zealand was run by "silly, fat Labour Party men.”

Labour members reacted, the Minister of Transport, Mr Prebble, saying it was extraordinary the Opposition had appointed a new finance spokesman whose job before going into politics was as a steward in inter-island ferries.

The House began at 2 p.m. and dealt with questions to Ministers and the committee stages and third reading of one bill.

When that was completed about 3.50 p.m., the Acting Leader of the House, Mr Hunt, moved that the House adjourn until next week.. Mr McLay immediately rose to protest. To cries of "silly” from Government benches, Mr McLay said, “They have

got a barbecue at Vogel House, that is why they want an adjournment ... they are going to kill the fatted calf.” The Prime Minister, Mr Lange, was host last evening to Government members of Parliament and their spouses at a barbecue tea at Vogel House. Mr McLay said Labour members ‘ should instead be debating the "ballooning” deficit, interest rates, increased Post Office charges, and industrial disputes. Referring to the Post-master-General, Mr Hunt, and the Minister of Labour, Mr Rodger, he said, “You get the impression that this country is run by silly, fat Labour Party men.” The Government was under stress, reflected in Mr Lange’s language — a reference to the Prime Minister last week telling a schoolteacher to “piss off,” Mr McLay 'said. “In South Auckland there was a garbage collector who got sacked for saying the same thing to a foreman.”

Mr McLay also 1 alleged that Mr Lange used “the

Anglo-Saxon word” to tearoom and restaurant workers demonstrating on the ground floor of the Beehive last week.

Recalling the “proud and lofty phrases” of consensus government, Mr McLay later offered to support the adjournment motion if the Government promised to reconvene the economic summit conference held soon after Labour won the 1984 election.

Teachers and farmers should be brought back to Parliament to say what they thought about the Government 18 months later.

The Speaker had earlier refused Opposition requests for a snap debate on the fanning crisis. Mr Lange was not in the House, being at a Privy Council meeting at Government House. Replying, Mr Prebble criticised the reshuffled National front bench, saying the Opposition’s new finance spokesman, Mr Michael Cox (Manwatu), lacked credibility. "Everyone knows that he actually supports GST;

and why did he change his mind? He did it for political expediency," Mr Prebble said.

Mr Cox was not present while Mr Prebble was speaking, .but his front bench colleague, Mr lan McLean (Tarawera), said Mr Prebble’s comments were incorrect. Mr Cox, in addition to being a chartered accountant, “was an officer in the merchant marine.” Mr Prebble said the Opposition was also having a function last evening, and had asked the Government if the House could rise early.

He dismissed calls for another summit conference.

“You cannot correct nine years of National incompetence, you cannot correct nine years of the National Party borrowing and pledging our future, you can’t do it just with a summit conference,” he said.

The closure motion was passed and the House rose at 5.30 p.m. It will resume for the Address-in-Reply debate on Tuesday evening.