Waihopai questions to ‘brick wall’

Press, 24 August 1988, Page 3

Waihopai questions to ‘brick wall’

By

BRENDON BURNS,

political reporter

An attempt by a Parliamentary committee to question the Co-ordinator of Domestic and External Security, Mr Gerald Hensley, ended yesterday with his being described as a brick wall.

The Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committee was pressing Mr Hensley for answers on issues including whether the Waihopai satellite base

was part of an international network. To that question, Mr Hensley replied that the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, had said Waihopai was New Zealand-built, controlled and manned,’ and existed to service New Zealand’s purposes. This was one of his more forthcoming answers. He said he had no brief to discuss any operational details of the satellite base, under construction near Blenheim. It would, he said, provide a limited capability by July, 1989, and be completed three years later. Asked if Waihopai would intercept New Zea-land-sourced transmissions without a specific warrant from the Prime Minister, he said that was a question for Mr Lange. Suggestions were made last year that Australia was intercepting New Zealand diplomatic post communications.

Mr Hensley said the security of such traffic

was a matter of constant concern. But his belief was that New Zealand’s codes and ciphers, used in communications, were safe from outside attack. ‘‘l am confident that our communications are secure,” said Mr Hensley. The Government Communications Security Bureau (G.C.5.8.), to which he was attached ran the Tangimoana communciations base near Bulls and would run the Waihopai base, said Mr Hensley. Tangimoana was a receiving station while Waihopai was a satellite communications base. In written questions from the committee, information was sought about a report that 30 G.C.S.B. staff were being trained in Melbourne by the Australian Defence Signals Directorate. The Minister of Defence, Mr Tizard, has said publicly that there will be a link between Waihopai and an Australian communications base at Geraldton in Western Australia. But the written answers to the committee declined to comment on the report about staff being trained in Australia.

Asked about the presence of foreign staff at G.C.5.8., Mr Hensley said from time to time such people were present in small numbers. One foreign person was working in New Zealand at present, but he declined to identify"'from which country. / • Mr John Luxton (Nat., Matamata), questioned Mr Hensley closely on’ 1 whether he had received , a request last year to appear before the committee. This was at the time of the suggestion of Australian eavesdropping on New Zealand diplomatic communications. Mr Luxton said the committee was annoyed at the failure of someone to appear from G.C.S.B. to answer questions in committee if necessary. Mr Hensley said he believed the request arrived but he acted on the directions of the Prime Minister. The brief exchange between Mr Hensley and the Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committee ended with a quip by a committee member, Mr Geoff Braybrooke. “I know a brick wall when I see one,” he said, as Mr Hensley left the committee room.