Parliament

Press, 6 September 1989, Page 8

Parliament

PA Wellington Parliament resumed yesterday after a one week recess with six petitions presented. Mr Wyatt Creech (Nat., Wairarapa) presented the petition of John Maunsell of Masterton and 18,782 others asking that the Government remove all racially devisive laws from the statute books. Mr George Gair (Nat., North Shore) presented one from Douglas Harris of Re- ■ muera and four others asking for legislation to require all employers to provide smokefree workplaces. Mr Gair also presented the petition of Nick Pacey of '' Auckland and seven others asking that clause 18 of the Defamation Bill, now before Parliament, be kept intact to ensure the right of reply in the news media for a person who considered they had been defamed. -••• Mr Geoffrey Palmer (Lab., Christchurch Central) presented one from Carolyn < Blackford of Christchurch and five others asking that tobacco be sold in plain packs showing only the product name and a Government " health warning covering 50 per cent of the surface area . of a pack. Mr Rob Munro (Nat., Invercargill) presented one '■ from Robin Austin of Invercargill and 52 others opposed to exclusion of Radio Rhema from the seventh schedule of 71: the Radio Communications Bill. Mr Maurice Williamson (Nat.; Pakuranga) presented one/from Judith Ann Sandk/ lai®s and 440 others asking

the Government to rescind the decision to cut police manpower and funding.

Ministers answered 20 questions. Mr Richard Northey (Lab., Eden) presented the report of the electoral law committee on the examination of the estimate of expenditure for 1989/90 programme 13 electoral vote: Justice. The report was tabled.

The Leader of the House, Mr Jonathan Hunt, moved that an officers of Parliament committee of seven members be appointed to consider such estimate of expenditure as may be referred by the finance and expenditure committee and report to the House.

The committee would consist of the Speaker, Mr Kerry Burke, Labour M.P.s, Messrs Peter Dunne (Ohariu), David Lange (Mangere) and Trevor Mallard (Hamilton West) and Opposition M.P.s Messrs George Gair (North Shore), Murray McCully (East Coast Bays) and Rob Storey (Waikato). Mr Hunt also moved that the finance and expenditure committee be empowered to allocate the examination of the estimates of expenditure ,of the following votes to the officers of Parliament committee: Vote audit, vote office of the Ombudsman, vote Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and vote privacy commission. The House then went into committee to further consider the America’s Cup (Planning) Bill. The bill was reported back to Parliament with amendments and given its third reading.