Lawyers perturbed at inaction over privacy protection

Taupo Times, Volume 23, Issue 56, 16 July 1974, Page 4

Lawyers perturbed at inaction over

privacy protection

Though there has been much talk about the protection of the privacy of the individual, New Zealand's top lawyers are perturbed that nothing much has been done about it. At the annual general meeting of the New Zealand section of the InternationaT Commissimi of Jurists (of which the Chief Justice, Sir Richard Wild, is the president) members spoke strongly against the setting up of a departmental com-puter-bank in Wanganui in the complete absence of any legislation offering protoction to the citizen. it is remembered that in introducing the Private Investigators and Security Guards Bill recently, the Minister of Justice, Dr Finlay, said it was the first of a group of such measures. MANY INVASIONS There have been many invasions of privacy over the last few years, and the first specimen Bill produced by the jurists some years ago is now out of date. Police and customs men are permitted to search private premises without warrants under certain special circumstances. The control of listening devices has been made

more difficult by the invention of "bugs" designed to pick up voices, amplify and resend them. Then there are directional microphones which will pick out one voice from a conversation some distance away. By far the most difficult to deal with is the assembly of all known details from all Government sources and their concentration into one computer bank. OUR CONSTITUTION What price a New Zealand constitution? Do we

need a Bill of Rights? A Christchurch lawyer, Mr A. C. Brassington, reminded the jurists that the New Zealand Constitution Act — based on an imperial statute designed for colonial government — was still in force. The only saving grace was the independence of the judiciary — but this could be affected by parliamentary vote, eroded by

the creation of new tribunals. The jurists intend to study the situation — but it is remembered that a Bill of Rights sponsored by the then Minister of Justice (the late Mr J. R. Hanan) appeared in Parliament some years ago, to be passed to the Statutes Revision Committee and then quietly disposed of. Would a new one, or a Constitution Act, fare better? THE CREDIT SQUEEZE There is no ready admission by whoever is in power that a New Zealand Minis-

ter of Finance tends to operate credit funds and sources to suit the current situation. The previous Minister of Finance^ Mr Muldoon, has been accused of manipulating mortgage and other finance to achieve certain results. He has been blamed, for instance, for the "run down" in housing, which was certainly linked \yith difficulties in getting loan money during part of his regime. Now he has said that if the Government does not ease up on the "credit squeeze" in the next few months there will be largescale business failures. And, as if on eue, Mr Rowling says that an easing of credit in specific areas, such as mortgage finance, might not be too distant. Odd pattern?

THE MAORI SEATS Promises by the Minister of Maori Affairs, Mr Rata, that the Government intended to increase the number of Maori seats in Parliament may mean something else than is implied. When it was put to the Prime Minister, Mr Kirk, he somewhat surprisingly said that though everyone would like to see the abolition of separate Maori representation, the time had not come when this could be done. It is a fair tip that the select committee now studying aspects of parliamentary procedure will recommend an. overall increase of seats — possibly to a total of 100 instead of the present 87. This would be the only way of Maori seats being

extended — as the four present Maori seats have smaller electorates than the average "open" seat. THAT RESHUFFLE Incidentally, far too much is being made in some quarters of the fact that Mr Rata, having been relieved of his Lands portfolio when he became sick last year, has now been given it back again. The pundits who claimed that the handling of the portfolio for so long by the Minister of Defence, Mr Faulkner, indicated a parliamentary rearrangement, now say the same about the portfolio's return. Actually, Mr Faulkner seems to be underloaded with only one portfolio and that a largely self-governing one. But the plain fact is that the long-predicted reshuffle has not taken place, and that certain Ministers, hinted to be marginal, are still in place.

Time for any change is moving on . . . FERTILISER HANDOUT The Government decision to pay the fertiliser rise in full, rather than pass it on to the farmer, has probably redeemed the Government' s standing with the farmer. If so, and if nothing else is involved, it would be an expensive way to curry favour. However, the use of fertiliser means at worst holding the line, and at best significantly increasing production — which is Government policy in a time of worldwide shortage of protein. It still seems that the Prime Minister's estimate of $35 million for the Government's increased pay-out could be an understatement. The plan is to hold the cost of fertiliser to farmers at $25 a tonne, whereas the actual cost is now more than $44 a tonne.