The Day In Parliament (Press, 14 June 1985)

On 13 June 1985, a petition opposing homosexual law reform was presented to the New Zealand Parliament when the House convened at 2.30 p.m. Mr D. L. Kidd, representing Marlborough, introduced the petition on behalf of Mrs H. McGrath and 50 other signatories. During the session, three reports were tabled: the Public Accounts report by the Minister of Finance, Mr Douglas; a report from the Minister of Energy, Mr Tizard, on the Synthetic Fuels Corporation; and a report from the Speaker, Dr Wall, concerning the Controller and Auditor-General's review of the Public Accounts. In addition to the petition, there were 16 notices of motion and 17 questions answered by Ministers. Mr P. R. Burdon from Fendalton sought to introduce his private member's bill, the Electricity (South Island Concession) Amendment Bill (No. 2). Although the bill was introduced without any opposition, the Government opposed its referral to a select committee, resulting in a vote of 41 against 26. Consequently, the bill was placed at the bottom of the Order Paper. The House adjourned for dinner at 5.15 p.m., after which the Leader of the House, Mr Palmer, moved for urgency in the introduction and second reading of the Appropriation Bill upon resumption at 7.30 p.m. The Minister of Finance, Mr Douglas, presented the Budget, concluding at 8.36 p.m. Following this, Mr Palmer proposed that the Budget debate be adjourned until 25 June, which was approved by the House. Mr Douglas subsequently tabled the Budget papers. After the Budget presentation, debate shifted to the third reading of the Waterfront Industry Amendment Bill, where an Opposition proposal to recommit the bill failed with a vote of 26 to 42. The Government secured a victory in the subsequent division, allowing the bill to pass its third reading with a 39 to 29 vote by 9.55 p.m. Further discussions took place regarding the second reading of the Judicature Amendment Bill, leading to the second reading of the Insurance Law Reform Bill (No. 2), which successfully progressed before the House adjourned at 10.22 a.m. the following day.

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