Port Moresby, 16 May 1968
4995. Priority Immediate
Your 4323 constitutional matters.1 This teleprinter confirms the points made in our telephone conversation this morning as follows—
(1) Ministerial Members. We included agriculture and trade in our list of seven after very careful consideration of, amongst other things, the expectations of the House to have representation in two important economic departments. The fact that lands is not included may be unpalatable to Members but we have a good justification of it. This opinion is formed against the background in which departmental heads will have virtually equal responsibility for policy matters and will be available to2 advice and guidance. We feel that if these two departments were not included then there would be a strong feeling that the Government was not serious in its intentions to pass more responsibility to elected Members. We appreciate that whatever arrangement is agreed upon there will be some risk. However the balance in our opinion is firmly in favour of including these two departments.
(2) Official Members. Given that departmental heads who do not have ministerial responsibilities should not be in the House (which I feel strongly is the correct approach) we have a problem of finding four additional Members to make up a total often. There is no doubt in my mind as to the wisdom of appointing three who have experience in important areas of the Territory and whose lines of communication to elected Members will be effective. This is an important consideration being3 in mind that the number of elected Members has increased and that therefore the … 4 job of explaining legislation to them is going to require more attention by experienced persons than has been possible in the past. The fourth Official Member has been requested by the leader of the House specifically for the purpose of making it easier for him to consult with Members both during and in between meetings. I accept this completely and point out that the appointment of a District Inspector will enable him to move about the Territory in the course of normal business without arousing too much notice. It is appreciated that there will be some departmental heads and others who feel they have claims on personal grounds to be Official Members of the House but it would be possible perhaps to ease this situation by making it clear that the last four Official Members are liable to change at the convenience of the Minister.
(3) Assistant Ministerial Members. As explained on the telephone we did not continue to press for an Assistant Ministerial Member for police and are content to substitute an Assistant Ministerial Member for cooperatives.5
[NAA: A452, 1970/4521]
1 Document 181.
2 Presumably, this should read ‘for’.
3 This should probably read ‘bearing’.
4 Textual corruption—probably of the word ‘mere’.
5 Later on the same day, Warwick Smith telexed Hay that Barnes had ‘approved in principle your recommendations’ as contained in Documents 180 and 182, with the proviso that an AMM would be appointed for cooperatives and not for the police. Barnes also ‘particularly asked that when the appointments are published you emphasise to the last four Official Members in your list that their appointment is an experiment and is liable to be terminated at his convenience if he considers this appropriate’ (telex B270/4352, Warwick Smith to Hay, 16 May 1968, NAA: A452, 1970/4521 ). Barnes gave formal approval on 21 May (submission, Ballard to Barnes, 21 May 1968, ibid.).