Thursday 27 Jun 2002

ACT Justice Spokesman Stephen Franks today corrected a report in Wellington's Evening Post newspaper which said, in effect that he had refused to comment on whether he supported ACT's Treaty of Waitangi Policy.

"This is both entirely incorrect and highly unlikely.

"I was asked to comment on a letter I have not seen and what I thought the ACT board should do about it. Of course I declined to comment on that.

"I said that I looked forward to working with ACT MP Donna Awatere Huata on education matters and that her insistence on the reading inquiry was doing more for education and Maori than any other MP had done this Parliament.

"Asked what my Treaty policy was I referred `The Post' to the extensive writings on ACT's website www.act.org.nz (http://www.act.org.nz/) which is all consistent with our announced policy. I support totally ACT's policy that we must remove race discrimination from our law. I see no happy future for the country unless we uphold equality before the law irrespective of race.

"Of course I would have said I supported our policy if I had been asked. I have absolutely no hesitation in confirming it. My concerns have all been about the failure to have it reported, leaving the field free for uninformed debate and a widespread view among all New Zealanders of all ethnic origins that they have no-one in Parliament speaking commonsense for them," Stephen Franks said.

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