FOR PRESS P, M. No, 2Z1_ 963
ECONOMIC COMMITTEE OF ENQUIRY
Statement bthe Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. R, G. Menzies
The Prime Minister conferred this morning
with the Members of the Committee of Sconomic Enquiry
Dr, James Vernon, C. B. E. ( Chairman)
Professor Sir John Crawford, C. B. E.
( Vice Chairman)
Professor P. H. Karmel
D. G, Molesworth, Esq., C. B. E.
K. B. Myer, Esq., D. S. C.
There were also present Dr. F. B. Horner, the Secretary of
the Committee; Mr. A. Wo McCasker, the Executive Officer;
and Mr. J. F. Nimmo of the Prime Minister's Department.
The purpose of the Conference was to discuss
the arrangements that must be made to provide the necessary
research staff for the Committee, and effective liaison
between the Committee and those Commonwealth Departments
from which a good deal of factual information will need to
be obtained. The Prime Minister indicated to the Committee
that it was to regard itself as the master of its own
procedure; that it should feel at liberty to accumulate such
facts as it needed in its own way, being guided by its own
judgment. He said that the Government's decision had been
in favour of a committee rather than a royal commission,
because of the greater informality of procedure which the
former made possible. The Prime Minister said, after the meeting
" Although the Commit-ee will of course determine its own
procedures, I am hoping for its sa: e that as much information
as possible will be put before it in writing and not by
oral evidence. Expericnce has shown that much time can be
lost by the hearing of oral non-controversial evidence on
some matter on which a written document would be more concise
and valuable and more easily recorded and studied. In other
words, it seems to me to be undesirable that the Committoe
should have to conduct its investigations in an atmosphere
of public debate; it should rather be regarded as conducting
a piece of highly important research with the best technical
assistance it can get from any source that it desires,"
CANBERRA, 7th March, 1963.
Menzies, Robert
Period of Service: 19/12/1949 - 26/01/1966
Find more information on Menzies, Robert on the:
Release Date:
07/03/1963
Release Type:
Media Release
Transcript ID:
703
Document:
00000703.pdf
1 Page(s)
Released by:
- Menzies, Sir Robert Gordon
FOR PRESS: P.M. NO. 27/1963 - ECONOMIC COMMITTEE OF ENQUIRY - STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE RT. HON. R.G. MENZIES
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