24 April 1987
Petition launched.

24 April 1989
Petition presented to John Terris MP with 100,640 signatures.

26 April 1989
Petition tabled in Parliament.

Early June
Parliament 'phoned NZAVS requesting the Submission, by 9 July, of Bette Overell only. Lodged complaint. Asked for full instructions in writing... and an extension of time to 4 September (to allow for negotiation).

16 June 1989
Letter, Parliament to NZAVS with written instructions that Overell Submission only would be recorded. All other Submissions would be "correspondence only" with no status.

4 July 1989
Overell and another NZAVS representative had meeting in Parliament with John Terris who expressed surprise and disbelief at the decision of the committee not to accept Submissions. He would intercede with the Chairman of the Committee, A. Wallbank and contact NZAVS within the week.

26 July 1989
NZAVS 'phoned Mr Terris, when events to date were revised!

28 July 1989
Mr Terris 'phoned NZAVS at 9am with promise to investigate and again at 5.30 with the information that Mr Wallbank had "agreed that the Government would call for public Submissions". That he (Mr Terris) had written to NZAVS to this effect. (NZAVS never received this letter.)

10 August 1989
NZAVS received copy of note from Mr Terris to Mr Wallbank, dated 4 August confirming that Committee would accept public submissions.

10 August 1989
NZAVS letter to Mr Terris seeking confirmation of the above and clarification of the status of public Submissions. (same letter to Mr Wallbank.)

23 August 1989
From Mr Wallbank to Mr Terris (copied to NZAVS saying "despite his previous agreement to hear public submissions he had been surprised by the Committee's reaction to hearing Submissions and this would not now eventuate".

25 August 1989
Letter from Mr Wallbank to NZAVS ..."The Committee had turned down the hearing of public submissions."

My reaction to the Committee's refusal to record Submissions is outlined in a letter to Mr Wallbank dated 30 August 1989 (copied in full in this Mobilise!). Under covering note the same letter went to the Prime Minister. The letter reveals that on 4th September I withheld presentation of my Submission (written on behalf of NZAVS)... seeking once again an extension of time in which to negotiate recognition of all submissions.

This Petition is the culmination of ten years' ceaseless struggle by NZAVS to get vivisection debated in Parliament. It is incomprehensible that given all the time and effort devoted to our legal campaign we are being denied our right to do so.

The "surprise" voiced by Messrs Terris and Wallbank (at the decision not to hear Submissions) is not shared by the readers of Hans Ruesch... whose campaign is similarly being stifled.

To wit:-

• Earlier this year two ILDAV meetings scheduled to take place in the Italian parliament had to be cancelled (after foreign doctors had made final arrangements to participate) when the government suddenly decided they "required the premises".
• Two big TV programmes on Italy's State TV, in prime time, in which Hans Ruesch was to debate vivisection, were at the last minute dropped without explanation;

and
• An important venue for an ILDAV Congress in Paris at the seat of prestigious UNESCO - to be held on 24 April 1989, to which attendance of doctors was confirmed with flights and hotels booked, was at the last minute cancelled by UNESCO with the following message:-
  

  "After consultation with the concerned authorities, the French Commission for UNESCO has estimated that it is not justified that the next Congress of the ILDAV takes place at the UNESCO seat, especially as the subject treated divides deeply the scientific community."

  (The subject to be treated being vivisection!!)

(Continued next page)