Hutchison Paul: Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Approvals and Enforcement) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Hutchison Paul: Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Approvals and Enforcement) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:628;Page:838] 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON (National—Port Waikato) 
: 
 The title of this bill the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (Approvals and Enforcement) Amendment Bill is fairly obvious. But one does wonder whether an entirely appropriate alternative would be the “Labour Government (Let’s Delay Another Technical Bill Until It’s Too Late) Bill”. We know that the raison d’être behind this bill—the 79000 notified toxic substances—has been around for a very long time. The Labour Government has known about the issue for many years and has simply done nothing. This is a classic case of Labour Government irresponsibility. 
 The point is indeed that the Environmental Risk Management Authority itself has been saying that it will be impossible to transfer all those substances by the due date of June 2006. Here we have the Labour Government bringing in this technical bill under urgency 24 hours before it packs up for the end of the year—a desperate Government whose members are saying there is very little on the agenda—when it does not even carry out the thorough checks that it should do on this sort of technical bill and ensure that indeed the aspects of transference can be carried out within the requirements that it itself set down. I challenge the Minister to stand up and tell the Committee that all those substances will be transferred by June 2006. I guarantee the answer is no. Over there we have the member for Otaki and I know that he must be very worried about his seat—the farmers have certainly rejected him. Can he too take a call and give us an assurance that indeed these toxic substances will all have been registered and transferred by June 2006? I do not think so. Here they are bringing in under urgency a bill that is impossible actually to carry out technically when they should have literally done it years ago. 
The second alternative title of this bill perhaps could be “Labour Government (Reduction of Compliance Costs of Transfer of Hazardous Substances) Bill” but really we do not know whether there will be any reduction in compliance costs. 
We just heard a bit of a tirade from New Zealand First. We are not sure just where New Zealand First members are. It seems as though they are thoroughly and completely entrenched on the side of the Government. 
Hon Brian Donnelly 
: Oh no no. 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: Oh the member is protesting. Well what about the Minister of Foreign Affairs? Where is he? Which side of the fence is he on these days? Clearly the Rotorua speech belies anything that any common-sense New Zealander knows. He said “no baubles no LTDs” but when that party gets the possibility to have them it takes them and goes across to Labour. 
But the point I am really making is this: do we really know whether this bill will achieve a reduction in compliance costs? Has the Labour Government put any provisions in place to ensure the efficacy of the bill? I do not see them anywhere whatsoever. The rhetoric is yes $2 million will be saved in the transference and yes this has been accepted by industry as a good thing. But do we know that it is actually going to happen? Are there any monitoring mechanisms? No there are not. I believe that once again there has been a dereliction of the detail of a bill by a somewhat desperate and pathetic Labour Government. 
Hon Dover Samuels 
: Ha ha! 
Dr PAUL HUTCHISON 
: I see the member from Northland laughing away. He was the one who said there were no toxic accidents up in Northland. Well I say to Dover Samuels there are plenty of toxic accidents up in Northland. Maybe he is one of the living examples of them! 
The third possible title for this bill is “Labour Government (Transfer of 70000 Toxic Substances with No Review or Time Limitation) Bill”. I think that is a very serious issue. It was brought up by the leader of the Green Party Jeanette Fitzsimons and also by the very thorough submission of the Sustainability Council.