5. Climate Change Policy—Advice and Government PositionJAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister for Climate Change IssuesClimate Change Policy—Advice and Government Position5. JAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does she stand by the opinion piece she wrote on 11 October titled We're on the right track on tackling climate change"?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Climate Change Issues): Yes I stand by it because this Government has ratified the Paris Agreement strengthened the emissions trading scheme (ETS) and will strengthen it more as we are in stage two of the review is investing $20 million a year in agricultural greenhouse gas research and is spending a record $1.2 billion on public transport.James Shaw: How much have New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions come down since her Government came into office?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Because our population and our economy have gone up so have emissions in real terms.James Shaw: Given that officials told her in May that "Under our current policy settings we are not on track to reduce emissions." what updated advice has she received from officials between May and October suggesting that her Government is now on track?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Many actually from officials that we are now on the right track and that is because we have begun phasing down the two-for-one transitional measure in the ETS. Transport—we have a target of doubling the number of electric vehicles and we are investing a record $1.2 billion in public transport and more than $300 million on urban cycleways. Agriculture has invested $65 million in the Global Research Alliance on agriculture. In energy more than 80 percent of electricity is renewable and we are setting targets and are on track for that to keep increasing. As the member knows we have also got a number of working groups that are working across forestry adaptation and others which means that we are on track to get that right. James Shaw: Is she prepared to table the advice from officials that reverses their advice last May and suggests that New Zealand now is on track?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Well I think what the member is still getting mixed up is that the report that we had last year was quite clear that if nothing changed we would not reach our target—yeah? So then what we have been doing every week—not just at that time but previous to it as well—is working towards changing so that we can actually reach and actually start bending our emissions and seeing them going down. So I have not got the report—because I actually get them on almost a weekly basis—on the ongoing work programme of this Government which is working towards our achieving that goal. Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The questioner asked whether she was prepared to table those reports and she still has not answered it.Mr SPEAKER: No no I do not think—well I did not actually hear the Minister respond to that part. The question was: amongst other things is she prepared to table such reports. I heard her comment that there are a lot of reports received. If we could have that information it would be helpful. Hon PAULA BENNETT: No.James Shaw: So why should New Zealanders believe that we are on track if the last publicly available official advice that we have been able to see said that we are not on track and we are going to miss our target by 85 percent?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Well because of the work that I have already outlined today in the answers to some of my previous questions and also the fact that we have working groups on agricultural emissions forestry adaptation as well as I think some of the work that we might see coming out from Vivid Economics. I have not seen it but we are all pretty hopeful that that has something as well that will give it—[Interruption] Well it is not my work so it is not my job to have seen that work. But as you can see there is a whole lot of work that is going on and we are working towards that. James Shaw: So has she received an assurance at all from any officials that all of these plans and work programmes and working groups and so on will actually reverse 8 years of rising climate pollution and put New Zealand on track to meet its 2030 climate target? Hon PAULA BENNETT: I think it is right to be really clear that the economy is growing faster than emissions in New Zealand and in fact we are actually becoming more carbon-efficient here. But yes I believe that if all of those things come together then we will see our emissions reduced."