Parker David: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeParker David: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 28 April 2015. Volume:704;Page:2916. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.Hon DAVID PARKER (Labour)to the Minister of Trade: Will he now release the Government’s objectives and the latest offer it has tabled in respect of each chapter and each annex of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement?Hon TODD McCLAY (Acting Minister of Trade):Our negotiators are working to get the best deal for New Zealanders. That objective would not be advanced by publicly declaring New Zealand’s hand to our negotiating partners. All Trans-Pacific Partnership members have agreed to keep negotiating texts confidential. That includes the annexes.Hon David Parker: Is he aware that the European Commission has undertaken to publicly release both its offers and its objectives for each chapter and annex of the European equivalent to the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between Europe and the USA?Hon TODD McCLAY: Yes. Partly in response to the Ombudsman’s recommendation the European Commission has made available publicly a range of position papers and early texts that have been tabled from part of the EU’s negotiations with the US. Our assessment is that the material released by the European Commission is fairly generic and New Zealand’s negotiators have already made available our own material on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.Hon David Parker: Does he accept that his Government’s excessive secrecy around the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is feeding public distrust?Hon TODD McCLAY: No I do not accept that. What I do accept though is that the process that the Government is following under the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations is exactly the same process that was followed for the China free-trade agreement. Back then when Mr Goff was the Minister for Trade Negotiations he went through a consultation. There have been two public consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Secondly—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am getting to the stage where I am going to be asking a member on this side of the House to leave. The level of interjection means that I cannot hear the answer. Would the Minister please continue.Hon TODD McCLAY: Secondly when that party opposite was in Government it was in favour of trade agreements that were of a high quality for New Zealand. Those members are the ones who are causing grief. They should support this negotiation and support New Zealand businesses when it comes to the high-quality agreement that the Government has said must be negotiated before we will reach a commitment.Mr SPEAKER: Before I call a supplementary question I say that I have given a warning to those on my left-hand side. I will act on it.Hon David Parker: Does he accept that his lack of transparency is contributing to the concern expressed by public health doctors about the possible effects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement?Hon TODD McCLAY: This is not an agreement that has been negotiated in secret; this is an agreement that has been conducted in the same way as every other trade negotiation that has taken place by parties on both sides of this House—firstly. Secondly when it comes to the concerns raised New Zealand is not prepared to negotiate on the fundamentals of the Pharmac model. The Government has been clear from the start that it will strongly resist proposals that would increase the price New Zealanders pay for their medicine. We are taking a careful approach to pharmaceutical patent issues to ensure that the agreed outcome does not affect the fundamentals of medicine access in New Zealand.Hon David Parker: Does he accept the criticism from the Anglican and Catholic bishops of New Zealand as to the Government’s lack of transparency when last week they said: “the lack of transparency … [is a matter] of great concern. The sense of unease stretches across the community …”? Or have they got it wrong too?Hon TODD McCLAY: When that member on the opposite side of the House last spoke on a trade issue it was around the China free-trade agreement. At the time New Zealand had $2 billion worth of two-way trade with China; today we have $20 billion. The Government is interested in a high-quality agreement under the Trans-Pacific Partnership that will provide good market access to New Zealand businesses and secure income for the country and will also provide jobs for New Zealanders. I invite him to go back and look at earlier speeches from members of the Opposition when they were in Government and join the party.