Banks John: Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Banks John: Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 23 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4732. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon JOHN BANKS (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 Hello? Hello? Have you heard what I have just heard? I have never listened to so much claptrap in this Parliament since the last century when there were not any Green Party members in this Parliament because they could not get elected to this Parliament in the last century. They are here in this Parliament because they are on a party list in this Parliament. That member we have just heard from Dr Kennedy Graham would never get elected anywhere. I challenge him to stand in Epsom in 2014 and take his chances. 
I think that this bill the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill should be changed to the “Climate Change (Common-sense Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill”. After listening carefully to the bogeyman tirade from that Green list member of Parliament I could be forgiven if I went to the 11th floor of Bowen House and opened the window. That is how bad it was. Even if the Green Party ever got its hands on the lever of power New Zealand emits 0.2 percent of global emissions. Can the Minister for Climate Change Issues confirm that? We could not influence the climate one way or even another. I say to the American list member for the Green Party that if the USA put as much effort into climate change as this common-sense piece of amendment legislation this afternoon does the world would be a better place. Is that true Minister? [ 
Interruption 
] The Minister says that it is true. 
Most of the debate perpetrated by a Labour Government in a previous era and supported by New Zealand First—supported by New Zealand First—is humbug. That is why this Government has had to come in and tidy this up with an 80-page amendment bill that will minimise the worst costs of the emissions trading scheme on New Zealand families—the worst costs of the emissions trading scheme on New Zealand families New Zealand farmers New Zealand mum and dad businesses and the New Zealand economy. But it will have negligible effect on the environment—negligible effect. 
Not even the Greens campaigned in my electorate of Epsom on climate change in the election last year. The Green candidate whom the Green Party parachuted in from Otahuhu or some other place did not ever raise climate change in any of the debates because it was a dead duck issue in Epsom because the Epsom people know that most of the debate coming from the Greens is humbug. It is humbug. And the New Zealand First list MPs opposite—none of them elected—all those list MPs opposite are responsible for this bill in the first place. Market research should tell the Labour Party and tell the Greens that this issue is a dead duck. 
I am pleased to be supporting the emissions trading scheme amendment bill because the emissions trading scheme is a monstrosity. It is a monstrosity given that New Zealand emits 0.2 percent of global emissions. Even if the Labour Party wanted to with the support of New Zealand First and any of the others in this Parliament—the bogeymen in this Parliament—it could not influence international climate change anyway. 
So the conclusion is that the ACT Party supports this bill at least to minimise the scheme’s worst effects on New Zealand business and households. We owe a great deal of debt do we not National Party colleagues to the Hon John Boscawen and his tireless push-back of these bogeymen opposite: the Greens New Zealand First and the Labour Party. I have got to say that in a perfect world we would not be wasting the time of this Parliament—$6000 a minute—changing an Act that never should have been a statute and that never should have existed. Even the American list member for the Green Party will tell you that if America wants to lead in this let America do it. And to the co-leader of the Green Party the Australian member if Australia wants to do something do something sensible. 
But the scheme is costing small business small families people stretched for cash and the economy a lot of money and this bill ameliorates that and the Government is to be congratulated. I congratulate the young Minister in charge of this bill on the work that he has done on this. He has steered a very careful course and my advice to him in the early days was “Get rid of the legislation Minister and do the country a favour.” But given that that is not politically correct even on the centre-right of politics in this country—and I say to the leader of New Zealand First that I have learnt a few things since he wrote my first speech. But even if it did do something this country cannot afford it. 
I know that we are on the right track on this side of the House when there is howling and wailing from the Labour Party and from the Greens. Particularly when before me you heard that speech which was better than Mogadon from Dr Graham about what is going to happen and how the world is going to close in because of this bill. This bill is a recipe for common sense. The existing legislation should not exist in this economy at this time. We should be followers not leaders—followers not leaders—because it is too expensive for a country that is very stretched for cash. 
And so let us hear from the Labour Party members what they would do if they were on this side of the House to help small business to help the current account to help the tradable sector and to help the farmers. Do they deny the farmers the help that they need to keep this economy flowing? 
Well anyway this is what I call the “Climate Change (Common-sense Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill” which the ACT Party supports because it goes a little way to getting some common ground and common sense on this whole argument laced in humbug and bogeymen from the other side of Parliament.