Chauvel Charles: Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill — In Committee 
Chauvel Charles: Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:650;Page:18619] 
CHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour) 
: 
 We have heard yet another speaker—in this case one who was not even on the Finance and Expenditure Committee hearing the public submissions—bring up the shibboleth just now about the move overseas of a polluting plant to a jurisdiction that does not have any restrictions on carbon as if somehow all New Zealand industry will be at risk when this legislation is passed. The member conveniently ignores—as do so many members on the Opposition side of the Chamber—the fundamental truth that the entire world will ultimately face a cost of carbon regime. Some form of emissions trading regime or a carbon tax is likely at some point to be a requisite for every country. So it is not as if there will be some great division of the planet between those nations that face costs of carbon and those that do not. It is time to stop peddling that myth. The evidence heard before the select committee backs up exactly what I have just said even though it is not convenient for members opposite because it does not fit with their spurious arguments in opposition to this legislation. 
The fact is that the bill as reported back from the select committee and as it will be amended by the Supplementary Order Paper that is under debate now has not changed in terms of the core design principles of the emissions trading scheme. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: So the detail doesn’t matter? 
CHARLES CHAUVEL 
: Dr Smith clearly does not understand the scheme as he has shown throughout the select committee process and throughout this debate. The reality is that it is a proposal to include “all gases all sectors”. The reality is that it is important that greenhouse gas emitters should face the full cost of their emissions at the margin from the outset. That has not changed in any proposal before the House or before the Committee at the moment. Assistance for industry remains at 90 percent of the 2005 emissions. There will be no free allocation of emissions units to firms that can pass off the costs of accounting for their emissions on to consumers. These core principles are vital to producing an economy that is resilient against the low-carbon future we must face for the sake of our planet. 
The bill has been amended in ways that will enhance our existing ability to help New Zealand meet our international obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while protecting the competitiveness of our business. It is not impressive to hear members call for the matter to be referred back to the select committee. Every matter that is dealt with in the amendments before the Committee was exhaustively canvassed in the select committee process. The issues are very clear. The issues were ventilated. It is very clear for those who paid attention during the select committee and were present at the meetings that every matter dealt with by an amendment before the Committee of the whole House was considered in the select committee. There would simply be no merit in going back to a select committee process. It is time to stop delaying and to get on with the job.