Watts SimonSIMON WATTS (National—North Shore): Thank you very much Madam Chair—an absolute pleasure to rise on the—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Madam Speaker" will do.SIMON WATTS: —second reading of the Grocery Industry Competition Bill. It's interesting—I just acknowledge the last speaker's contribution in terms of this important topic in articulating that good example about that dairy owner. I was thinking the only thing that dairy owners in this country are worried about is when the next ram raid is going to happen for them sadly. That is the reality but I love that little articulation of the dilemma of trying to get goods from a producer or going direct to the duopoly.But the reality is that the cost of this Government is driving up the cost of living. That is the simple fact. We can all talk about the implications of the grocery chains driving up food prices—it's absolute bollocks right? This Government and this Labour Government's policies are the reasons why we've got a cost of living crisis so don't fall for this little distraction that it's the big bad grocery organisations that are causing all of our problems—oh no no. Of course that sounds good on paper. Next they'll say it's Air New Zealand or next they'll say it's another big monopoly a petrol company—surely not surely not. No the reality is quite simple: it's this Labour Government's policies that are driving up the cost of living—12.1 percent is the increase in food prices according to Statistics New Zealand and a large contributor of that was grocery prices. A 12.1 percent increase from this time last year is a massive jump. But again that is driven by policies set by this Government.The other thing I heard as well this evening is about the million dollars of extra profits. I think one of the speakers said that—who was it? I can't recall but it was one of them on the other side. Well do you remember when the Government locked down and said the only place where Kiwis could buy their groceries is the supermarkets? Do you remember that? I remember that. And do you know what would happen when you shut out all the other providers—all the butchers all the bakers all the small fruit shops? Do you wonder what would happen? You don't have to be an accountant to work this out. Well I'll tell you what will happen. It'll mean that those grocery chains get all the business right? Everyone goes and shops there. Hon Mark Mitchell: Yeah.SIMON WATTS: So I ask the Hon Mark Mitchell: what happens to their profits? They go up don't they? And I tell you what: they're on that side saying "Oh the grocery chains are making a million dollars a day." Well it's because of their policies—that's why the grocery chains saw an increase in their profitability. So I think we've just got to get a little bit back to basics in regards to this.While National will be supporting this this isn't going to solve all the problems around competition within the grocery sector. That is mythical thinking. The Minister was in La-La Land as he usually is. But don't worry: his runway is running out pretty rapidly and he can find something else to do beyond October. We'll be supporting this bill. Just looking at the time we will be making sure that it's going through but we do have reservations. We'll be commending this bill to the House."