Brash Don: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Brash Don: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:627;Page:21820] 
2.  
Dr DON BRASH (Leader of the Opposition) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does she stand by her statement regarding the Kyoto Protocol: “There is good money to be made from the Kyoto processes and I am confident that many New Zealand businesses will prosper as a result.”; if so why? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes because there are good business opportunities for those who develop leading edge environmental technologies. Members can ask Meridian Energy. 
Dr Don Brash 
: When was the Prime Minister first advised of revised projections that indicated New Zealand would have a carbon credit deficit rather than a carbon credit surplus in the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: In the lead-up to the consideration by Cabinet of the officials’ report. 
Larry Baldock 
: Does the Prime Minister agree that given the rapidly diminishing number of countries that will have any carbon credits to sell to New Zealand New Zealand may have to look at earning credits by investing in projects to reduce Third World greenhouse gas emissions; if so has anyone in her Government considered what it would actually cost to earn in that way the 30 million tonnes of credits we may now require? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Obviously the Government will take advice on the best way of meeting its Kyoto Protocol responsibilities. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Can the Prime Minister confirm that the Government notified the United Nations climate change secretariat of New Zealand’s changed carbon credit position on 15 April this year but did not notify the New Zealand public until last week; if so why did she try to hide such a major change in New Zealand’s circumstances from the New Zealand people? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I do not have that particular piece of paper at hand but my understanding is that the UN was advised of the level of emissions for a current year not projecting forward. 
Peter Brown 
: Will the Prime Minister confirm whether the advice that she seeks will come from the same person who advised that the country would be in $500 million surplus as against a $500 million deficit; is the same person going to give the advice to the Government? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: There is quite a sizable group of officials that has advised the Government for a long time and it has consistently advised Governments from the time of the honourable Simon Upton that New Zealand would be in a net credit position. It is important to note that while Don Brash does not know whether there is a global warning problem Tony Blair considers it to be so significant that he is having a row with his best friend President Bush about it. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: Can the Prime Minister confirm that under the carbon trading system that was set up under the Kyoto Protocol firms that are part of the solution in addressing climate change with clean technologies have the opportunity to prosper and is that not good for both the climate and the economy? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Yes that is certainly true. One could give the example of how participation in the Kyoto processes has made renewable energy projects like wind projects economically viable when they otherwise would not have been. 
Larry Baldock 
: Will the Prime Minister commission someone to study what it may cost to help countries like Indonesia to reduce their emissions by 30 million tonnes to meet New Zealand’s Kyoto obligations so that New Zealand taxpayers may have some idea of what the true price tag of Kyoto compliance during the first commitment period will be before they go to the ballot box later this year? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: Any work the New Zealand Government commissions or pays for will be focused on how New Zealand meets its share of the responsibility for a serious global problem that is identified as such by the science academies of all G8 nations and which is a subject that is leading the debate at the G8 summit at the present time. 
Dr Don Brash 
: Does the Prime Minister think it was appropriate for Minister Pete Hodgson to attack those who warned last year that New Zealand would face a Kyoto liability and to say their claims were “at the bottom end of credibility” and that those making the claims were “obsessive” and “incapable of dealing with the facts” or will her Government continue to lash out at those who dare to criticise its policies? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: The advice all Governments—National Governments and Labour-led Governments—have had on this issue is that there would be a net positive position. That was confirmed in an answer to a patsy question from Nick Smith to Simon Upton in 1995. 
Rodney Hide 
: Is there any fact or any argument that would convince the Prime Minister that Kyoto was bad for New Zealand and should be dumped or is it enough that it just makes her look good on the world stage? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: New Zealand prefers to be on the side of seven of the eight G8 countries on this subject. We note that just as the National Party gets its nuclear policy written in Washington so it gets its Kyoto policy written in Washington. 
Dr Don Brash 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. Is it acceptable for the Prime Minister to assert totally incorrectly that our policy on any subject is written in Washington? That is totally without foundation. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: When the Prime Minister answered the question she did address the question but that comment was not relevant to the answer. 
Rodney Hide 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. It is against Standing Orders and Speakers’ rulings to allege that a member or a political party is under outside influence and that was exactly what the Prime Minister alleged in her answer. She should be asked to withdraw. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I thank you Mr Hide. I have ruled on the question. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: All the billboards are written overseas. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Is that a point of order— 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: All the billboards are written in the United States— 
Madam SPEAKER 
: Sorry? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Oh yes they are. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I thank the member for his assistance in this matter but Gerry Brownlee has a point of order. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. It is not acceptable to us that you simply rule that something was out of order and not require it to be withdrawn. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: I have ruled that it was out of order— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: But it stays in the  
Hansard 
 record. You are allowing a comment that was outside the Standing Orders to remain on the record. Now that is quite inappropriate. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: The fact that a comment is withdrawn does not withdraw it from the  
Hansard 
 record. 
Larry Baldock 
: Does the Prime Minister agree that it would be far more cost-effective to invest in domestic no-regrets types of greenhouse policies with concrete environmental benefits as promoted by United Future rather than to write a cheque to Russia to buy a few credits or to Indonesia to earn credits at even greater cost? 
Rt Hon HELEN CLARK 
: I am not personally aware of the no-regrets policy but I am happy to speak to the member.