Donald Rod: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Donald Rod: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:607;Page:4415] 
9.  
ROD DONALD (Co-Leader—Green) 
 to the  
Minister for Trade Negotiations 
: Has he been informed of submissions from the Council of Trade Unions and Local Government New Zealand that the timeframe for consultation on New Zealand’s initial offer in the General Agreement on Trade in Services negotiations was too short; if so will the Government refrain from forwarding an initial offer on 31 March 2003 as requested by the Council of Trade Unions? 
Hon PHIL GOFF (Acting Minister for Trade Negotiations) 
: 
 Consultations on the initial offer on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) extended over a month but New Zealand’s broad approach in this area has in fact been discussed with the Council of Trade Unions and other stakeholders for around 2 years. The Government will make its best endeavours to submit its initial offers by the date of 31 March 2003. 
Rod Donald 
: Has the Minister seen the statement from the Australian Labor Party calling the Howard Government’s secret GATS negotiations an insult to the public because amongst other things the Australian Government gave the public only 6 weeks to comment on its GATS discussion paper and will he be writing to his Australian comrades to tell them they should be grateful because the New Zealand Government gave the New Zealand public less than 4 weeks to have their say? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: No and no. 
Tim Barnett 
: What are the benefits to New Zealand from the GATS process? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: Services account for almost 75 percent of New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) and make up about 25 percent of our total exports. This is likely to be our fastest growing area of exports but currently our exporters are inhibited by trade barriers such as regulatory discrimination and non-recognition of professional qualifications. Because the New Zealand market is already relatively open it is our exporters who have the most to gain from multilateral decisions to reduce restrictions impeding trade in services. 
Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith 
: Can the Minister confirm for the education of the Greens that since the first GATS agreement was signed in the mid-1990s New Zealand’s billion-dollar deficit in trade in services has come into a surplus with further huge export potential as he has just mentioned from this sector that represents 75 percent of our economy and only 25 percent of our exports? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: The member is exactly right. New Zealand has benefited hugely from the liberalisation in trade. Under the Uruguay round for example it is estimated that the benefit to New Zealand has been between $500 million and $600 million per annum that we are no longer paying in tariffs. Under this round it is estimated that when implemented that could increase our GDP by 1 to 1.5 percent. Why the Green Party would not want that I simply do not know. 
Rod Donald 
: Is the Minister aware that Pascal Lamy the European Trade Commissioner has briefed the European Parliament on the European Union’s initial offer and why will the Minister not give the New Zealand Parliament the same courtesy? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: The member has every right to ask questions as he is doing right now. What is more this Government has been more open and transparent in this process than ever before and will continue to be so within the constraints of respecting negotiating positions of other partners where confidentiality is expected. 
Rod Donald 
: Given that in answer to written questions from the Greens we have discovered that not a single Minister has done a single specific assessment of the implications of existing GATS commitments except for the study showing that GATS is an obstacle to mandatory local broadcasting quotas why is the Government proceeding to make further GATS commitments that will constrain future Governments? 
Hon PHIL GOFF 
: The latter point is wrong and so is the first point. In fact Ministers quite recently have spent a lot of time going through the implications of the GATS agreement to be sure that this will be of net benefit to New Zealand. I can assure the member that it will be. 
Rod Donald 
: I seek leave to table three documents. The first is from the Labour chairperson of the Christchurch City Council strategy and finance committee refuting the claims the Minister made in this House on 27 February. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document is there any objection? There is. 
Rod Donald 
: The second document is Local Government New Zealand’s submission on the GATS negotiations which includes a request for the deadline to be extended. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House. 
Rod Donald 
: The third one is the Council of Trade Unions submission on GATS also seeking an extension to the deadline. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.