Hague Kevin: Sustainable Biofuel Bill — First Reading 
Hague Kevin: Sustainable Biofuel Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5268] 
KEVIN HAGUE (Green) 
: 
 I made my own biofuels sustainability decision in the last couple of weeks which was to cease my consumption of Cadbury’s chocolate. Those who know me will know that that was quite a major step to take. Gerry Brownlee referred to Cadbury’s use of palm oil in its chocolate and members on all sides in this debate have referred to the attendant risks around the displacement of forests around biodiversity and around food. 
In a sense this debate comes down to a core issue that is frequently the cause of disagreements in this House and that is the question of how best to achieve a change to the goods and services we all use. There are three basic approaches: one is regulation one is consumer choice and one is a weighted consumer choice where we stack the odds through subsidies or other means such as social marketing to make one choice more attractive than another. The Green Party makes its selection in terms of the most appropriate of those approaches on an issue-by-issue basis. 
Very frequently the criterion for deciding on that is the relative balance of the public good and the personal good in the outcome of the change. The issue of country-of-origin labelling on foods for example is one where we have campaigned for consumer choice. We have said that there needs to be mandatory labelling on foods so that consumers are able to make that choice and so that we can achieve the outcome we are all seeking. Of course there is a public interest aspect in that but overwhelmingly that is less important than the personal interests of the consumer. So consumer choice is an appropriate approach in that case. On the other hand an issue like the food that is for sale in schools is an issue where public interest clearly outweighs the personal interest and it is important to take a regulatory approach establishing rules and standards. 
On the issue that is before us we are facing a crisis in the world. The issue about the energy we use for transportation is but a small part of how we address that crisis. Members have already alluded to two aspects: climate change where it is imperative that we do all that is in our power to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions; and the end of cheap oil where it is incumbent upon us to find ways to make the best possible use of a scarce resource. 
In this area of energy for transportation people have talked for years about hydrogen cars as being our salvation. That talk seems to have dissipated somewhat and now we are talking about electric cars. Certainly there is a lot of value in electric cars but they will take a long time to implement. 
I want to talk about the choices before us now and how we can encourage change in goods and services in this particular area. The public interest in sustainability in ensuring that we retain biodiversity and in reducing our greenhouse gases to the maximum extent demand a regulatory approach. I commend members from the Government side for their change of heart on this front. It is great to see that there seems to be consensus in this House that this bill is a timely one and I look forward to its passage.