O'Connor GregANIMAL WELFARE AMENDMENT BILLIn CommitteeDebate resumed from 23 August.New clause 2A clauses 3 to 12 and the Schedule (continued)CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Members we now come to further consideration of the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill. I remind members that they're able to participate remotely. If you're on Zoom and want to take a call please type call" in to the chat. You should also use the chat if you want to raise a point of order. If we receive new tabled amendments I'll advise members so they can refresh the House papers page to see the new amendment. Finally it would be helpful for members to ask multiple questions if they have them of the member in charge during their call. When we were last considering this bill we were debating the question that clauses 3 to 12 and the Schedule stand part. The question is—I just need to take some advice on where we're up to on this bill. Right I'm on song so I'll give the call to—Hon Louise Upston: Point of order. I understand this was being taken as one debate.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Yes.Hon DAVID BENNETT (National): Thank you Mr Chair. This is the first time I've spoken when you've been the Chair so I'd just like to congratulate you as an ex-transport Minister—rather as a select committee chair. I note that you have a reformed hair cut as well to indicate a new look. I just wish you all the very best in that new position. Today has been a glorious day—CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): The member can come to the bill at some stage.Hon DAVID BENNETT: Well the bill is very close to your heart I'm sure. It's been a glorious day for the Opposition and for the public of New Zealand because finally the Government has capitulated on an issue where—like this issue here—they've had no real reason to do what they've done in the policy dimension. The Minister we all know has had his hands tied by the leadership which required him to do this. And he knows that in the sector there's a much better solution out there and it's unfortunate that a Minister has had his role circumvented by the leadership of the party at the highest levels but that's politics I guess. I don't expect the Minister to answer that affirmatively and acknowledge what has happened there. But we all know and it's pretty widely accepted in the community what's happened. It's just a shame that in a time of sunlight you could say on the Labour Party that we've seen in the last few weeks and today we don't see more sunlight around this bill.CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): Mr Bennett you can now start putting some sunlight on to the bill before you—please—Hon DAVID BENNETT: I will—and much sunlight is needed. One of the questions I have for the Minister—and this relates to why I was setting the ground as I did Mr Chair—is about the compensation that the Minister will give to farmers and to those in the sector. When blunt instruments like bans are imposed there comes a period of time where people have relied on Government activity. They've relied on the ability to act in a certain way over a period of time. They're relied on the good governance of the Government to actually act in a commercially fair and reasonable manner. There will be many who'll be thinking that that hasn't happened in this case.I wish the Minister to answer that question. I don't want the answer that "We've had two years and we've given plenty of time and it's been through consultation and everybody has known" and all those things—and that will be line that the Minister will trot out. But they're not fair. Stock just don't miraculously arrive. It's a long process of breeding stock raising them to a level where they're able to be shipped overseas. It's a long period of building up those markets. It's a long period of adjusting someone's business model to actually go into that business as part of what they do. So the standard answer the Minister will trot out about the fact that we've had two years and the Government's made it clear simply isn't justifiable. So I want to know from the Minister what compensation will be out there and what the mechanism is for people to get that compensation. This is a blunt instrument. This is the same as GST on KiwiSaver. It's a blunt instrument and the parallels are very similar—the parallels of saying sorry and saying you got it wrong and finding a solution are very similar as well. That's all the Minister has to do today—stand up and say "I'm sorry. I did what the leader told me but things have changed in the Labour Party and I'm willing to stand up for what's right now. And I recognise there will be people out there that demand compensation and in all good conscience I can't carry through with this legislation. So I respectfully ask that it be withdrawn from the House." That's what the Minister could do and he's had leadership in the Labour Party in the last couple of weeks of how to do that. We saw leadership from David Parker today around how to do that as well. So the parallels are quite striking. The Minister will as I said trot out that excuse."