Faafoi KrisHon KRIS FAAFOI (Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs) on behalf of the Minister of Energy and Resources: I move That the Fuel Industry Bill be reported to the House by 21 July 2020 and that the committee have authority to meet at any time while the House is sitting (except during oral questions) during any evening on a day on which there has been a sitting of the House and on a Friday in a week in which there has been a sitting of the House and outside the Wellington area despite Standing Orders 191 193 and 194(1)(b) and (c).As I outlined previously during the first reading debate it is important that the bill be passed without undue delay to signal to consumers and the fuel industry that this Government is serious about introducing more competition in the fuel market. The underlying problems in the industry have been in place over a long period of time and there is no reason to further delay solving them. While this report-back date requires a much shorter time in a select committee than usual there has already been a significant consultation over a number of years with the fuel industry on the issues underlying this bill. I'm therefore confident this process will be substantial in achieving our desired outcomes and allow the Government to take prompt action to address those issues.With the election approaching the House will meet for just a few weeks between now and the end of the year. The referral to select committee for between four and six months would in practice mean that the bill would not be passed before next February or March and New Zealanders deserve a quicker solution to this issue. They've waited long enough and there is plenty of evidence that this is a popular move. In the current uncertain economic times a need for a rapid conclusion to this issue is more pressing.In the first reading debate the Opposition was arguing why this was being debated under urgency. Well the previous Government had nine years to do this. On this side the Government in three years has introduced the market study power from the Commerce Commission which allowed this market study to be undertaken. Those recommendations have come back and we will act swiftly to make sure that New Zealanders get fair treatment at the pump. As my colleague Jan Tinetti pointed out there were also a number of arguments from the Opposition that this is not the time to do it post-COVID. Well this is exactly the right time to do that. New Zealanders as they sit around their kitchen tables are worried about their weekly costs. If they are paying more at the pump than they should do then this Government is committed to making sure that we help them by making sure that that money stays in their wallets for them to use for their families rather than giving it to fuel companies who for decades have been taking this money off hard-working families. The other issue I'd like to raise is that the Opposition said that this is complex. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Can I just remind the Minister that this debate is about the timing not a general debate about the bill.Hon KRIS FAAFOI: The other opposition I heard from the other side of the House is that this issue is complex. Yes it is complex. But this has been doing the rounds for some time. If that Opposition can't handle the fact that this complex issue which has been around for more than a decade has been round the traps many times through a market study and only needs three weeks to go through a select committee well they are setting their agenda firmly in the camp of the fuel companies and not in the camp of those consumers who desperately need help right now.