Pettis Jill: Resource Management (Energy and Climate Change) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Pettis Jill: Resource Management (Energy and Climate Change) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:610;Page:7594] 
JILL PETTIS (NZ Labour—Whanganui) 
: 
 National Party members should focus on science for a moment rather than focusing on the political panic that they find themselves in because 1 year on from the last general election they are still at 22 percent—the lowest poll rating in National Party history. That is what they are panicking about. They could not care less about the climate. This debate has got nothing to do with the climate from their perspective—this is about saving their own bacon. I am telling Shane Ardern that he is on the hook already—he is hanging up drying. That is what has happened to that party because it has ignored the serious issues. I want that member to respond— 
Shane Ardern 
: Anywhere anytime and I’ll debate it. 
JILL PETTIS 
: The member should zip his lips for a minute and respond to this. Would National repeal New Zealand as being a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol? The National Opposition has gone quiet. It has gone very quiet because that member who has been exhibiting a fair amount of exhalation himself will not commit and say that National if it ever got back into power again—which it will not—would repeal New Zealand as being a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. We know you would not. We know that it is all gas and nothing over— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member will not bring me into the debate. 
JILL PETTIS 
: Sorry Mr Assistant Speaker. I most certainly would not bring you into the debate. The National Party knows it is not going to repeal it at all so it should stop all the bluff and bluster. 
 The facts are that climate change is incredibly important to our agricultural sector. Responsible farming leaders have already signed up to research. 
Mark Peck 
: Fonterra has. 
JILL PETTIS 
: Fonterra which is a leader in the industry in this country has signed up to research. AgResearch and other key organisations like Crop and Food Research have signed up to this. Those Luddites opposite want to ignore what is happening in reality. They should do what this Government is trying to do. National members should provide some leadership show some intestinal fortitude look to the future and provide some policy directives—that is the important thing to do—instead of playing politics because they are concerned about their flagging poll rating. Federated Farmers are worried about membership but we all know that what each farmer will pay for the greenhouse gas emissions equates to a membership of Federated Farmers anyway. 
Mark Peck 
: Less than. 
JILL PETTIS 
: It is less than the cost of membership of Federated Farmers. People should be members of Federated Farmers. I am a great supporter of people belonging to credible organisations. This debate is too important for members to be preoccupied with party politics and with saving organisations that are under a little bit of threat and pressure themselves. This is an important debate. There has been a bit of argy-bargy in the House this afternoon but I am absolutely serious when I say that this is an issue that is critical to New Zealand’s future. It is critical to the sustainability of our key industries. I ask the National Party to be responsible about this issue. I think that in reality National members know that the agricultural community is looking to them to be responsible. The responsibility to show a bit of get-up-and-go and to look to the future in any decisions we make about climate change in this country rests on the National Party’s shoulders.