Walker HamishHAMISH WALKER (National—Clutha-Southland): Thank you Madam Chair. I'm delighted to stand up and take a call on agriculture in the Estimates debate. I want to start by acknowledging members of the National Party New Zealand First and Labour who sit on the Primary Production Committee. If you want an example of a really good select committee—we're all members regardless of what side of the House you're from—you need to come and witness come and experience our select committee.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): I don't need to.HAMISH WALKER: We have a lot of fun and—sorry Madam Chair. And for any members in the Chamber if you do want to get legislation put through the House the best place to put it is the Primary Production Committee because we do have a good time. We actually come together for the benefit of farmers.I want to also acknowledge the Minister of Agriculture Damien O'Connor. I know you work hard around the Cabinet table Minister. What I hear from feedback from people that you've met with you have got farmers' interests and New Zealand's interests at heart but unfortunately you are working with an extreme-left anti-farming Government. But I do know that you do work hard—considering you've got David Parker running round telling people he wants to cap cow numbers. He also wants to basically put farmers out of business bringing them into the emissions trading scheme which is going to cost farmers on average $5000 to $10000. To give you more credit Minister you had a protest march on the West Coast over the weekend and you turned up as the MP. You were the lone Labour MP there; you had no mates. I think the National Party's Maureen Pugh who's doing a wonderful job—she turned up with a few National MPs. And Mark how many New Zealand First MPs were there? Maybe half a dozen or so. So it's great to see the National Party and New Zealand First supporting the coast.I do worry for the industry. At Field Days we had a rural-proofing policy announcement from the Labour Party. If you go on to their website it says we want to engage with rural health professionals to ensure adequate access … and acute treatment for all rural New Zealanders". Hmm! Very interesting. If that was the case why is the Lumsden Maternity Centre being shut down? This is a wonderful hospital where over a hundred mothers give birth each year. And then if you want to take the M. bovis outbreak and I appreciate—[Interruption]. Madam Chair I think I hear a screaming cat. Is there a cat in the Chamber? Can anyone else hear a cat?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): I think you need to focus on the Estimates.Hon Member: Don't tell Gareth Morgan.HAMISH WALKER: Better not mention that. So with the M. bovis outbreak Minister Guy did a wonderful job in 2013 with the Government industry agreement (GIA) where he got 16 primary industry sector groups together to ensure that if an outbreak or an incursion did happen which they do from time to time—we've got 180000 items crossing our border each day. So Minister Guy did a wonderful job in 2013 where industry would pay 12 percent of an outbreak to ensure that if there is a possible outbreak industry wants to come to the table first. Poor old Minister O'Connor here had to go round Cabinet with his begging bowl asking for more money and he was looking at charging industry 40 percent for a GIA. So I commend the Minister for getting that down to 32 percent. Unfortunately this is going to cost the industry an extra quarter of a billion dollars. We also saw the Minister going round saying that the National Party wasn't doing enough in biosecurity. The Budget comes around and hooray they get another $9 million increase in biosecurity. If that was the case you would have thought they needed $100 million. The National Party last year increased biosecurity by $18 million. Yes that's right. Twice as much as what—sorry Madam Chair I think there's a cat in the House. I think there's a cat.Hon Tracey Martin: Love the way you diminish women. You diminish women. How lovely!HAMISH WALKER: For farming communities to stay strong—you don't go round as the Minister for Children and shut the Roxburgh children's camp. Minister Tracey Martin you campaigned on looking after the most vulnerable children and you go and shut down the Roxburgh children's camp—absolutely disgraceful. The Lumsden Maternity Centre—that's about to be shut down. Te Ānau rescue helicopter base—what do you know? That's on the chopping block.I do want to finish on a positive. I just do want to commend the Minister for doing a wonderful job. You do have to put up with a lot with your anti-farming Government. Keep it going Minister. I just want to say how much I have enjoyed the Primary Production Committee and I'm looking forward to our meeting on Thursday."