Chauvel Charles: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Chauvel Charles: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:653;Page:2367] 
8.  
CHARLES CHAUVEL (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister for Climate Change Issues 
: What reports if any has he received on the impact that uncertainty relating to the emissions trading scheme is creating for the forestry sector? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for Climate Change Issues) 
: 
 I have received no specific reports of concern from officials. I have had informal reports from the forestry sector that it has had concerns over aspects of how the emissions trading scheme works for forestry and that there is difficulty in its application. I am also advised that mistakes were made in respect of forestry in the emissions trading scheme legislation that was rushed through by the previous Government. Regardless of the select committee review there will need to be an amending bill which inevitably will create some uncertainty. 
Charles Chauvel 
: How does the Minister reconcile his statement that his and John Key’s No. 1 priority for any climate change policy should be the reversing of deforestation with the Minister’s policies stopping the planting of any new trees which has caused the destruction of 7 million seedlings as confirmed by David Rhodes of the Forest Owners Association and Peter Clark of PF Olsen yesterday? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: No matter how poorly this Government might do on forestry it will not be able to compete with the previous Government which had the worst record of any postwar Government. I accept that it will take some months for this Government to restore confidence to the forestry sector. I note though that in respect of the issue of seedling planting some forestry companies have over-pitched the value of carbon credits and understated the fact that there are large carbon liabilities when those forests are harvested. As people have become more aware down the track of those liabilities the investment interest has been more realistic. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Can we have an assurance the senior Government whip is not coaching Mr Bennett in advance of his answering questions later on today? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is not a point of order and the honourable member knows it. 
Charles Chauvel 
: What reports if any has the Minister received from the major energy and transport businesses which will become bound by the emissions trading scheme on 1 January 2010 about the significant additional costs they are having to incur and the jobs now at risk in those businesses as a result of their having no idea of whether they will still enter the emissions trading scheme on that date? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The reaction I have had from both the transport sector and industrials is that they welcome the select committee review. There is a broadly held view that the previous Government rushed the emissions trading legislation which is confirmed by the fact that officials have said there are mistakes in that legislation that will need to be fixed by the new Government. 
Craig Foss 
: What reports has the Minister received on overall planting rates; and how do they compare historically? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The most up-to-date figures for forestry are for 2007 and that was the worst year for deforestation since records began in 1951. That year saw the loss of 39000 hectares of forests or 13 million trees. Frankly I cannot understand the audacity of members opposite in even being prepared to ask questions given their appalling record. 
Charles Chauvel 
: When will the Minister for Climate Change Issues and his colleagues despite already having drawn ministerial salaries for some 15 percent of the term of this Parliament show that they can take responsibility for their own inability to implement coherent policy as demonstrated by the chaos the Minister has created in climate change and by the answers from Ministers to so many questions today? 
Hon Dr NICK SMITH 
: The Government announced a review through the select committee on the emissions trading scheme. Officials are working on a bill that is required in order to fix a number of mistakes that the previous Government made. We have also initiated with the Prime Minister’s summit with Prime Minister Rudd a sensible harmonisation of the New Zealand and Australia—[ 
Interruption 
] Members opposite scoff but I actually think that most New Zealanders would think it is perfectly sensible with the close trans-Tasman relationship for our two countries to work closely together on a global issue like climate change. I am surprised that members opposite would take such an irresponsible view of that.