Locke Keith: Trans-Tasman Proceedings Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
Locke Keith: Trans-Tasman Proceedings Bill — Second Reading In Committee 
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KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 The Green Party will be supporting the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Bill as a way of improving the trans-Tasman cooperation on civil proceedings and on business proceedings. It builds on some of the existing trans-Tasman legislation. As Charles Chauvel has said it makes some of the procedures simpler and more affordable. As Charles Chauvel said it will enable people to choose the most appropriate jurisdiction in certain circumstances—Australian or New Zealand—and expand the range of practical and enforceable judgments. I will be interested to listen to Lianne Dalziel’s comments on the use of penal sanctions across the two countries and who can apply what. It is not a straightforward issue. There are questions of basic sovereignty as well. There is often a bit of conflict between the sovereignty issues and practical issues in order for us to conduct trans-Tasman business in the best possible way and avoid people escaping civil jurisdiction by running across the Tasman in either direction. 
There is a lot going for this bill but that being said there is another side to it that Kennedy Graham referred to in his first reading speech. There can be upsides and downsides in the single economic market as has been referred to by previous speakers. It can work two ways. As Charles Chauvel said if there are similar jurisdictions on both sides of the Tasman then people will not necessarily lift their assets from one country and take them to the other country thus disrupting the economies of one or both countries. 
But on the other hand what we have seen with the development of the single economic market is in some ways a greater domination of New Zealand by the Australian banks and the Australian-owned supermarkets. Many head offices disappear to Sydney or Melbourne and more and more the Auckland Wellington and Christchurch offices become branch offices of trans-Tasman companies. That has its upsides but there can be downsides. Sometimes the Australian-owned supermarkets that are part of a trans-Tasman operation will source from Australian producers and leave the New Zealand producers aside not because the New Zealand producers are necessarily less efficient but because of economies of scale they deal with just Australian producers for their supermarkets on both sides of the Tasman. 
There are problems like that and we have had problems linking up other regulations in relation to food standards and therapeutic products which are still a matter of ongoing dispute between Australia and New Zealand. Often we have somewhat different interests so we have to be a bit careful when we adopt common procedures that we do not do so in a way that disadvantages New Zealand as the smaller player. 
When we talk about a single economic market it can mean various levels of integration and we have to be careful that we do not just slip into a common currency or a common Reserve Bank which in some ways is a logical consequence of a single economic market. When we get down to that level we are getting into problems of economic sovereignty and problems of different dynamics operating in the economies between the two countries. The Australian economy is governed particularly by the cycles of prices for minerals—the stuff they get out of the ground—whereas the New Zealand economy is to a significant extent governed by the prices we get for our dairy products. Those cycles may not synchronise exactly and we have seen the problems Europe has. I am not necessarily against the euro but we can see that certain problems have developed with the application of the euro in Europe with different dynamics in relation to interest rates and the operation of the euro which have meant that what is happening to the euro might suit Germany but may not necessarily suit Greece. That is a problem with a common currency before one goes to some greater political or economic unification. 
As we make these changes to improve our relations across the Tasman and our trans-Tasman coordination of law we have to look at whether we are giving up too much sovereignty. Of course in some trans-Tasman areas we have been successful. We now have sporting teams competing in virtually every Australian sport from netball to rugby to rugby league to soccer; you name it we are in an Australian competition. New Zealand teams such as the local team here in Wellington the Phoenix are doing quite well in those competitions. The Warriors might get in the top eight in the NRL and perhaps go further. There is a lot of trans-Tasman activity that is very useful. I can see from looking at other MPs that they are very intrigued by this ending to my speech but I indicate that the Green Party will be supporting this bill.