Ardern Shane: Antarctica (Environmental Protection: Liability Annex) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeArdern Shane: Antarctica (Environmental Protection: Liability Annex) Amendment Bill — Second Reading Third Reading[Sitting date: 04 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7090. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SHANE ARDERN (National—Taranaki - King Country): Like previous speakers I am very pleased also to be part of supporting the Antarctica (Environmental Protection: Liability Annex) Amendment Bill. It has been interesting listening to the various speeches particularly the Minister of Conservation’s opening comments but it has also been particularly concerning and interesting to listen to our opponents and their contribution and their various references to the New Zealand Government’s lack of focus in environmental issues. I guess it is one of those examples of where sometimes actions speak louder than words.In the previous 9 years of the Labour Government we had a woeful woeful period of environmental legislative protection. We in fact languished. The fable I guess that comes to mind is the one about the emperor who has no clothes. They talked all the time but they actually did nothing. To suggest that in some way New Zealand is now turning its back on the environment is about as shallow and as short-sighted as it is possible to be.There was reference particularly by the former trade and foreign affairs Minister to the Doha round. I look upon the Doha round currently taking place as having similarity to a bunch of drunks going off to another booze-up to talk about the effects of alcoholism. That is how I would look at some of that activity. I wonder how they get there. Do they go by sailboat? Do they ride their bikes or do they fly in jet planes? I wonder how they get there.The only thing that New Zealand has done in recent times in terms of changes in direction is to remove agricultural admissions from the emissions trading scheme. Howby taxing methane emissions from animals were we going to reduce our environmental impact?The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Lindsay Tisch): Order! We’re on the Antarctic.SHANE ARDERN: That is the question and no one has been able to answer that. Mr Speaker in talking about the passing of this bill I have heard a wide-ranging debate and I thought that must be licence for it.As one of my colleagues said New Zealand is one of the 12 original signatories to the Antarctic Treaty which was signed on 1 December 1959 in Washington DC and which we have since then had many other involvements in. This is yet another example of that. I suggest to our opponents over there given that they were involved in the original negotiations—in fact the former Minister who was involved is present in the House—that it is in fact quite unusual that we would be here today after all this time debating this bill given the time that they had to further this important piece of legislation. I am sure the bill would have been passed prior to now if it had not been of course for the fact that they have spent so much time filibustering on all sorts of nonsense that needed no extra time spent on it up until this point in time.This is one of those rare occasions of course where Parliament is unanimous and it is a privilege to be part of it when it is unanimous on something as important as this particular legislation. So I look forward to its passage through Parliament.