Shaw JamesHon JAMES SHAW (Minister for Climate Change): Thank you Madam Chair. To the Minister: I've got a few questions some of which are embellishments on questions that I heard in earlier parts of the debate. I just wonder if the Minister could help us out with the answers to some of these questions. I heard before some concerns that the entire economy was going to collapse and that the whole tourism sector was going to be destroyed by the introduction of this levy. I just wanted the Minister to confirm for me if it is correct that the United Kingdom has a NZ$127 visitor levy and just to check to see whether the UK economy has collapsed as a result of that levy—Hon Member: Heard of Brexit?Hon JAMES SHAW: —and whether it's due to the levy—and if the Minister could confirm if it is correct that Australia has a levy between NZ$58 and NZ$85 and just to check if the Australian economy has collapsed due to the introduction of that levy because I'm not aware that it has. Also just in relation to clause 7 new section 399A(3)(b) in terms of prescribing the amount of the levy I just wanted to check whether the implication that was being raised before is about the collapse of those two large trading partners of ours? Under 399A(3)(d) there was a question raised about exemptions as well and I know that there's been some discussion around why it is that Australians are exempt from paying this. I just wanted the Minister to confirm whether we have an arrangement with Australia known as Closer Economic Relations and that what that means is that if we don't charge New Zealanders then also we can't charge Australians. In fact if you reversed it the reason why Australians charge New Zealanders is because they also charge themselves and I just wanted the Minister to confirm whether in fact Closer Economic Relations exists as well. Further I just wanted to check in relation to 399A(2)(c) where it's talking about other initiatives related to tourism there were some concerns raised about the fact that people weren't going to be able to get into our national parks and so on and just to confirm that in fact entry to our national parks will continue to remain free because we have this tourism levy coming in. I also just wanted to check—further down on that page under consultation and review"—whether the Minister can confirm that when the Green Party launched this policy in 2016 there was a tourism conference and that 76 percent of operators at that conference said that they wanted a tourism levy to help pay for conservation and tourism infrastructure and whether the views of those people will be taken into account as part of consultation. Further I just wanted to also ask if the Minister could confirm that when the Green Party launched this policy in 2016 whether it's correct that the then Prime Minister Sir John Key said that the idea had merit and should be explored and whether his views will be taken into account under the consultation section of this bill.I also just wanted the Minister to confirm—flipping back to Part 1 under the amended purpose—whether it's correct that 80 percent of people who come to this country visit our natural heritage and 50 percent of them visit the Department of Conservation estate and whether there are costs associated with that and whether the Minister considers that given those numbers it would be fair to say that when it comes to tourism the environment is infrastructure. If you don't have a natural environment there's not a lot of reason for people to come here given those sorts of numbers. So I just wanted the Minister to confirm some of those things for me and maybe allay some of the concerns about the impending wave of destruction that appears to be bearing down upon us from the introduction of this $35 levy."