Ross Jami-Lee: Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoss Jami-Lee: Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 12 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:11068. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany): The only party in this Parliament that is playing political games is the New Zealand Labour Party. It is a party that is playing political games with $28 billion worth of New Zealand exports to Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries because that is what it comes down to. That is the bottom line: $28 billion of exports go to TPP countries; 40 percent of New Zealand’s total exports go to TPP countries. This agreement gives New Zealand exporters access to a third of world economic output—800 million consumers—and that is what this bill is all about. It is implementing the agreement that this Government has signed up to the TPP agreement and New Zealand’s obligations under it.What a good day for the Government. It is a good day for the Government because the Government is standing up and supporting New Zealand exporters. The Government is standing up and supporting those who wish to help to grow the economy. It is standing beside those who are productive in this country and wish to export more goods to other nations around the world. Undoubtedly trade agreements improve New Zealand’s access to other nations and that means we sell more goods to other nations. That means we grow faster as a nation. That means we build more jobs and have greater growth in this country.The speeches from David Clark and Grant Robertson show us that the Labour Party has now abandoned New Zealanders and has abandoned free trade. I thought it was against the Standing Orders to misrepresent in this House. A statement saying that the Labour Party supports free trade is misrepresenting. It is misleading the House. Labour Party members are showing by their very actions by their very statements and by their very speeches in this House that they no longer support free trade. What is their argument—what is their argument for opposing the TPP? Their argument for opposing the TPP is that they came up with a policy that they believe is important and the Government did not go and consult the Labour Party and ask whether we should put in place in the trade agreement provisions to allow it to implement its policy. It is a policy that the Labour Party did not have when it started negotiating the TPP. It is a policy that is not necessary based on the figures we have seen this week but it is those members’ only reason for opposing the TPP.Labour members cannot stand up and say that it is bad that New Zealanders have greater export opportunities. They cannot stand up and say it is bad that greater job creation and greater growth for New Zealand should be in place. They cannot stand up and say that we have not met their bottom lines because we have. Pharmac must be protected—done that. Corporations cannot successfully sue the Government for regulation in the public interest—done that. The Treaty of Waitangi must be upheld—done that. Meaningful gains are made for our farmers in tariff reductions and market access—done that. Residents from overseas can be restricted if they wish to buy a property—can do that too; done that. Every single one of Labour’s bottom lines we have met because you can restrict those who wish to buy from overseas. It can be done—it can be done. We just cannot ban them which is not what its bottom line was. Labour’s bottom line was not that foreigners be banned—Dr David Clark: Yes it was.JAMI-LEE ROSS: —it was that a restriction can be put in place. Well Mr David Clark let us have a look at the press releases that Labour has put in place. The press releases Labour put in place said that “restriction” is what should be looked at. But why are we even having this debate over Labour Party policy? This is a trade agreement. This is about getting better access for New Zealanders. Overwhelmingly those who are in the business of helping to grow this economy those who are in the business of helping to grow exports and those who are in the business of helping to sell goods and services to overseas markets support this agreement.The New Zealand National Party alongside our support partners—with the exception I think of the Māori Party—is standing beside New Zealanders and working towards greater exports. The Labour Party used to believe in that. In fact under the China free-trade agreement which Grant Robertson referred to New Zealand has seen year-on-year 20 percent increases in exports. We know through previous trade agreements that when we do implement them we see greater export growth compared with countries that do not. That is why the only successful Labour leader of the current generation recently said this: “What always haunts one as the New Zealand Prime Minister is: will there be a series of trade blocs you’re not part of? Because that is unthinkable for New Zealand an exporter and small trading nation. So of course New Zealand has to be in the action with the Trans-Pacific Partnership”.Hon Member: Who said that?JAMI-LEE ROSS: That is from Helen Clark the only successful Labour leader of the current generation. Labour should be listening to her.The New Zealand Government is doing what is right for New Zealand exporters and for New Zealanders. We are going to see more jobs we are going to see greater growth and that is what New Zealand deserves.