Jones Dail: Urgent Debates — Collapse of World Trade Talks in Cancun Mexico 
Jones Dail: Urgent Debates — Collapse of World Trade Talks in Cancun Mexico 
[Volume:611;Page:8679] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 We have heard a speech from the Prime Minister today that was full of excuses and nothing else. The leader of the ACT party Richard Prebble asked the Prime Minister to give us some indication of the Labour Party’s trade policy. I still do not know what the Labour Party’s trade policy is. I am sure no one in this House knows what the Labour Party’s trade policy is. I would be interested to hear from any Labour member even by way of interjection just what the Labour Party’s trade policy is. What did the Prime Minister say during her speech that gave us any indication that she knew either what trade was or what policy was and that she had the ability to put them both together and tell us about them? As has been said already in this debate this Labour Party has no idea on trade. The only thing we can say about the Prime Minister’s speech is that she is just carrying on from where everybody carried on before. She has added nothing new at all. Now it has all ground to a halt. 
 New Zealand First is delighted to be taking part in this debate and we thank the Hon Richard Prebble for his letter to the Speaker. The letter makes it clear that the Government’s whole trade policy has now collapsed and makes the point that New Zealand alone amongst the Cairns group is either not a member of the G22 group of developing countries or does not have a prospective bilateral deal with the USA. I would have expected the Prime Minister to give us something more certain about just what was happening. 
Maybe the answer about the G22 group is in the press release put out by Catherine Bell on behalf of the Minister for Trade Negotiations. May I say from the point of view of the New Zealand First spokesperson on trade that I do appreciate all the information I get from the office of the Minister for Trade Negotiations. His office is very diligent in making sure that I am on its mailing list. But from the statement from Catherine Bell of Monday 15 September and in the context of the G22 group it seems that there is now a G21 not a G22 and that that is because New Zealand is no longer a member of it. The Minister’s own press statement says that New Zealand worked extensively with all participants of the World Trade Organization meeting especially with the United States the European Union the Cairns group and the G21. So I take it there is no longer a G22; there is a G21—New Zealand is not part of it anymore. The Cairns group excludes us. So is there some admission now of the abject failure of this Labour Government when it comes to trade? 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: More and more isolated. 
DAIL JONES 
: Yes we are more and more isolated. Even the Minister says in the press statement he has put out that we are no longer part of the G22. 
The Prime Minister may not even have read the Hon Richard Prebble’s letter but it is an interesting letter that deserved a reply. One can only assume that as the Prime Minister has no idea on the subject whatsoever she failed and was totally unable to answer it. Her speech was just excuse after excuse. As the previous speaker said it was a nice commentary the sort of thing that one might read in a column in the 
 Independent 
 or perhaps the  
National Business Review 
 but not the sort of thing that the people of New Zealand want. 
We are probably the greatest trading nation in the world per capita. We depend almost entirely on overseas trade and have done since the first export in 1882 of refrigerated meat on the  
Dunedin 
 as I recall it. We are totally dependent on trade and on continuing the development of trade for New Zealand. Mr Sutton the Minister of overseas trade in this last year or so has spent 100 days overseas. He has spent about $230000 of taxpayers’ money on his trips overseas and he has absolutely nothing to show for it. This Labour Government is an absolute failure in the area of trade. It is not as though it has not been given every opportunity by New Zealand to try to achieve a result but no it is an absolute failure. 
Of course what this minority Labour Government likes is “la terza via”—the third way. It is interesting that the third way was the creation of the leader of the Italian Communist Party; in trying to make Italian communism more acceptable he dreamt up the phrase “la terza via”. It was then taken up by Blair and the like to describe their left-wing socialism. If the Labour Party is very keen as we have read recently to go the third way maybe that explains why Labour has no policies whatsoever because “la terza via” and the ways of a failed Italian communist party hold nothing for the future of New Zealand. 
The New Zealand Labour Party should have another think about the way in which it is operating its overseas alliances. One of the major issues facing New Zealand must be our links with our traditional allies— Australia the United States and the like. When it comes to trade when it comes to our relationships with those countries they must be satisfied that New Zealand is making a proper contribution to the South Pacific and as much of a contribution internationally as we can. I refer of course to defence areas. We recently had a visit from Australian members of Parliament. Their first view of New Zealand was of the New Zealand First sign just by Mangere Airport. They all knew what New Zealand First was because they had seen our sign depicting Winston Peters and our three policies. They said that New Zealand First had made an impression on them as soon as they got off the plane. 
Hon Annette King 
: All paid for with taxpayers’ money. 
DAIL JONES 
: We know how to use the money. We know how to use money and we have shown how efficient we can be in our use of it. The Australian members of Parliament and their officials talked to us about New Zealand’s contribution and they mentioned defence. Really our contribution to defence is so little that I believe that internationally in the South Pacific we must be regarded by Australia and the like as bludgers especially under this Government with no air support system with a minor army and with inconsequential support for the navy. How can we expect Australia the United States and other countries to take us seriously and to have proper and meaningful trade links with us if we are not willing to play our part in the area of defence? New Zealand First has made quite clear in our defence policy the funds that we will contribute to defence. 
As I said the Prime Minister gave no idea of what Labour’s trade policy is. New Zealand First has set out its trade policy in our  
Keeping New Zealand First (2002) 
 election manifesto. We have made it quite clear that we will develop in conjunction with the export sector an export credit guarantee scheme that works. We have announced a tax abatement and concession policy to ensure that viable exporting opportunities and innovation are not lost. We are prepared to set up a 20 percent tax rate on new export net income. New Zealand First will ensure that the New Zealand Trade Development Board or any alternative “maintains and expands our present markets whilst developing emerging markets and on the promotion of industries where we have a clear comparative advantage”. New Zealand First will further promote innovation by tax-incentivised research and development comparable with that of other First World nations and will ensure that technology transfer occurs within both the public and the private sectors. 
Those are a few examples of a trade policy—New Zealand First’s trade policy. I did not have even one example from the Prime Minister of this Labour Government’s trade policy. It just does not have a trade policy at all. It is non-existent. I am sure that if she had a trade policy she would have told us about it but this Labour Government is bereft of any policy whatsoever. I sat here and I listened and I waited and I waited as did all the other members in this House. This Labour Government is going down in the polls. It is not surprising that the public is finding it out in all areas. One area that we should be looking forward to is the exporting of products that are GE free. There is nothing about that from Labour. There is no consideration of it. All these matters must be given careful consideration. New Zealand First is giving consideration to them and it looks forward to implementing them when it is the Government.