1. Question No. 1—Prime MinisterDAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Prime Minister1. DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all her Government's policies and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes particularly the Government's climate change work programme including the release today of the final advice from the Climate Change Commission. The commission's analysis shows the 30-year transition to a low-emissions economy is achievable will create jobs and new opportunities for Kiwi businesses and will provide business with certainty to invest in new technology to enter new markets. The Climate Change Commission's advice has confirmed that the Government has made good progress to reduce emissions: passing the zero carbon Act and improving the emissions trading scheme; investing in public transport rail cycling and walking infrastructure and electric vehicle infrastructure around the country; Budget 2021 is doubling funding for the Low Emissions Vehicles Contestable Fund over the next four years; developing a vehicle emissions standard for new imports and a mandate to include biofuels in petrol and diesel; and helping businesses to switch to clean energy with the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund. The commission's report makes clear there is more to do and we'll consider the commission's advice over coming months as we develop our emissions reduction plan.David Seymour: Which of the Climate Change Commission's recommendations if any will the Prime Minister rule out implementing?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: By law we are required as a Government under the zero carbon Act to go through due process in considering the advice from the climate commission as we formulate an emissions reduction plan and as we formulate our emissions budgets and so I'm going to undertake that in good faith.David Seymour: Why does the Prime Minister expect the public to believe that the population will keep growing the economy and living standards will keep growing and carbon emissions will reduce by 63 percent in the next 14 years—that's more than half—SPEAKER: Order! The member's asked a question and it's a very long one already.David Seymour: A tiny little addition?SPEAKER: If it's a question yes. If it's not no.David Seymour: OK well all I was going to add Mr Speaker for the Prime Minister's benefit is to give her a little context that carbon emissions have been rising every year this century in contrast to—SPEAKER: That's in conflict with what I just said. The member can start again and use another supplementary. David Seymour: Expensive business! How does the Prime Minister expect the public to believe that emissions are going to painlessly decrease by 63 percent in the next 14 years when every year this century on average emissions have increased so far?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I don't think anyone is suggesting that change won't be required. The point that the climate commission has made is that the foundations the Government has laid are the right ones; we just need to make sure that we keep going and that we lift the pace. The alternative if we don't do that is that the potential cost to the economy will be greater due to inaction than it will be via action.David Seymour: When the Prime Minister said that the Government has laid the foundations and needs to increase the pace was she referring to the record 1.1 million tonnes of coal imported last year or the fact that emissions have actually increased under her Government—which is she going to accelerate?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The member raises the issue with New Zealand's electricity generation. One of the issues that we're facing of course is that whilst we have a very high rate of renewables in New Zealand in a hydrological dry year we have a major problem and so we have to look at options to try and overcome that. We've laid the foundation for that piece of work. We're laying the foundations for New Zealand to finally have clean car standards so that we don't continue particularly in an era where other countries will start phasing out the use of internal combustion engines—where we start putting in some standards around what's imported into New Zealand so that we don't end up being the dumping ground of other countries. We are starting the work by incentivising industry who through manufacturing processes are using fossil fuels for production—to support them to transition. It's excellent to see some of those higher users—for instance the likes of Fonterra—making very ambitious plans to change the way they undertake their processing which will be good for all of us.Simon Court: Will the Prime Minister commit to ensuring that any climate change policies are subject to a cost-benefit analysis?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: We are obliged to go through a rigorous process and of course the climate commission as part of their report have encouraged us in particular areas to undertake that process including—and let's acknowledge what they've said around our ambition of 100 percent renewable electricity. So that's one of the areas they've called for that. We're undertaking a business case and analysis around the way that we would achieve that through projects like Onslow to see whether or not it offers the solution that New Zealand is looking for. The member can engage in that process over the next several months and I encourage him to do so.Hon Judith Collins: Is she aware when she referenced Fonterra that they're having to actually burn coal to dry the wood at Brightwater?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I reference the fact that they are working to transition their energy generation in their processing plants. If the member is contesting that ambition I'd suggest she raise that with Fonterra because that is very much part of their public planning. If the member thinks it's to our benefit to continue to use fossil fuels as part of our clean green image as we export our dairy products she is definitely out of step with where Fonterra is heading.Mark Cameron: Will she rule out implementing the commission's recommendations which could see total dairy cattle numbers and sheep and beef numbers fall by 13 percent?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: I'd refer to the first answer—I believe it was the first answer I gave to Mr Seymour—around fulfilling our obligations in not responding immediately but going through due process in considering the commission's report.