O'Connor DamienHon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Minister of Agriculture): If ever there was a speech in this House that characterises the hypocrisy that this Government has had to sort out it's that from a pious GP from the Opposition standing up and preaching to us about healthcare when he sat on his hands and said nothing while his mates ran down the health system took away houses from poor young New Zealanders from the infants and ran down the system so that now the Minister of Health is not only having to come in and fix up hospitals but actually lay out some basic healthcare services.It's a great time for us to be in Government. We're prepared to take on the challenges left to us by the previous Government and the people that sat on their hands while they ran down the health system the education system the housing stock in this country and even across the primary sectors.There's a survey been put out recently that said 68 per cent of sheep and beef farmers are very very positive about the future for their sector. This is not a sector that's traditionally Labour so they're not saying that because they support the Government. They have some concerns. In fact 32 percent of them obviously have a serious problem. They think things are negative. Well I'd suggest that's about the right number and the same number that end up going to National Party meetings in the rural sector. So if they stopped going to the National Party meetings they might feel a little more cheery.In fact as I go around the country—and I had last week in Southland and I've just been up to the Waikato—I have to say that farmers are generally in a very positive frame of mind. Next year they will hopefully collectively produce about $43.8 billion of export revenue for this country. Thank you each and every one of you for that as farmers. We appreciate that. But there are some challenges—and they've said there's some uncertainty. Yes there is. We live in a world of uncertainty but what we have attempted to do as a Government is to give them some certainty. They don't like all of it. It's a new phenomenon for some. And we said Yes we want clean water. We want clean rivers. We have an international obligation to meet our emissions target and we're going to get on and do that and we will help you with that." unlike the previous Government that simply put its head in the sand and tried to kid its mates in agriculture that there was no need to change anything.The reality is that our customers—who appreciate the high-quality produce that most companies produce in this country—want to know that we've got the best systems in the world and indeed for the most part we have. But actually we've got to ensure that we're not dragged down by the lowest common denominator. The 25 farmers supplying Mataura Valley Milk are doing so on the basis that they don't supply palm kernel expeller to their cows and that nutrition will go into the top end of the China market and others. The $100 million development at Darfield that Fonterra's put in to create cream cheese to go into the high-value markets in China—they too have assurance systems that say "We've got to produce this in the way that protects the environment the way that looks after the animals and the way that pays our staff properly." That's a new paradigm and one that the National Government failed to implement and encourage and support their farmers to do.I have to say that yesterday at the KPMG - BNZ forum in Karapiro farmers were asking about certainty about where we're heading and they were told that actually our customers demand the high standards and they want to know what Government's doing. Well we are doing a lot. We're going to roll out an extension system within the Ministry of Primary Industries. We're going to assist them with a planning process that means they can have a template and get on and do the things that they need to do to be able to continue to farm. The previous National Government let down their rural constituency. They misled them and it's up to us in an honest and upfront and forthright way to say "This is what we need to do to continue to survive and make a profit and we will get in there and help you."In the rural sector with the thanks to my colleagues across the three parties we're getting out there in an honest way and helping them to a better future—one that's more profitable; one that encourages more young people into agriculture because under the previous National Government we saw a rapid decline in the number of Kiwis interested in agriculture. That's not sustainable. It's not good for our country. We're going to change that and we're getting out to work with farmers and the rural communities to make a better life for each and every one of them. Kia ora."