Sio William: Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSio William: Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) (Transitional Provisions) Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 16 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4436. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Su’a WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere): The Government often thinks that by supporting the oil industry—and it tends to focus one-sidedly on the economics—all will be well. But we know that despite the best efforts and despite the money that the industry says it has and is prepared to mitigate disasters with disasters do happen. When they happen it is the general population that suffers it is our environment that suffers and it is also nature that suffers. I just make that point because often I am hearing speeches from the other side from members who forget about the other side of the argument and then try to maintain a balance. This legislation and the improvements made by the Local Government and Environment Committee is about protecting the environment and maintaining the balance.I want to caution the Government because with regard to the original legislation in 2012 we said that the Government was rushing through it but of course it did not care. It did not care one iota. It rushed it through. What we got was mistakes made in weak legislation and now we are having to spend this time improving the legislation that the Government introduced in 2012.I want to read a couple of statements made by the submitters. There were not a lot of submitters but for the submitters who took the time I think it is worthy that we acknowledge their submissions. It is also worthy that they brought a different angle to this particular debate. Tanea Tangaroa made this submission: “We are not happy with the way this government is treating our whanau hapu and the lack of integrity and respect towards our tikanga and kawa. We are not happy with the current oil and gas explorations that are already operating in the eez and the response to the oil spills …”. The point he made in the entirety of that submission is concern about protecting the environment and often the industry does not seem to care.I want to read out another extract from Frack Free Kapiti and Beyond. This was its submission: “While the intention of this amendment is to not interrupt the flow of gas to New Zealanders the amendment seems to offer existing operators an open ended timeframe in which to operate completely outside of New Zealand’s EEZ Act …” and it then listed three recommendations that it advised the select committee to undertake. Linda Hill of the Kāpiti Coast said: “I strongly object to this legislation amendment because it grants special privileges to the petroleum industry which undermine the parliamentary purpose and effective operation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012 … All companies have known since September 2012 what EEZ Act says …”.The submitters have a point. I think to be fair the members of the select committee took on board those submissions. We were not necessarily able to address the concerns that they had but one concern that was tabled before the select committee and which the select committee took on board was the fact that we have to put some limitations on the companies in terms of the time frame that they would have for the transition.I am happy to say—and my colleague from New Zealand First Ron Mark is absolutely correct as well as the members from the Green Party—that it was actually the Opposition members who made the suggestion to the members of the Government that by adopting these recommendations they would actually improve the legislation. I am pleased to say that the Government members on the select committee were able to hear those voices of common sense and accept the recommendations. I cannot say that for the Minister who introduced the original legislation and who is responsible for it because I think it shows her recklessness in rushing through legislation and her recklessness in failing to accept the fact that our select committee process is designed to enable significant input from individuals and our community and from people who know what they are talking about and the fact that by so accepting that advice it enables whichever Government is in to improve on the piece of legislation that it has.So I will just caution the Government. I think that through its arrogance and its forgetting that it is there because of the goodwill of New Zealanders—do not take that for granted. I would say to the Government that it was only through—