Cosgrove ClaytonHon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour): Can I state from the outset that the Labour Party will support this bill in its first reading and can I say that as a basic principle we welcome the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' innovative attitude in respect of New Zealand business. What we seek is that in any trade agreement the rules of a trade agreement are enforced on all borders—likewise on our own borders. We understand the anti-dumping regulations we understand the importance of New Zealand business and we understand the enforcement of those rules around our domestic borders. We welcome the public interest test. There has been a lot of conjecture in respect of trade agreements per se. There has been lot of debate I think in recent times in respect of the positive nature or otherwise of trade agreements and what a number of manufacturers have sought over a long period of time despite Governments is that we enforce the rules of the day as our Australian and other counterparts do. So in essence we support this legislation. We want to scrutinise it appropriately in terms of its balance between the New Zealand interest and the interests of our economic partners. We welcome the fact that it will go to the Commerce Committee and to be fair I do pay tribute to the chair of the select committee. I am not a member of the Commerce Committee but in fairness and to be fair in this great Chamber Melissa Lee does preside with a balanced approach to select committee hearings and does give all parties a fair go. This has not always been the case Mr Assistant Chair as you as a learned and long-serving member of the Parliament may acknowledge in respect of the Commerce Committee. The public interest test we think is imperative. If it is appropriate to enact these provisions then there needs to be a public interest test. I acknowledge the commerce and consumer affairs Minister who is grappling with a whole series of issues. Whether they be ports or whether they be patents there is a whole series of interwoven issues that he is dealing with. What we seek and what we would support is a commerce Minister who would support the public interest. I take the Minister at his word that in introducing this piece of legislation he is determined to support New Zealand industry to support the New Zealand public interest and to ensure that we are internationally competitive with our trading partners. It would be a dark day if New Zealand industry was somehow hampered and somehow hobbled behind other industries in foreign competitive markets and hampered in respect of its export earnings. In the brief commentary that I wish to give—because I do not think there is major conjecture about this issue and about this legislation—I wish to say that we will support the bill to select committee. We want to ensure that the committee gives the appropriate scrutiny and that the appropriate tests are put in place. It does introduce a public interest test. We know that in terms of construction products for instance—if we look at those in respect of the housing issue—there is a lot of conjecture in respect of the competitive nature of those products. I am told that you can land a container of Gib for instance out of the United States for about two-thirds of the cost for which you can produce it locally. One could make an anti-dumping or dumping argument in respect of that. Dr David Clark: You are not going to argue that there is a consumer benefit?Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE: No I would always argue that there is a consumer benefit. My colleague the trade spokesperson makes an interesting point. But what New Zealanders want to know is that there is a level playing field—that if you are in business and if you are producing goods and services and you are in the international trading market under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules there is a level playing field. So I welcome the Minister's comments. In respect of the select committee I look forward to scrutinising those comments in the legislation because what we want and what New Zealand manufacturers and producers want is not a free lunch. They want to be competitive and they want to be out there on the international stage. They do not want Government provision; they simply want to compete with their international markets and they want to compete within the rules of the WTO. If this legislation's intent is positive we want to see the detail but that being the case we support the legislation. We want to see it progress but we want to give it due scrutiny and we want to also of course scrutinise the Minister's intent. Over patents legislation ports legislation—all these issues—we acknowledge that the Minister of course has New Zealand's interests at heart. We want to ensure that that is communicated and is legislated through this legislation so we support this bill to select committee.