SpeechBRETT HUDSON (National): Thank you Madam Chair. It's a pleasure to speak in this part of the Estimates debate. Just before I move on to the general theme I just want to point out to the member Poto Williams who's just resumed her seat that actually it was the National-led Government that put together the legislation that included the powers for the Commerce Commission to undertake market studies. We introduced that we did the work on that and they simply had the good fortune to be able to put it through the House. We entered these Estimates hearings with the backdrop of a softening economy. Whereas economic growth had been running at around 4 percent under National it's now at about barely over 2 percent under this Government. Incidentally looking for the causes of what might bring that about given we're running record or near-record trade export receipts it's not international conditions which are creating the slowing in the New Zealand economy. It's actually the measures the Government has put in place that are reducing business confidence eroding investment within New Zealand and ultimately creating fewer jobs and reducing growth. The point Ms Williams made about the unemployment figures are quite startling actually because at a headline level in percentage terms it looks like the lowest rate of unemployment in New Zealand in some years. But look inside. If one lifts the hood and has a wee look underneath why would that be the case when we know that job creation is slowing under the policies of this Government? In fact in the first quarter of this year job growth was negative so how is it possible then that unemployment can be at the so-called lowest level in many years? It's because this Government has removed the obligation for those who are able to work to be seeking work. In fact if we use the words of the Minister of Finance it's Those who want to work should be able to work."; it's not that those who can should have to. So in the media when the latest unemployment figures were announced the commentary was noted—I believe it was newsroom.co.nz; it was one of the one of the major media outlets—that the principal reason why the unemployment rate had reduced to the level that was reported was that 6000 fewer people were reporting that they were seeking employment. And they don't have to—they don't have to seek employment under this Government. They've changed that rule. So why do we have a softening economy a headline unemployment rate that looks good but reduced job creation? Because this Government's policies are simply undermining Kiwi businesses people that invest and risk their own capital—it's undermining their confidence to invest in new plant to invest in growth and to invest in hiring additional people. I want to turn to this market studies thing—quite important. Ms Williams talked about this as a great and new innovation. Well actually the draft report shows that the Commerce Commission have identified nothing new in the fuel market study because in 2017 the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment issued an independent report that identified wholesale markets among some other elements as being a potential pressure point where greater competition could potentially be achieved in the retail fuel market. The Commerce Commission has simply restated what they already knew in 2017 but along the way they've spent. If we take the Commerce Commission's own submission on the legislation that empowered them to do these studies they said that a budget of $1.5 million a year would only permit them to undertake a single study. So by the time we get to December for somewhere between $1 million and $1.5 million the Commerce Commission will issue a final report that has shown that they have learnt nothing new despite the expenditure of that much money but it instead spent 12 months talking about stuff they already knew whereas both they and the Government could have taken action at the end of last year to actually reduce the pain of petrol prices in the hip pocket of New Zealand motorists on that side by simply removing or forestalling the taxes they had imposed or had planned. On 1 July this year another 4c a litre went on in fuel excise. They've legislated for a further 4c a litre from 1 July next year just beyond this current financial year. All up that is going to amount to an impost on Kiwi motorists if they live in Auckland of 24c a litre and if they have the good fortune not to live in Auckland of about half that. So we've got a combined effect of Government policies which are eroding investment in business which creates fewer jobs and people who don't want to work don't have to look for it and now the Government's also increasing costs on those same people. Is it any wonder therefore that we're sitting in—[Bell rung] Madam Chair?CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Are you taking a second call?BRETT HUDSON: Am I able to Madam Chair? I don't know that I'm able to actually. I think I'll sit down just in fear I might overstep the mark."