Carter David: Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Carter David: Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:642;Page:11838] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (National) 
: 
 The National Party is of course delighted that finally the Government has brought the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Amendment Bill to the House for its second reading—nearly 4 months after the Primary Production Committee reported the bill back to the House. 
The question being asked tonight by the media is why the Government has suddenly brought this bill back to the House after it sat around for 4 months. I suspect that Annette King as Minister for Food Safety is in the same camp as Damien O’Connor is in as Minister of Corrections. I think she is for the chop as the Minister for Food Safety because this bill was an absolute mess when it came before the select committee. Annette King said euphemistically a few minutes ago in a well-written speech supplied by officials—which she had trouble reading correctly—that the select committee had made a few enhancements to the bill. The truth of the matter is that the select committee had to make substantial changes in order to tidy up the bill because that Minister had not done her homework and the bill was presented to the select committee in an absolute mess. 
But the good news is that the bill is now back before the House in substantially better shape than when we saw it at its first reading. We want to now see the Government move the bill quickly through the rest of its stages because there was general support from all the submissioners. They helped us tidy up the mess the Minister of Food Safety had made and they were generally supportive of the bill. I have been fielding calls from them for months asking when they could expect to see some progress on the bill. It was first introduced to the House late last year—I think it was 6 December. 
Hon Annette King 
: Then you went on holiday. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: No we were out campaigning. The Minister went on holiday and we called for submissions which closed in late February. We then did our work and it certainly took a lot of work because the Minister had presented such a mess to us. We brought it back to the House on 29 May and it sat there for 3½ months—and not much important legislation has been passed by the Labour Government over the past 3½ months—but finally the good news is that the Government has decided to progress the legislation. It is a lot tidier and I look forward— 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: They’ve sent the C-team down tonight haven’t they? 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: I think the Minister for Food Safety is the C-team. She is the one who is going to get the chop when Helen Clark does the reshuffle. Mr Clayton Cosgrove will get the corrections portfolio so he will get the chop in the next reshuffle. It is the C-team that is down here that is for sure. 
Hon Annette King 
: Can’t even make the front bench. 
Hon DAVID CARTER 
: I think her glasses need a clean but we thank the Minister for Food Safety for finally getting the legislation back to the House. I thank her for the kind words she said about the select committee tidying it up. We have been doing that for a while now—the Primary Production Committee is always tidying up the Labour Government’s mess. But the bill is now back and in good shape and National looks forward to the Government progressing it forthwith through all stages.