Bennett DavidHon DAVID BENNETT (National—Hamilton East): It's an absolute disgrace from the Labour Party if they think that this is the best that they can put forward in this Parliament and can spend only one line on the bill—in an election year one line on their flagship legislation. That truly shows what they believe in. They're not there for New Zealanders and they're not there for the environment at all. They're only there for themselves and their petty place in this part of politics and they do deals with the New Zealand First Party and the Green Party to make that happen.Marja Lubeck: Says the hoarder of toilet paper!Hon DAVID BENNETT: Is there something you want to say over that side of the House?ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson): Feel free to refer to the bill in passing Mr Bennett.Hon DAVID BENNETT: Sorry Madam Speaker. It's just that sometimes those interruptions from that member are quite valuable and I was looking forward to another one today but unfortunately we missed out on her valuable interruption to our debate.My colleague spoke very well in her speech and pointed out that this is about the cost of living on New Zealanders. And I see over there we have the Minister trying to be the Minister for Employment—or whatever he does—that understands—Marja Lubeck: Who are you?Hon DAVID BENNETT: Don't bring the Speaker into the debate OK? Now that member over there should be really taking and doing something for the people that actually need help out there. And he always talks in this House about looking after those people that are most vulnerable—those people that are at the bottom of the heap—and what are they doing here? Putting more costs on those very people. The very people that will become unemployed have to pay more. That is what the Labour Government is doing. The Labour Government is hurting businesses that are needed at this time to provide employment and opportunity for people to get out of the hole that we are in as a country.This bill is going to hurt farmers who are going to be the backbone of the economic recovery for New Zealand going forward. And that really shows the problem that we have with the New Zealand First Party because the New Zealand First Party will come into this House and over the next few months will go around the country saying that they are the farmers' friend—this is their election campaign. They're nodding. That's what they're going to say: Trust us and there will be none of these things happening." Well if the New Zealand First Party was so thorough so trustworthy so dependable they would not let that review clause be in this legislation. This legislation puts off the big decision around agriculture to next year. Where was Winston Peters and his protecting the farmers when this debate came up in Cabinet? Why didn't he stand up and say no to that clause? He didn't.Hon Scott Simpson: He was having a snooze!Hon DAVID BENNETT: No I don't think he was asleep. Mr Peters is generally a very active member of that Cabinet. I'm sure he read every paper that was in front of him. But Mr Peters agreed with the Labour and Green parties. Mr Peters didn't stand up for farmers when he had a chance and I say we can't trust the New Zealand First Party the Green Party or the Labour Party because to put that in the legislation is because they intend to do it over time; they intend to bring agriculture into the emissions trading scheme (ETS). The only point they've put that in there is so that they can go around in election year and try and convince people to vote for them under false pretences as they always have because they've never been there for farmers they never will be there for farmers and they're only there for themselves.In fact we heard from Mr Patterson—was it?—about trying to protect farming from forestry invasion you know and how he wanted to see a review of these things. They put the rules in place that created the forestry distortion that's out there in the agricultural sector. They created the exemption for forestry. They put the money into forestry and now they're saying we're going to have a review at some point—the review that hasn't happened before the election and a review that will never happen because their dear leader has made a promise around a certain number of trees that have to be planted. And I say to the Government parties—and they'll laud this agreement with the agricultural sector and say that they came to some agreement—if they really stood behind an agreement there would be no need for that sledgehammer that could come down next year. If there was agreement with genuine binding interests there wouldn't need to be any of that in this legislation. The reality is—and we know what the reality is—that there is no genuine agreement on that side of the House to partner with farmers and farming organisations. It is only being used—it is only being used—by those parties to try and mitigate at this point in time.The Green Party will shake their head. Now the Green Party came into this House many years ago when they were in Opposition and told us how principled they were—how everything they did would be based on principle. And I've got to give James Shaw credit; he was probably the best Minister I've seen in answering questions in the Chamber during the committee stage on this bill. He did it in a very good way but he didn't answer the questions and he didn't give the full facts. The full facts are that the dairy industry had been the one industry that never got those entitlements that other major industries got from day one. The New Zealand dairy industry has been paying from day one for 15 years and I know James Shaw had to check that with his officials and he found it was true because he didn't know that at the time that he was speaking in the committee. The dairy industry has been paying. They have been paying over all those years when all those other major industries have had a free ride. And now on top of that they're going to be told that they're going to be brought into the ETS as farmers as well. It's not fair.There is no independent audit process that the Minister talked about; that is just an illusion. All we have is a commission—a commission that is appointed by the Government a commission that will make its decision—and this will not be an independent audit process as to how well farmers have done. This is purely a political decision that will be made by the Green Party the New Zealand First Party and the Labour Party pre-election. After the election the National Party will take a different approach. We will look at science and practical things that actually work and we will be there to work alongside the businesses and farmers of New Zealand because everybody understands that there are goals that need to be achieved. Our markets have moved our consumers have moved our public have moved but we need to move with them as an industry in a way that we can do that and that is the secret to get that balance right. And that's what the National Party wants to see in this field and we wish that the other parties would do that.If they really did trust those producers out there that they now are so happy to see producing to keep this country alive if they really trusted the people that they are so indebted to at the moment to pay the bills why then did they create a playing field which is uneven and creates a situation where there is uncertainty on those businesses and those farmers? Those businesses and farmers face uncertainty every day in the weather. They face uncertainty every day in their international prices. They do not need a Government putting more uncertainty on them. What they want from a Government is a plan that is practical reasonable and achievable under science-based mechanisms. That's what they want and that's what they demand and instead what they have got is a political power play which holds off the big decisions for next year and in the meantime tries to distort our economy and put more costs on those very people that are the most vulnerable in our community and that is a shame on the Labour Party and all they can say is one sentence in response to this bill.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson): The next call is a split call. Jamie Strange."