Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 30 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19666. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (NZ First)to the Prime Minister: Is he satisfied that the current Minister for Climate Change Issues is working for all New Zealanders?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):Yes and can I note that on that side of the House you can have lots of MPs but you never hear from them. [Interruption]Rt Hon Winston Peters: Oh I know you are worried. They all know hope is on its way. How can this Minister for Climate Change Issues be working for all New Zealanders when an economic analysis by Infometrics just out shows households are being charged substantially more than the emissions trading scheme compliance costs being paid by energy and liquid fuel companies supplying them?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well I have not seen that report but what I do know is that if you look at the emissions trading scheme New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world outside of the European Union that actually has an emissions trading scheme. I think that the emissions trading scheme when you think about the fact that it applies effectively what is a floating rate for carbon—and that rate is very low—shows that while it is having some impact on the economy the effect on households is relatively low.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can the Minister for Climate Change Issues be working for all New Zealanders when energy and liquid fuel companies have price gouged New Zealanders for almost NZ$1.4 billion by overcharging households an average 75 percent more than these companies paid in emissions trading scheme compliance costs as shown by an economic analysis by Infometrics?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think the member is actually wrong in his numbers or at least the analysis is wrong. It is also dangerous making assumptions of what is actually happening because it depends when those companies actually acquired the units. But as I said overall the system is a modest one but I think it is working for New Zealanders.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I seek leave to table three papers by Infometrics one dated 3 June on electricity costs the second on 1 May in respect of Genesis Energy’s charging and the third on 24 June on carbon prices.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table those three particular papers. Is there any objection to their being tabled? There is none. They can be tabled.Documents by leave laid on the Table of the House.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can the Minister for Climate Change Issues be working for all New Zealanders when energy and liquid fuel companies are purchasing foreign carbon credits for NZ$3 while overcharging New Zealand taxpayers an average of $11 per credit and if this is not a financial rort as pointed out by Infometrics what is?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think the member is wrong. We are not actually doing that. What I can say in terms of those foreign assigned amount units which the member is talking about is that actually the Government has moved to eliminate those being purchased by New Zealand companies.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How can the Minister for Climate Change Issues be doing what was much vaunted by the National Party working for all New Zealanders when iwi alone have lost a further $600 million as a result of the collapse of the New Zealand carbon market an opportunity to bring thousands of jobs to the regions at no cost to taxpayers?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The member is demonstrating I think that he does not actually understand how the system works. On the one hand he is saying that those people who purchase carbon units at high levels and therefore pass that on to the consumer are somehow rorting the system but those who did not sell their units and now the unit price has dropped are somehow also rorting the system both of which cannot be right.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Oh I can see how Wall Street works! How can the Minister for Climate Change Issues be working for all New Zealanders when Genesis Energy price gouging its customers by their electricity bills between 2010 and 2012 attained additional profits of $36.5 million and inflated artificially its share value; if so why has he not done anything at all to stop it?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I reject the claim made by the member. But what I would say is that on this side of the House we have had a climate change policy that I think has been pitched at about the right level. I think it has been modest but fair for New Zealanders. If the member feels incredibly strongly about these climate change issues and about the amount that consumers might pay I strongly suggest that he joins with his rejection of the Mana Party and drop kicks the Greens as well because they will have the price of carbon at five times what it currently is.