Goldsmith PaulHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National): May I take it from that answer that the Government has done no research into what the effect on the cost of the process would be and that the Minister is not concerned about any person being able to come—and he thinks it will be fine.Hon Michael Wood: At the cost of 10 years of litigation.Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: That member might be tedious but he shouldn't throw these things around.The next question is around trade competitors. So the next question is that a trade competitor may object to an application. We're not talking about local alcohol plans we're talking about licensing applications. Under this legislation it's now possible for a trade competitor to object to an application with two exceptions: if the objection does not relate to trade competition or to the effects of trade competition. But otherwise it's open slather. So I'd just like to hear from the Minister what are the reasons that a trade competitor might come up with for objecting and why he thinks it's appropriate for Parliament to allow trade competitors to object given the ingenuity of people to come up with reasons. We're thinking about this and these rules apply not just to setting up a new licence but also renewing a licence. So you've got your little store or your restaurant with a licence and somebody wants to open a new one next door. You're allowed to go along and say—well you can't say I object to this licence because I don't want competition.". but you can say "I object to this licence because I'm worried that having two stores in this neighbourhood would be hurtful." and in the mind of that person they wouldn't be thinking about competition but they'd be only concerned about the concerns of the community. Is this Government so naive that they think that that's how it would operate? That the trade competitor would say "No I object to this being opened up next door not because I don't want any competition but because I am worried about the impact of having two stores in this community and we think that that's an issue. On that basis we think there will be too many temptations in the way of people in this community and it shouldn't be opening." Is the Minister really that naive to think that that wouldn't lead to some pretty fundamental problems?The next one is around clause 12 which replaces section 133 which is the renewal of licences where relevant local authority policy exists and this is I think the thing that we most strongly object to. There are two steps in this process. We're talking about setting up a local alcohol plan and then that goes through and then separately from that there are the district licensing authorities which actually do the deal about starting up new licences or renewing licences. The core issue of this legislation is it says that once you've passed your local alcohol plan and if your local alcohol plan says that there shall not be any liquor outlets within a kilometre of a school for example—and that's a new rule. It's come through it's been approved it's gone through the process and it's been adopted. Under this legislation when it comes to renewing a licence the district licensing committee may decline to renew the licence if it considers that renewing the licence would be inconsistent with the policy including the location.So you've been in business for 50 years you have an impeccable record and you haven't had any complaints. You're just a couple of Kiwis trying to make a living and you're proud of what you've built up—you know that's your retirement saving that's your plan and that's what you've done. That's your business giving something that people want for purchases and you happen to be within 800 metres of a school and then suddenly there's a local alcohol plan that says you cannot be within a kilometre and—whoom-fa! You're gone.Hon Grant Robertson: Boomfa? Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Whoom-fa—you're gone—and how does he justify that?"