Cameron MarkMARK CAMERON (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. It's a pleasure that the Minister has brought this piece of legislation the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill to the House. I think it's a good piece of legislation quite candidly and although I just want to touch on my Green colleague's previous assertions about confusing palm oil and the palm kernel industry as a—I mean palm kernel is a by-product of palm oil production and if she really believed in that she wouldn't eat anything with palm oil in it. It's in one in five foods in New Zealand so I can't see the nonsensical argument there—but anyway. None the less let's get to the bill. I think this bill creates a new regulatory framework for the illegal harvest assurance of illegal timber products. I can speak to this personally. I travelled to Brazil five times over a decade ago and it was a profound problem. I was in the cities of Rio Sao Paulo and a city called Belo Horizonte and it's a real problem over there. So I think as the member Todd Muller pointed out the real crux of this legislation which potentially really needs honing in on and I think the Primary Production Committee will do that is about the import of timber products. Timber products produced here as we've well canvassed are worth $6.3 billion. I mean it's a wonderful industry in New Zealand the fourth-largest exporter. I would maintain hand on heart it's probably an integral part of New Zealand—I think everyone would agree with that—and it's probably not permeated with a lot of illegal timber product. However the import industry is where the concern really lies and I think we contextualised the problem here. This is $152 billion—I think the Minister quoted before. These are figures out of Interpol this global trade of illegal timber products. The Green member the Hon Eugenie Sage pointed out the effects to the indigenous people all around the world and she's absolutely right in that regard. As I say again I was in Brazil and this is a profound problem in that part of the world and it's damnably hard for us as importers to have a fair and honest understanding of the certification process and what it means when we are importing these products. The illegal trade counts for about 30 percent of the global trade of timber products. It contributes 50 percent of the tropical deforestation. Now that's a monumental geographical area and suffice to say it displaces all manner of indigenous people and natural wildlife. Damage to local forests and communities—and I think we've well canvassed this tonight—is significant for producer countries diluting their legitimate timber market and by virtue exacerbating the problem of what is illegal and what is not. Habitat lost—that's been well canvassed in the House and I think we all agree this trade accentuates and threatens the ecosystem endangering further ecological damage to various species which are on the brink of potential extinction etc. in many parts of the world.We need to be in line with our trading partners. We need a clearer certification process for New Zealand to have assurances in our export trade of timber and by virtue equally have a clear line of clarity when we are importing timber products whether they are furniture or whether it's framed timber etc. or decking which seems to be routinely a concern. Better codes of practice in the retail sector—and I think if New Zealander retailers here and members of the New Zealand Imported Timber Trade Group are involved in this it can only further add assurance. Consumer confidence—we trade on our reputation which has been well canvassed tonight. Clarity around not only our exports but most importantly as the member Mr Muller highlighted before around imports. We absolutely need certainty.This is a great piece of legislation. ACT will fully support it in this first reading. I look forward to further canvassing this in the select committee process with my colleagues on the other side of the House and over this side and hopefully we can iron out any kinks along the way and really make this a wonderful piece of legislation going forward. Thank you very much Madam Speaker.