Dean JacquiHon JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki): Thank you Madam Chair. A lot of the debate this afternoon has quite rightly centred around the initiation of a competition study or a market study. The position that the National members have expressed in various ways is that by supporting Brett Hudson's Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) 139 which puts effectively ministerial and Cabinet oversight over a market study it actually protects business in New Zealand. It protects business—both large and small business—in New Zealand from a Commerce Commission - initiated study which in the view of the current Government of the day may or may not be required.I think we need to reflect a little bit on the meaning of leadership and our representative parliamentary democracy which we have in New Zealand where the current Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs the Hon Kris Faafoi represents his electorate he comes to Parliament and is given the honour and responsibility of being a Minister of commerce and yet very quickly after having been in receipt of that honour he just puts it across to one side and gives responsibility back to the bureaucrats. So the very reason why when National were in Government Cabinet approved a ministerial and Cabinet sign-off of a market study was to protect New Zealand businesses and to protect New Zealand consumers. But this Government has cast that aside. It is not the Commerce Commission's role to protect small businesses but it is that Minister's and that Minister has quite happily and quite trustingly—touchingly trustingly—cast that responsibility off to one side.I do regret that this Government has taken a policy position which seems to effectively be the easy way out—the path of least resistance. I know there's a market study on but it wasn't my decision. We've got to allow the bureaucrats to take charge of decisions such as a market study which is going to impact on your business. I'm terribly sorry that it is costing you a lot of money but it's not my fault because I must let the bureaucrats lead this."—I mean isn't that a ridiculous policy position?That is why I support the SOP of Brett Hudson which reinstates the very sensible approach of having Cabinet doing what Cabinet should do—that is take responsibility for a measure which is going to be intrusive and expensive and probably worth doing. But the reason National advanced the Commerce Act amendment work was because in certain circumstances very carefully thought-out market studies are an absolutely necessary tool for the Commerce Commission. They're a tool for the Commerce Commission but they should not be something that the Commerce Commission can initiate.However we now have a situation where the Prime Minister of the day has been judge and jury talking up market studies noting that customers are being fleeced at the pumps and then inviting other Ministers—as if it were some kind of lolly scramble—to come up with ideas of their own for market studies. How enticing and how exciting is that for a Minister who can't think of anything else better to do with their time—"Yes let's have more market studies." Well that's all very well but doesn't that completely ignore the fact that it's not the Ministers who are initiating market studies? Aren't they just arguing against themselves?All of this points to a woeful lack of good policy development within this Government. What this points to is a Government which has put yet more taxes on the public of New Zealand. The absolutely inevitable thing has happened. They've put a regional fuel tax on Auckland which we are feeling in North Otago—diesel by the way is $1.86 at the pump. No wonder small business—Hon Shane Jones: Shop around.Hon JACQUI DEAN: Ah and there we are. There we have the "Clown Prince of the Regions" saying "Shop around." How do you shop around in a small town—[Time expired]"