McClay Todd: Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
McClay Todd: Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 23 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:4739. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) 
: 
 The last member who was on her feet speaking Megan Woods has done more for global warming and increasing the temperature of the world through that speech than anybody else I know. You see what we heard there was a lot of huff and a lot of puff. [ 
Interruption 
] What was that member’s name? It probably does not matter because nobody is interested. Megan Woods said that it is OK to use the global financial crisis as a reason that emissions have dropped but it is not OK when one considers that GDP is down and recessions have been hitting different parts of the world. Far too much of that speech was in contradiction with what is important to New Zealanders. 
I want to commend our Minister for Climate Change Issues Tim Groser for bringing a responsible piece of legislation to this House. The Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is responsible because it does our fair share on behalf of New Zealand but it keeps down costs on New Zealand consumers on New Zealand businesses and on New Zealand mums and dads. You see it is a responsible piece of legislation from a responsible Minister who is committed to a cleaner greener brighter future for all New Zealanders and again I commend him for bringing this bill to the House. 
It was interesting to hear the honourable member John Banks speak earlier. He spoke of the confused position of the Green Party. He also told us that New Zealand’s emissions are 0.2 percent of the world’s emissions—0.2 percent of the world’s emissions. He mentioned the Australian member of the Green Party and that if Australia did more it would have a greater effect than anything that that party suggests New Zealand should do. He spoke of the American member of the Green Party and that if America did its bit it would achieve more than anything that that party suggests New Zealand could do. He did not mention Catherine Delahunty the Martian member of the Green Party or the other members of the Green Party who come from a different planet because this is responsible legislation and it is about making sure that here in this country we do what is right for our businesses and for our mums and dads. 
I want to touch on two points extremely briefly. This legislation has come to this House following in-depth consideration of the recommendations of the Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee. This legislation comes to the House following wide consultation with our communities after the committee received written submissions and following regional meetings and hui around the country. The purpose of these changes is to maintain the costs of the emissions trading scheme at the current level in our economy. 
Finally I want to say—and I am touching on something that is very important for my electorate—that what will be introduced is an offset scheme for pre-1990 forest land owners allowing for the full tranche of compensation where offsetting is not taking place. That is extremely reasonable. There is far too much farmland that we are growing trees on that we could be farming on and we are farming on land that we could be growing trees on. This bill is actually recognising what is important to the economy and bringing flexibility to a system that is also good for the economy. 
I look forward to this bill coming to the Finance and Expenditure Committee. I look forward to us having the opportunity to hear from New Zealanders on all sides of this debate. This is a responsible thing for New Zealand. It is a responsible thing for agriculture in this country and I commend Tim Groser again for bringing a responsible bill to this House. Thank you.