Stanford EricaERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays): Thank you Mr Chair. I rise to speak in support of Stuart Smith's tabled amendment. I note earlier that the Minister whipped out his Merriam-Webster—or perhaps even hopefully his small Collins dictionary that he carries around in his pocket—to give us the definition of tax in that its sole purpose is to raise revenue which is not the intent of this bill. That may be true but it's still hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue that we will be raising that will flow through into our electricity prices and gas prices and hit the back pockets of Kiwis. The amendments that this Government have been making to the emissions trading scheme (ETS) in the setting of a floor and a ceiling and now a secret reserve price in our view are moving a pure emissions trading scheme far more close to a carbon tax—maybe not 100 percent there but it is certainly moving in that direction. The Minister has blurred the lines between the two. We've ended up with sort of a hybrid version: we don't have a pure ETS we don't quite have a carbon tax but we're pretty close to a carbon tax and as I say we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars that will flow through and hit Kiwis in the pocket. The Minister is effectively through these mechanisms in our view setting the price. I know that he's splitting hairs and saying Oh well I just do the mechanism that then sets the price; it's two different things" but effectively the Minister is setting the price. We have made it very clear in round two of our speeches that we do consider that anything akin to setting a tax needs—the long-established principle of this place is that the Parliament alone has the power to tax not the Government not the Minister of Climate Change but this Parliament. That is our view. We do understand that this Parliament can't debate the mechanism because then it would be public and that would defeat the whole purpose of having a secret mechanism to set a secret price—we understand that. But what we're asking the Minister tonight very clearly is to consider a compromise whereby he involves the leaders of the Opposition parties when he is setting that mechanism. As per Stuart Smith's tabled amendment that's the compromise that we're asking for. As Scott Simpson said in the words of Kennedy Graham and the Minister has said this himself on many occasions that this legislation needs to have the buy-in of all parties that we want cross-party support we want cross-party work. Well this is the opportunity for the Minister to put his words into action by supporting our tabled amendment and allowing the Opposition leaders to be consulted over this particular part of the legislation. So we are standing here tonight to implore you Minister to consider this. I don't think that it's any skin off your nose to have a conversation with the leaders of the Opposition parties over this because it is a big deal to us. We do consider this to be more of a tax than a pure ETS and we have said in many of our speeches tonight that there is a long established principle that goes all the way back to the Bill of Rights that this Parliament alone has the power to tax. Now whether or not the Minister agrees that it is a tax or it isn't a tax we are firmly of the belief that it is moving shifting away from a pure ETS far more into the territory of a tax. Our concern is that we can't have this Parliament debate that. The very least that we are asking the Minister to do as a compromise is to support this tabled amendment in the name of Stuart Smith tonight and put his money where his mouth is or turn those words into action when he talks about cross-party support for climate change legislation.We support the ETS. We support the Minister and what he's doing. We want to drive our emissions down as well. But this is a point of principle and as I said it's no skin off the Minister's nose to support this. If there is some huge impediment to supporting this amendment tonight I would really implore the Minister to get up and tell us what it is because this is something that we are very keen on."