Carter Chris: Antarctica (Environmental Protection: Liability Annex) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Carter Chris: Antarctica (Environmental Protection: Liability Annex) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
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Hon CHRIS CARTER (Labour—Te Atatu) 
: 
 It is rare indeed when members of the Opposition rise to support a motion put forward by the Government but we do so with the Antarctica (Environmental Protection: Liability Annex) Amendment Bill. I stand as the Labour Party’s foreign affairs spokesperson to support the Government on the bill. 
Listeners to and viewers of Parliament heard Nathan Guy speak on behalf of the Government about the reasons why the bill is important. He very adequately and well described the technical aspects of the bill. Viewers may think the bill does not sound very exciting or important but it is actually enormously important. Nothing could be more important for New Zealand especially than protection of the unique environment of the Antarctic. 
I was privileged to serve for 5 years as New Zealand’s Minister of Conservation. The Minister of Conservation has a special relationship to Antarctica because under the Conservation Act the Minister of Conservation is responsible for the biodiversity protection of the unique environment of the Ross Sea which is part of New Zealand’s claim to Antarctica. I was privileged to visit Antarctica in 2003 and to be able to see for myself that unique environment which makes up probably the most mysterious continent on the Earth. 
Why should New Zealanders—indeed why should people around this planet—care about the protection of the Antarctic? Because the Antarctic is probably the most unspoilt environment on the Earth. It is also incredibly important not just because of its unique biodiversity which I will talk a little bit more about in a moment but because of its impact on world climate. The Antarctic has been often described as one of the two lungs of the Earth; the other being the great tropical forests that span the equatorial regions of the Earth. 
Earlier today I was thinking about my contribution to this debate and I looked up the British Antarctic Survey’s latest report on Antarctica. The report heads up the very first paragraph with “Why should we study Antarctic climate?”. It goes on to state: “The Antarctic region is an important regulator of global climate. The Southern Ocean is a significant sink for both heat and carbon dioxide acting as a buffer against human-induced climate change.” 
Sadly climate change is taking place and if we do not do something about carbon dioxide emissions then it will get worse and the natural environment of the Antarctic will be further impacted by this change. 
What we are seeing and what we can regulate is the increasing human presence on Antarctica the most mysterious continent on the Earth. More and more tourists are travelling to Antarctica. Energy companies are eyeing the potential resources of the vast frozen continent for oil gas and other critical resources for our energy-hungry world. All of that will mean a greater human footprint in this most unique of continents. One of the ways in which we can protect the continent is by this amendment to legislation to make sure that any tourist operator any energy company and any scientist or visitor to Antarctica who causes an environmental impact is held responsible and liable for that damage. 
Just a few minutes ago Nathan Guy talked about what would happen if a ship started to sink. In my previous job as Minister of Conservation I had to deal with exactly that issue in Antarctica. The Japanese whaling ship  
Nissan Maru  
caught fire in February 2007. One of the crew was killed. The ship was loaded with diesel oil and many other chemicals used for the rendering down of whale carcasses. If that material had leaked into the Ross Sea we would have faced an environmental catastrophe. That is a very practical example of how this unique natural environment is at risk. 
I would like to stray on to the whole issue of Japanese whaling from which a thousand whales a year are slaughtered by the Japanese in the name of science. I guess in a way that that is an environmental violation of a unique environment too but my focus today has to be on the legislation. The bill is about providing a mechanism to deal with the growing human footprint in Antarctica about protecting the unique biodiversity and natural landscapes of that amazing continent and about a fine example of international cooperation. 
Finally New Zealand has a unique role in the Antarctic treaty process. Many aspects of Operation Deep Freeze operate out of Christchurch. We have the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. We were the port of call for Shackleton and Scott and the other great explorers of the Antarctic. Indeed New Zealand is responsible for the preservation of the unique historic sites in Antarctica of Scott’s hut and Shackleton’s hut which I have had the privilege of visiting. We have a special relationship with that continent and with what happens there so I say on behalf of Labour that we are very pleased to support the bill and we would be very excited to see its speedy process through this Parliament. Thank you.