Shearer David: Ministerial Statements — Dairy Products Whey Protein—Contamination IncidentText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeShearer David: Ministerial Statements — Dairy Products Whey Protein—Contamination Incident[Sitting date: 06 August 2013. Volume:692;Page:12294. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]DAVID SHEARER (Leader of the Opposition):Our priority today and over the next few days is making sure that parents here and abroad have the accurate information they need to ensure that their children are safe. As a parent I understand how anxious they might be feeling. They are confused and worried about whether there is a risk to the health of their kids. Their questions must be answered in full. They must have access to accurate and timely advice and nothing must be held back from them. The safety of our children and children abroad is paramount.We are standing alongside the Government as it works with Fonterra to provide answers for parents. We will also support its efforts to protect our export markets and the international reputation that we have from further damage. When the time is right we will also be demanding answers as many New Zealanders will be. Why did the potential contamination take so long to detect? Why did it take so long to tell people about it? Why has the Ministry of Health not played a major role in getting information to parents? What protocols do the Ministry for Primary Industries and Fonterra have for handling these situations and have they followed them? And what can we do to prevent this kind of shambles ever happening again?Fonterra is New Zealand’s largest company. It came into existence under law under a previous Labour Government. It was given special rights to operate largely outside the Commerce Act to maximise our nation’s wealth and we are proud of its achievements. But with rights comes enormous responsibility. As our only truly global companyFonterra’s responsibility includes protecting our reputation as a source of safe high-quality food. This is built as much on trust as it is on technology but the quality of trust disappears as transparency fades. Fonterra in this case has let us down. Its strategic communications have been hugely lacking. People understand that things can go wrong but they expect to be told the truth and given the full facts. That is what this country is known for around the world—our honesty and our transparency. That must never be put at risk.Hard questions must also be asked about the role of the Government. Have Ministers done enough? Has the Ministry for Primary Industries been too hands-off? The Ministry for Primary Industries’ mission statement is to grow and protect New Zealand but has the push for growing exports overshadowed the critical focus on protection—in this case the protection of families and their children of our international standing as a safe food exporter and of our nation’s overall reputation?We must work harder than ever to safeguard our valuable relationship with our trading partners including China. China is right to be asking questions of us given events such as the dicyandiamide scare and the problems with meat certification. It is devastating today to see the Chinese media describing our “100% Pure New Zealand” campaign as a festering sore and claiming that our food safety issues are systemic. This shows that the “she’ll be right” attitude simply does not cut it in our global market place. We must be more vigilant than that. This issue is bigger than politics butFonterra is not bigger than Parliament. It is up to us in this House to come together and make sure that everything that happens from this moment on happens in the best interests of parents and of our country.