Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Robertson Grant: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 13 November 2012. Volume:685;Page:6492. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
4. 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by his statement “What we do environmentally matters a great deal but we also want jobs and we also want to make sure we’re not prioritising that over everything else. I think we’ve got that balance about right”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister) 
: 
 Yes. 
Grant Robertson 
: When Cabinet made the decision for New Zealand to withdraw from the next commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol what advice did it receive on the possible impact of such a decision on New Zealand’s international reputation and “clean green” brand? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The Government received a wide range of advice on the overall issue of the implication of going down the convention track. What it is fair to say is that if New Zealand was in the firm binding commitment period for the second commitment period when 85 percent of global emissions are not covered by that in the view of the Government that would have quite an implication. 
Dr Russel Norman 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was about what advice the Government had received about the impact on New Zealand’s reputation. It is a very direct question and the Minister did not answer that. He said: “We’ve received a broad range of advice.” 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I accept the member’s point. If the Prime Minister could cover—because the question focused exactly on that issue. The Prime Minister in answer said that the Government had received a range of advice but the question asked was on New Zealand’s international reputation in respect of our “clean green” image. If the right honourable Prime Minister could answer that. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: There was a wide range of advice. I cannot remember the specific advice in relation to the reputation. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I thank the Prime Minister. 
Grant Robertson 
: Does he accept that New Zealand’s “clean green” brand is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to our economy in sectors such as the primary industry and tourism; if not what is the latest estimate of its value? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: There is no doubt that New Zealand’s “clean green” image has a very positive impact on the country and I think this Government is maintaining that. It is why we are putting so much money into water quality. That is why we have been emphasising renewable energy. That is why we have been bringing out national policy statements. There is a wide range of things that we have been doing but signing up New Zealand to a binding second commitment period when 85 percent of world emissions are not included including countries like the United States Canada Russia China and India does not in my opinion make any sense whatsoever. 
Grant Robertson 
: Is he aware of studies that show that a 5 percent drop in New Zealand’s reputation for its “clean green” image could cost the economy more than 22000 jobs an annual direct loss of $455 million in primary products sales and a $155 million loss in international tourism and why is he prepared to do this much damage to the New Zealand economy? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: No and we are not. 
Grant Robertson 
: Why is he prepared to sacrifice thousands of jobs in the forestry sector by abandoning the Kyoto Protocol commitment and—as Brian Fallow from the  
New Zealand Herald 
 has put it—putting the emissions trading scheme into “an induced coma”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: The member is quite wrong. If there is to be— 
Grant Robertson 
: I’m not wrong. 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: Yes you are actually in this particular instance. We are not abandoning Kyoto; New Zealand is going to have a firm and binding commitment which we will announce next year. We are going down the convention track which covers 85 percent of emissions. What we are not prepared to do is sign up to a binding second commitment period just in the same way that that member is not prepared to bind himself to a commitment period of another year of David Shearer. 
Grant Robertson 
: How is Geoff Thompson a member of the Government’s own climate change review panel wrong when he says that the Government’s inaction on climate change will see “our international reputation eroded … our trade reputation our clean green image undermined”? 
Rt Hon JOHN KEY 
: For a start-off with the greatest respect to Geoff Thompson he does not have all of the information that the Government has. Secondly the Government is running an emissions trading scheme the Government is going to come out with a binding target next year and the Government is going to follow the UN convention track that the vast overwhelming bulk of countries are going to. But if Grant Robertson wants to tell every New Zealand consumer and business that they have to pay more and in the same breath get up and say that he is worried about jobs in New Zealand then he should go out on the campaign trail when he is the leader in a few weeks’ time and say that. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Question No. 5 Jonathan Young. [ 
Interruption 
] Order! [ 
Interruption 
] Order! I think we will probably score that about one all and we will cease these interjections.