Hon Dr Nick Smith
National Party Climate Change Spokesman

11 September 2008

Flawed ETS bill will be amended by National

The rushed passage of the Emissions Trading Bill will be a hospital pass for the incoming government, says National's Climate Change spokesman, Nick Smith.

"This bill is riddled with errors that will cost New Zealand households and businesses dearly.

"Labour has learnt nothing from its nine years of policy failures on climate change. They keep rushing out poorly thought out proposals that end up falling apart while emissions keep growing faster and faster.

"This is déjà vu. Labour did the same rushed job on the electoral finance law and made the same empty promises after hundreds of amendments, but the law has subsequently proved to be unworkable.

"Not a single MP can claim to have understood the 785 amendments that were introduced and passed on the same day, yet a single word wrong in this critical law can cost tens of millions of dollars.

"This gung ho attitude to such an important bill has been driven by Helen Clark's desperate desire to actually do something other than just talk about climate change. It has nothing to do with producing a balanced, workable scheme.

"National will have a difficult job amending this bill into a functional emissions trading scheme.

"We want a workable scheme in place by 2010, and to that end we will introduce a package of amendments next year consistent with our ten-page minority report."

ENDS

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