Scoop Audio: Key on the ETS Report and DOC Mining

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The Select Committee reviewing NZ’s Emissions Trading Scheme finally tabled its report today.

[Review of the Emissions Trading Scheme and related matters (PDF)]

In his press conference this afternoon the Prime Minister said political negotiations would be “meaty”, and his government was talking with Labour, as well as the smaller parties.

He said he was "hopeful" agreement could be reached in time for inclusion of the energy sector in January 2010. The Government's ability to achive this was greeted with a fair degree of skepticism from the press gallery.

Key said the current legislation, brought in by the previous Labour Government, would hurt the economy, raise prices and cost jobs.

Whipping out his favourite phrase “Balance environmental responsibilities with economic opportunities” he went on to sing the praises of “surgical mining", after questions about Government plans to open up the Department of Conservation estate.

He refused to be drawn on which areas would be mined saying only that he would wait for the review of section 4 classified DOC land.

Key continued to refuse to answer Scoop’s questions about SAS troop deployments to Afghanistan, refusing to rule out the possibility that NZ SAS would conduct operations across the Afghan border in Pakistan.

“I’m just not going to make comments on operational matters.”

He said he will make “some comments at some point”.

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