It is a pleasure to rise and take a call in the debate on the Taxation (Annual Rates, Trans-Tasman Savings Portability, KiwiSaver, and Remedial Matters) Bill. I speak as deputy leader of the ACT Party. The ACT Party will be supporting this bill.
The last comments we heard from the Labour speaker Stuart Nash were that he was astonished and disgusted that the Government increased GST.
Stuart Nash: No, that Mr Key said he would not, and he did.
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN: He said he would not, and he did? Mr Nash is astonished and disgusted that GST has increased.
I absolutely have to laugh whenever I hear Labour members talk about electricity cost rises and people struggling. Every single member of the Labour Party knows that had Labour been re-elected at the last election, we would have had Labour’s emissions trading scheme, and electricity prices would have risen by 10 percent.
Hon Member: Not that old theme again.
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN: What do we get from Ruth Dyson? She said: “Not that again.” I remind Ruth Dyson and every single member of the Labour Party—and I will continue to remind every single member of the Labour Party and every New Zealander—that prior to the last election Labour passed an emissions trading scheme—
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I mentioned in a previous intervention that in a third reading speech one can refer only to what is actually in the bill. I remind members of Speaker’s Ruling 117/4, and I will quote so it is very clear about what I said earlier: “On the third reading of a bill a member cannot discuss—(1) Any matter not included in the clauses of the bill; (2) a clause that was ruled out of order by the Speaker; (3) the merits of an amendment proposed by the member and ruled out of order in committee;”—and that was the case with Mr Nash. I bring the member back to the substance and purpose of the bill, which is very clear. Material in passing can be mentioned, but it cannot form the substantive part of the debate.
Hon JOHN BOSCAWEN: I was not intending my call to be a long one.
I draw members’ attention to the commentary on the bill, which sets out the number of changes being made to the emissions trading scheme in this bill. My understanding is that those provisions still apply.
The point I wanted to make is that I hear the debate from the Labour members about people struggling under rising electricity prices, but no one in this House and no New Zealander should be in any doubt whatsoever that if the emissions trading scheme had not been amended, rather than a 5 percent increase in electricity prices, we would have had a 10 percent increase. That is a fact. The real issue is why electricity prices are rising at all. Thank you