17 May 2002

Public Faith in Select Committee Process Sorely Tested

"The public's faith in the Select Committee process has been sorely tested by yet another Kyoto consultation whitewash says Federated Farmer's President Alistair Polson.

"The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee's report on the International Treaty Examination of the Kyoto Protocol released yesterday draws conclusions on the impacts of ratification which are not supported by their analysis of the issues, said Mr Polson.

"This view is reinforced by the tabling of the National Party Member's Minority report supporting the overwhelming majority of submitters that opposed early ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

"The Committee's report confirms there are few arguments in support of ratification since the bulk of the discussion focuses on the strong arguments against ratification. Despite this the Committee has concluded that they support early ratification.

"Committing New Zealand to ratification before our major competitors is naïve and exposes the New Zealand economy to unnecessary risk. The irresponsibility of early ratification is reinforced by the likelihood New Zealand's Kyoto obligations rising significantly over the second and third commitment periods commencing 2013."

ENDS

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