Charles Chauvel
Climate Change spokesperson

31 August 2009 Media Statement

Golden opportunity for meaningful ETS – if National chooses to take it

The Labour Party has used today’s report back of the ETS Committee to repeat its call for a broad-based scheme with integrity to be agreed by Parliament.

"Labour is fairly flexible on the ways in which the scheme could be amended to achieve National's stated goals while retaining the scheme’s original integrity,” Climate Change spokesperson Charles Chauvel said.

“We have set out in our minority report a wide range of options for amending the existing scheme. It is clearly in New Zealand's interests for National to consider these.

"This is a golden opportunity to reach a broad consensus and take New Zealand's ETS design off the political battlefield once and for all. We hope National will seize that opportunity. If they do, Labour is ready and willing to work with them.

"This would also mean that the last nine months spent rehearing evidence on the ETS already traversed last year by Parliament would not be a total waste of time.

“However, Labour would not support amendments that contain massive uncosted subsidies to polluters under the guise of harmonisation with Australia's proposed ETS. Nor could we support price caps that would further devastate new forestry planting.

"We hope the Government acts responsibly on climate change and proposes amendments that make sense for the environment, the economy and Kiwi taxpayers," Charles Chauvel said.‬

ENDS

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