Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barry so Per, senior political correspondence with US Barry, Hello,
good afternoon. On the energy something very close to an
energy crisis that we're facing at the moment, act once
a cross party accord on this. What are the details?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Well, I think they're hoping against all hope actually, because
you'll remember it was the Labor government that the first
action it took was to ban all prospecting for gas
and for oil, and that hardly going now to turn
around and go, yep, we'll agree with that, we'll have
a cross party accord. And it's just being bloody stubborn,
ye when you think about it, because this country is
(00:32):
at the moment going through an energy crisis. I mean,
hydro lake levels are very low, there's high seasonal demand
for power of course, being in the winter, and wholesale
prices have spiked to almost double what they were a
month ago, so things are out of control. The energy
companies at the moment are sitting on the costs, but
(00:55):
in the end, unless something gives, that cost will be
borne by the consumer Electricity Bill. Now, actors calling on
Labor in the Greens to come to the table to
form some sort of cross party stance that the party's
energy spokesman Simon Courts hears, it'll tell the world that
(01:16):
it's a safe place to invest in energy projects, because
that's what this ban has done. It's driven companies away
who would invest if they think that investment is going
to be undone if there's a change in government now.
Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones, he was on his feet
in Parliament today and he left it a no doubt
as to where he and the government stands on our
(01:38):
dependence on others when it comes to energy stores that
we actually naturally should have in this country.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
In recent years, Sir, countries around the world have been
scrambling to strengthen fuel security. We sadly have headed off
in the opposite direction. We've followed a path of flakiness,
green ruination. How this that those people who thought that
they would improve energy resilience in New Zealand are now
(02:05):
reduced to requiring ongoing imports of Indonesian coal. And we
will stand with industry and ensure that industry is not
monstered by green termites nibbling away at our economic capital, you.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Know, and he's absolutely right, of course, any right thinking
person would say exactly that that we've got the resources here.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
What are we doing.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
We're importing the resources that we can actually uncover in
this country. It's patently absurd.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
There is a spat between ACT and Jerry Browne still
kicking on today.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well, no it's not. ACT was on its feet and
I didn't notice any lapel badge, as I know they
wouldn't be recognized by the Speaker if they did when
it came to questioning. But it was a shamozzel in
the debating chamber last week, wasn't it where ACT members
were told to not to wear those lapel badges. David
(03:00):
Seymour indicated that he was losing confidence in the Speaker,
Jerry Brownly. Well, today it was a much more orderly affair,
I've got to say it. But it began with Brownly
reminding MPs they have a legitimate route to follow if
they are upset about how things are going, and not
just in the debating chamber but in Parliament as a whole.
(03:21):
He reminded them that they have a Commissioner for Parliamentary
Standards who they can complain to.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
The safe ground of the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards provides
members and staff with a less time sensitive opportunity to
raise matters which reflect poorly on the culture of this House.
As at two pm today, the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards
has not received any formal complaints or reports on any
matters relating to stance of behavior and the parliamentary complex
(03:48):
since her appointment. I encourage members to work with the
Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards. We're appropriate great job to have that.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Lynn Provost is the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. She was at
the beginning of last year, so she has now a
hell of a lot to do. She was the former
Order to General. I'm not sure how much she costs us.
I tried to find that out, but without success. I'm afraid.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Who's off to the Pacific.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Well, isn't it amazing I heard your wonderful interview that
you had with Professor White from Australia about orcust Pillar
two and how it clearly sends a signal to China
that we're currying favor with the Americans as opposed to China,
who of course is our biggest trading partner by far.
Now Winston Peters and he's barely at home these days.
(04:38):
He's off to the Pacific on a four country tour.
It'll be a cross party delegation that he's taking with them.
And the thing that I find extraordinary is that the
government had a goal of visiting all seventeen Pacific countries
this year. Well when they finished this tour, they will
have visited to fourteen out of the seventeen and that's extraordinary.
(05:04):
So we're currying favor in the Pacific to show that, Look,
we are at home in the Pacific, not the Chinese,
who of course have made a lot of inroads into
this part of the world in recent years by the absence,
I might say, of America.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Yeah, so Winston's definitely raising those energy levels. I thank you,
very appreciate it. Very Soper, Senior political correspondent.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
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