Jones Dail: General Debates 
Jones Dail: General Debates 
[Volume:617;Page:13071] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 I just want to turn the debate around to the issue that confronts New Zealanders at the moment which is the question of the upcoming Budget and the steps many New Zealanders would like to see taken care of in the Budget from the point of view of the elderly and the family person. Many of the issues New Zealand First has raised have been taken care of since the last election at least in part. We have seen our Treaty of Waitangi issue taken up by the National Party immigration is down and Ron Mark works extremely hard on law and order. Since the last election one of the issues that cropped up about 12 months ago has been the port and sherry tax. I really insist hope and expect that the Minister of Finance with a $7 billion surplus will ensure that the port and sherry tax goes. Why was it introduced? It was introduced to stop binge drinking by young people. Members know that binge drinking by young people is still continuing so the only people who are being affected by that tax are the elderly. The Labour Government may not be interested in the well-being of the elderly and the small enjoyment they may get from drinking port and sherry but I will be very very disappointed if that particular tax is not eliminated. 
It has been interesting to hear that Mr Anderton has suddenly had another one of those Labour - Progressive Coalition lights-on-the-way-to-Damascus experiences. He has now changed his mind on under-age drinking. I understand that he was one of the members in this House who voted to lower the drinking age to 18. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Did he? 
DAIL JONES 
: It is my understanding that he did last time. I may be wrong but that is what I have been told. Anyway Mr Anderton now agrees that the drinking age should be raised to 20. Well New Zealand First has a member’s bill ready to be introduced in this House if Mr Anderton is really serious about that. As a Government Minister he can take steps to introduce the bill himself if he wants to do so. Just how serious is this Labour Government about this ever-increasing problem? One only has to go out in a taxi late on Friday night or in the early hours of Saturday morning to see young people in all sorts of states of drunkenness on the streets as a result of lowering the drinking age. [ 
Interruption 
] The member from Dunedin can take that view but I am sure it probably happens in that city more often than in any other place. He does not care about the state of young people. But in New Zealand First we are very concerned about the whole situation. 
Another of Jim Anderton’s views that comes to mind and that is very appropriate today is his view on petrol prices. Before the election in 1999 there was nothing he would not have done to the oil companies when petrol prices went up. He was going to get really stuck into them and even in March 2000 he called for an inquiry into petrol price rises according to the  
Dominion 
. He was also critical of various oil companies and referred to predatory pricing and suchlike. But which issue confronting New Zealanders today will have a significant impact in the Budget? It is that there is a fuel price now of $1.29 a litre for 96 octane petrol in most cities. One of the reasons that the fuel price is being fuelled is the taxes being taken by this Labour Government for petrol. When the price goes up on a percentage basis the tax goes up and GST is added to it as well. I expect Jim Anderton to do what he said he would do 3 4 or 5 years ago about having a look at the real price of petrol. According to an article in the  
New Zealand Herald 
 today an energy consultant Alan Jenkins says that the real price for petrol should be about $1.07 per litre. But $1.29 per litre is what we have. Part of the reason for that is this Government’s taxation policies and its contribution to the price of petrol. 
I would expect Mr Cullen as the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to do something in this Budget to reduce the Government’s take on petrol so as to help all the people who have to go to work at odd hours of the day and night when they cannot use public transport. A responsible Government would do something like that in its Budget. That is what New Zealand First wants to see done and that is what Jim Anderton when he was in Opposition said should be done. He made some nominal effort when he was in Government to do that but he has now given up on that issue. New Zealand First is concerned at the effect of petrol prices on homeowners and on people trying to get to work every day especially in cities in New Zealand where they have a long drive to work. Taxi drivers are having trouble keeping their fares under control. I am told that Wellington’s largest fleet expects approval from the Land Transport Safety Authority for a 4.7 percent fare rise. 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: Ha ha! 
DAIL JONES 
: It is all right for Clayton Cosgrove to laugh because the Government pays his taxi fare but what about all the people who cannot get the Government to pay their fares for them?