Genter Julie Anne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGenter Julie Anne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 01 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19036. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green)to the Minister of Transport: Why are the regional State highway projects announced at the weekend being funded from asset sales rather than the transport budget?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister of Transport):The Future Investment Fund was created to ensure that New Zealand has high-quality productive infrastructure. The Accelerated Regional Roading Package delivers as announced on Sunday high-quality infrastructure that will be of benefit to New Zealand’s regions.Julie Anne Genter: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. This was a question on notice and I think that the intent of the question is quite clearly to ask why the projects are not being funded from the transport budget. The Minister did not address that in his answer.Mr SPEAKER: No the Minister did. You asked in your question about why it has been funded by asset sales. The Minister then went on and said that the purpose was to create this fund to be used to develop quality infrastructure. The question was certainly addressed.Julie Anne Genter: Is not the reason that the $3 billion transport budget is not enough to fund crucial regional transport projects that this Government has starved the regions to pay for its low-value roads of national significance programme?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: No that is not true. The Government has had a considerable amount of funding going into the regions. The point that has been made over the last couple of days is that that will continue for the years to come. In actual fact that $3 billion-plus that is going to the regions reflects an increase on what has been spent over the last few years but it is incremental on what has been spent. So suggestions that we have cut them off and cut them short are utterly ludicrous. This is an extra that will make a difference to communities. They are roads and improvements that those communities have asked for and this Government will deliver them. Any other Government will not.Julie Anne Genter: I seek leave to table an update from the New Zealand Transport Agency stating that there was a moratorium on new infrastructure for State highways because of the roads of national significance.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The document has been described. I assume it is something that is not easily available to members?Julie Anne Genter: It is not easily available. It was sent to me—Mr SPEAKER: On that basis I will put the question for the House to determine. Leave is sought to table this particular New Zealand Transport Agency document. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Julie Anne Genter: Is the reason that the Government is raising the petrol tax today that it has spent so much money on its uneconomic roads of national significance programme at a time when road use is declining; if not why not?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: No.Julie Anne Genter: Would the Government have had to raise the petrol tax and sell assets to pay for regional roads given that there is a $3 billion transport budget if it had not wasted so much money on its low-value roads of national significance programme?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I doubt that anywhere in New Zealand where those roads of national significance are being built or anywhere in New Zealand where these regional roads are being proposed or anywhere in New Zealand where the $3.7 billion is going to be spent in the next 4 years there will be a majority of people who agree with the member that these roads should not progress. The first point is that the National Land Transport Fund is created by virtue of the road tax. We are making roads faster for people more efficient for business and safer for motorists.Rt Hon John Key: Can the Minister confirm that one of the reasons why petrol tax has declined is that cars have become so much more fuel efficient and so much more environmentally friendly; and can the Minister also confirm whether the money that is going into roading is being spent to make our roads safer so that fewer people die on those roads and is it not a good thing for New Zealanders that we have much safer roads?Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Hon Gerry—Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You have been at pains in recent months to abbreviate questions that are asked—supplementary questions in particular. Why did you not act then?Mr SPEAKER: I invite the member to go back and listen to the tape afterwards because he will see that I did. As soon as the Prime Minister’s question got to the third question within a supplementary question I decided that two were more than enough and I rose to my feet and stopped the question. I now require the Hon Gerry Brownlee to answer it.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Not only are vehicles becoming more fuel-efficient the Government has moved to allow high-productivity vehicles—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am just having trouble hearing the answer because of the interjections still coming from the Rt Hon Winston Peters. Could he cease? If he wants to have a conversation afterwards I am happy to have it but I would be grateful if we could have this question answered so that I could at least hear the answer.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Thanks Mr Speaker. I heard the noise and until now I did not know what a moa sounded like.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Simply answer the question.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Not only are vehicles becoming more fuel-efficient but also the Government has moved to introduce high-productivity motor vehicles or freight transport to try to get better efficiency out of our roads. Also it is worth noting that if you take a road of national significance like the Christchurch Southern Motorway the time that it now takes to travel from well south of the city to the Port of Lyttelton is reduced by around about 25 minutes. You can only speculate about what a huge benefit that will have not only for efficiency and for the economy but also for the environment as well.Julie Anne Genter: For the benefit of the Prime Minister I seek leave to table evidence that vehicle kilometres travelled are falling on State highways—Mr SPEAKER: And the source of the document?Julie Anne Genter: The New Zealand Transport Agency.Mr SPEAKER: Well again that information I assume is on its website or is the member saying it is not?Julie Anne Genter: He is apparently—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The point of raising a point of order seeking leave to table a document is to inform members. If it is information freely available to members then they will if they want the information source it.Julie Anne Genter: I seek leave to table a report from MWH on the Whirokino Trestle which is one of the regional road projects showing that it has a benefit-cost ratio of—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The document has now been described. On the basis that it is not freely available to members I will put the leave. It is a MWH report. Leave is sought to table it. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.