Ross Jami-Lee: Land Transport Management Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Ross Jami-Lee: Land Transport Management Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 11 September 2012. Volume:683;Page:5110. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany) 
: 
 Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this bill the Land Transport Management Amendment Bill. I think it is a bill that will go down very well in this House once it has been through the full select committee process once all parities have had an opportunity to fully consider the exceptional benefits that can come from the bill and once we have had an opportunity to go out there and consult with the public on the benefits of the bill. 
 Approximately $3 billion annually from central government is spent on transport and from local government approximately $1.5 billion. We need to ensure that we are getting the best value for money with our transport regime that is in place. We need to also ensure that we lower the compliance costs where we can and this bill seeks to do that. 
I want to pick up on a few comments about the roads of national significance and particularly on one I heard from Julie Anne Genter just before. She was making some comments about Greece and about how we may run into a situation where we end up with motorways that are empty. I have to say that I realise she is a little newer to Auckland than I am but I do not know any motorways in Auckland that are empty except in the dead of the night. 
Aucklanders in particular along with many many New Zealanders around the country are crying out for even greater investment in infrastructure—transport infrastructure—around the country. They are crying out for greater investment in roading infrastructure around this country. New Zealanders have endorsed our plan for the roads of national significance. They have welcomed the roads of national significance policy. 
As David Bennett has spoken about people in parts of the country have been waiting years for some of these projects to go ahead. Let us remember that 92 percent of freight in this country moves on roads. Let us remember that we want to build a stronger economy in this country. Let us remember the economic potential that these roads of national significance will help to open up. Let us remember the New Zealanders who rely on good quality infrastructure to operate their businesses to get to work and to get their families to and from engagements around their cities and around the country. New Zealanders are welcoming this policy and we are proud to stand behind it. 
The great panacea the great project that the Opposition and some people in Auckland are proposing to solve all the transport problems in Auckland is the central business district rail loop. Let us remember that in 2041 the central business district rail loop will remove only 1400 cars from the road out of 29000 cars that will be travelling on the road. Let us remember that their great hope for transport change in Auckland would see transport benefits of only about $300 million to $400 million based on an approximately $3 billion project. 
Phil Twyford 
: What’s your alternative Jami? What’s your alternative? 
JAMI-LEE ROSS 
: It is the projects that we are spending money on Mr Twyford the projects that we are putting funding into. It is the $12 billion that this Government is investing in roads of national significance the $3 billion that we spend on transport every year—the $3 billion that is going into better quality infrastructure something that the Labour Government underfunded underspent on and did not put a priority on which New Zealanders are crying out for and are looking to this Government to continue. The roads of national significance policy is worthwhile continuing. It has been endorsed by the voters at election time and they will be able to see it implemented further through the passage of this bill. 
There are other important provisions in this bill around changing the purpose and getting a more effective efficient and safe transport system. By combining planning documents we will see more efficiency gained. By giving the New Zealand Transport Agency the opportunity to borrow further if the opportunity arises for future projects to be looked at earlier than expected and by simplifying the tolling process that organisations have to go through if they wish to consider a tolling project the bill will enable more cost-effective tolling projects to be proceeded with. 
This is a good bill. It deserves to be supported by Opposition members. If they do not support it tonight they should at least look at it properly through the select committee process. If anyone will be ashamed at the end of this process it will be those people if they do not support a good piece of legislation that allows greater investment in important transport infrastructure around the country.