6. Question No. 6—TransportCHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 6—Transport6. CHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Minister of Transport: How much revenue was raised by the fuel tax increases on 30 September 2018 and 1 July 2019 and how much is forecast to be raised annually by the increase from today?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport): From 30 September 2018 through to 30 June 2020 $291.8 million was raised by the two increases. The increase on 1 July 2020 will raise around $100 million per year which will help fund infrastructure and create jobs across the country.Chris Bishop: Why should New Zealanders have any confidence in the ability of the Government to deliver on projects that are ostensibly funded by the hundreds of millions of dollars raised in revenue from these fuel tax increases when his flagship project the Auckland light rail project has been cancelled?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Because we've made some great progress addressing the years of neglect that we—Hon Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Sorry and I apologise to my colleague. I'm just looking at the primary question which is actually very narrow around revenue and I just wonder how that supplementary—SPEAKER: I'm going to ask the Minister of Transport to read the last sentence of his reply to the primary question. Hon PHIL TWYFORD: The last bit? The increase on 1 July 2020 will raise around $100 million per year which will help fund infrastructure and create jobs across the country.SPEAKER: That's what got it in. Mr Bishop ask it again.Chris Bishop: Why should New Zealanders have any confidence in the Government to deliver on the projects that are ostensibly funded from the increase in fuel tax revenue when his flagship project the Auckland light rail project has been essentially cancelled?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Simply because we've made great progress addressing years of neglect that we inherited. We've already improved 2500 kilometres of State highways with safety upgrades. And in Auckland after plugging the $5.9 billion hole that the former Minister of Transport left in the Auckland Transport Alignment Project construction is occurring on the Eastern Busway State Highway 20B the Puhinui Interchange the old Māngere Bridge replacement project the City Rail Link the Constellation bus station just to name a few. And yesterday Mayor Phil Goff and I kicked off construction on the Matakana link road which will create 120 jobs. Chris Bishop: Will any of the increased revenue from the fuel tax increase be spent on the north-western bus rapid transit project which has gone nowhere for the last three years? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: The member should wait and see.Chris Bishop: At a time of huge economic uncertainty for many Kiwi families does he really think it is the right time to put up costs on households?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Yes because we have a hypothecated funding system for transport in New Zealand that we can thank the Hon Annette King for when she was transport Minister. Every cent raised through the fuel excise duty is spent on transport infrastructure and services and right now that stimulates the economy and boosts jobs. If the member wants to cut the transport budget he should know he is cutting the jobs of New Zealanders.Chris Bishop: Why are road-user charges increasing by 5.3 percent today and what message does this send to our trucking industry that the Prime Minister himself and other Ministers have lauded as getting us through the lockdown?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well simply because as the national road carriers have pointed out New Zealand roads have been deteriorating due to a lack of proper maintenance. That's no surprise because under the former National Government there were real cuts in road maintenance that left the highways in a mess. Under this Government along with the council we've put half a billion dollars extra into maintaining our roads in this country and pre-COVID the New Zealand Transport Agency was on track to deliver a 60 percent increase in road maintenance. That's why we need a transport budget and if the member wants to cut the budget that's what he's cutting.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Minister as to whether or not the evidence of what he's saying is attested to by Mainfreight paying back $10 million of the wage subsidy because they were doing far better than they thought?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: It's true that Mainfreight have reported that their business has returned much more quickly than was earlier expected to the freight flows around the country. I will point out also that Mainfreight who've moved more freight around this country than anyone else are very strong advocates not only for investing more in transport infrastructure but investing in rail the very thing that that party wants to cut.