Peachey Allan: Infrastructure Bill — First Reading 
Peachey Allan: Infrastructure Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5856] 
ALLAN PEACHEY (National—Tamaki) 
: 
 It is indeed a privilege to speak in favour of the Infrastructure Bill and to commend it to the House. The National Government’s infrastructure policy will be admired and imitated for generations to come. Historians will be breathless at the scope of the development that took place under the Key National Government. They will be breathless at the impact that the infrastructure policy had on the prosperity growth and standard of living of New Zealanders. But above all else historians will comment upon the contrast between a National Government that developed New Zealand’s potential and gave its people the opportunity to enjoy success and prosperity and the 9 years of adhockery hit-and-miss and wasted money of a failed socialist Government. The contrast will be commented upon by historians for generations to come. 
The development of infrastructure is essential if New Zealand is to lift its national productivity and improve and expand its future economic growth and prosperity. For this to happen it is necessary firstly to improve the consistency of regulatory arrangements for infrastructure development; secondly to streamline governance arrangements; and thirdly to remove regulatory barriers. That is what this bill does. Each of these actions to be achieved by this bill will contribute to improving the timeliness of infrastructure provision and reducing the cost of infrastructure development. The purpose of the Infrastructure Bill is threefold: firstly to facilitate infrastructure development by removing unnecessary barriers; secondly to improve the consistency of regulatory arrangements; and thirdly to review regulation and remove red tape. That is what this Government is all about: getting rid of the red tape that gets in the way of development of New Zealand and in way of New Zealanders’ opportunity to enjoy prosperity. 
The Infrastructure Bill repeals the Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Act 2008. The purpose of this Act was to provide councils with regulatory tools to address problems of housing affordability in their districts but it did not work. It has been interesting to listen to Labour speakers try to defend that legislation—their legislation—which did not work. Many developers and many territorial authorities have raised concern that the Act is counter-productive and likely to reduce rather than increase the supply of affordable housing. It is one more example of how the socialist Government got it so badly wrong. So the Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Act 2008 is to be repealed. 
The Infrastructure Bill proposes substantive amendment to a number of pieces of legislation six of which are dealt with in Part 2: the Telecommunications Act 2001 the Electricity Act 1992 the Gas Act 1992 the Local Government Act 1974 the Railways Act 2005 and the Government Roading Powers Act 1989. The purpose of the amendments to these Acts is to provide for consistent provision across the Acts being amended. One of the things the Government is looking for is reasonable conditions of access to road and rail corridors. Controlling authorities will have to have publicised criteria on which they will base their decisions for granting access. Part 3 amends the New Zealand Railways Corporation Act 1981 to remove statutory restrictions that negatively affect the running of the Railways Corporation’s business. 
The Infrastructure Bill is a major step towards cleaning up a regulatory mess that is getting in the way of New Zealand’s economic development. I am pleased to note that the Labour Party has at least been gracious enough to indicate its support for this bill’s going to a select committee. 
Hon David Parker 
: We started the work. 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: There goes Mr Parker who says they started the work. It seems to me that all they ever did was start work but never finish it. I suggest that members opposite who keep interjecting about starting things start to talk to us a little bit about why they never finished anything. Have members noticed that in 9 years they never finished anything? As the historians will say it was 9 years of adhockery—9 years of socialist adhockery. 
Let us take a moment to consider the scope of the infrastructure development that this Government is talking about. Budget 2009 increased the capital spending allowance from $900 million to $1.45 billion—$1.45 billion. This is just the first part of a planned $7.5 billion boost for infrastructure over the next 5 years. Under the planned spending capital spending allowances will remain at $1.45 billion for the next 4 years then rise to $1.65 billion in 2013-14. The historians will be breathless at the scope and scale of the infrastructure development in this country that has resulted from the work of the Key National Government. 
Let us have a look at the spending in some detail. In health $245 million of capital spending will address demographic pressures particularly in Auckland and will enable consideration of hospital upgrades and dedicated elective surgery theatres. That is $245 million of capital spending for health. For broadband—and I noted one of the Labour speakers talking about broadband before—$250 million in capital funding and $56 million in operational funding will be given for telecommunications infrastructure. This includes $200 million as the Government’s first contribution towards its $1.5 billion ultra-fast broadband plan $34 million of which will support schools. 
Hon David Parker 
: When? When? 
ALLAN PEACHEY 
: We listen to the Opposition members asking when and why. They had the opportunity. They had 9 years of adhockery and now all they can do in this debate is ask why and when. It is little wonder that the people threw them out of Government. 
In education there is $325.6 million and so it goes on. In housing there is $124.5 million in transport there is $142.4 million in rail there is $90 million and it goes on and on. 
I conclude by commending the Infrastructure Bill to the House. I note that historians will be speechless when they write the history of the development of New Zealand under the Key Government and then compare that to the adhockery of 9 years of socialist rule.