Bridges SimonHon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Transport): It is very good a real privilege actually to speak on this bill very briefly. Can I just echo the comments of others and give my thanks as someone not directly involved to the Minister in charge of this bill the Hon Gerry Brownlee for I think taking a very good approach to this. It has involved in a pretty consensual way really the other parties in this House and they have acknowledged this. Can I just also acknowledge the select committee the chairperson and as Denis O'Rourke called it the Fish and Chip Committee" for what they have done and the way they have worked through it.This bill of course is absolutely vital for dealing with the issues that we have had post-earthquake. There is simply no other way to do it. We have all seen quite a number of us now I think probably firsthand what has happened there—the massive devastation. In my particular area the roads the slips are bigger than we have ever seen before on our modern-day highways. Conventional settings will simply not help us do what needs to be done—to do the sorts of things that Steffan Browning was just talking about: to give access back for tourism for the milk tankers for farmers and for the friends and whānau down there. That from a transport perspective at least is what this is about—access to get all of those things back up and running sooner than would otherwise be the case.Of course there are other interests in this and Eugenie Sage and others have talked about those environmental issues the social issues. And that is why throughout this bill and the others there are good processes put in place and that is very important. But that access is also fundamental.Can I just say in the last minute or two of my speech what in a real sense this bill and the others the suite of bills here are going to help with. On the inland route we will be getting access back. I have seen as I say firsthand the emotion actually of some of those on either side of the cordon who wanted to get in to their farms or out from their farms to see friends and whānau. This is going to ensure we can do a better job there. With State Highway 1 out of action of course there is that other inland route down State Highways 63 65 66 and 67. It is a good road but not fundamentally built for the trucking the tourists and so on who are on it. It will help with that also. Of course every day we are there maintaining that road and improving it with about $50 million to $100 million worth of work which is going to happen over the next few months on that. What is also vital there is getting some of those trucks off into ships. I was talking to the people at the Port of Auckland earlier today and they told me that they have post-earthquakes seen an uptick of about 1000 containers going through the Port of Auckland down to Lyttelton. I think that gives you a sense of the trucks that would have otherwise been on State Highway 1 or the trains that are not taking that inland route but the truth is that we need to. And we will I think from what is happening here see more of that.On State Highway 1 this legislation and the others will be vital. I think we can be somewhat more optimistic perhaps than we have been possibly over the next wee while about that. And on the southern side we have seen progress by the contractor Downer. It is going quicker than we thought. It is making really good progress so that it is a matter of weeks a small number of months not longer than that to get access back although there will be other work that will need to be done of course. On that other northern side it is a longer more complex job but this will be sooner rather than later as a result of this bill. As I say this bill is vital in helping us with the job we have got to do.Bill read a third time.The House adjourned at 5.40 p.m."