SpeechANDREW FALLOON (National—Rangitata): Thank you Madam Speaker. I was hoping that the Government member over there would want to speak a bit more about this bill. But look it is a real pleasure to rise to support the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Bill.Even though I do support it I unfortunately do see it as inadequate. That is because first of all all it does is cherry-picks around 11 projects from around the country and does nothing actually for projects around the rest of the country which aren't given such gold-plated treatment. So as has been pointed out on this side of the House this afternoon and as members can see on the Table in front of us there are a range of projects all around the country that would benefit from a fast-track consenting process and yet haven't been included in this bill. What would have been far better actually is if we as my colleague Chris Bishop has alluded to have not just a fast-track consenting process but actually fundamental reform of the Resource Management Act which is unfortunately holding back so much development in this country. This bill is inadequate because it ignores large swaths of New Zealand. Of the 11 projects the vast bulk of those are in the North Island; despite green-lighting projects transport projects particularly in Auckland there is nothing in here in terms of transport projects for Canterbury nothing for road safety at all.Now in the committee of the whole House stage later on tonight I do intend to move two amendments to rectify some of those inadequacies. The first one of those is an amendment to include in this bill the road between Rolleston and Ashburton and to extend that to four lanes. So as part of the previous Government's roads of national significance programme that Chris Bishop has alluded to four lanes was extended or rolled out from Christchurch to Rolleston and now it's time to finish the job. According to NZTA's own statistics just a couple of years ago that road between Ashburton and Christchurch is now the second most dangerous stretch of highway in the country for fatalities and serious injuries. And that needs to change.This bill refers to the Papakura to Drury State Highway 1 roading upgrade. It refers to the need to improve safety on that important Auckland road. Yet the bill does nothing for one of the most dangerous roads in New Zealand Ashburton to Christchurch and that needs to change. Traffic volumes on that road have doubled over the last 20 years and with growth around PrimePort in Timaru also the Rolleston inland port and of course a thriving primary produce sector in mid- and South Canterbury the road has become more congested and less safe. My colleague Chris Bishop pointed out the fact that there's been I think one fatality on the roads of national significance the seven roads that were put in place by the previous Government. Well in contrast to that in the last three years there have been 10 people who've lost their lives on the road between Ashburton and Christchurch and that needs to change.Instead unfortunately that road was re-evaluated by the transport Minister Phil Twyford not long after he came into Government and as part of a $5 billion dollar cut to the State highway network it was shelved. That money was instead put into Auckland cycle and rail projects which makes it all the more incredible that we've now in recent weeks just seen the Auckland light rail project shelved.The second amendment I intend to move is for a second bridge over the Ashburton River. This is a project that the community wants and it would reduce congestion in the CBD. It's an important component of the Christchurch to Ashburton four-lane project and that's been confirmed by NZTA who have said that the four-lane highway should bring forward investment in a second bridge crossing. Now the Government have announced a business case such as it is but of course that comes on the heels of I think four previous business cases that have been done on the bridge all recommending that it go ahead. Quite why we need a fifth case I don't entirely know. That business case of course was funded by the Provincial Growth Fund from Shane Jones—once again creating more jobs for expensive consultants in Wellington than it does in the regions.My amendment would bring forward this important project. Both projects—the Ashburton to Christchurch four-lane highway a second bridge over the Ashburton River—would improve road safety. Both projects would create jobs would create economic activity. I do hope that members across the House do support those important projects and make roads in Canterbury more safe.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Ruth Dyson): The following is a split call. Jami-Lee Ross.