Adams AmyGENERAL DEBATEHon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business.Well we've had a lot of noise out of the beltway this week but do you want to know one thing that I know New Zealanders are saying?Hon Judith Collins: What's that Amy?Hon AMY ADAMS: The cost of living is going up under this Government. Under this Government it is getting harder and harder for New Zealand families to get ahead and isn't this the Government who in the election campaign told us they were all about families? They were all about the lowest-income families and what have we seen since they've been in Government? They have put in place fuel taxes that are meaning that the lowest-income families are having to choose between putting food on the table or filling their car to get to work or to get the kids to school or to get to sport. That's what this Government has prioritised. They have prioritised petrol taxes that hit the hardest the most over the needs of those families to put food on the table.We've just seen this week actually Statistics New Zealand come out and say that we've seen one of the steepest rises in the cost of living for some time—far steeper actually than the market was expecting. The biggest single rise really of the household costs is the 19 percent increase—19 percent increase—in the cost of petrol over the last year and we have a Government that wants to dodge and weave and hide its impact on that. For all of the nonsense we've heard from the Prime Minister that taxes are only 6-something cents the public know the truth. The public know that thanks to this Government's fuel taxes it is costing them more and more to fill their cars. The average household in Auckland is paying $324 a year more in taxes—not just to fuel their cars but more in taxes—because of the Labour Government that they thought had their back.And you want to talk about rents? Well because the Government doesn't understand that if you drive landlords out of the market rents go up—Hon Shane Jones: What about if you drive members out?Hon AMY ADAMS: Those same families are paying rents $20 a week higher Mr Jones under the Government that you're supporting than they previously paid—$20 a week higher on average every week in rent cost because of a Government that doesn't understand the relationship between what it does and the market.We heard today in the House from the Minister of Finance that the Government is unapologetic about imposing these new costs and is unapologetic about putting in place bans that mean their energy costs are going to go up their fuel costs are going up their housing costs are going up and their food costs are going up. They may get advice that tells them that but they simply choose not to agree with it. What incredible arrogance—what incredible arrogance—to simply say We are unapologetic. We're ignoring all of the advice that tells us this is hurting Kiwi pockets." This is hurting the governance of the people of New Zealand. And what's it for? Well the Prime Minister tries to tell us it's going to improve congestion in Auckland.Look that would be a wonderful thing but here's the truth: those fuel taxes are paying for a trolley through the Prime Minister's electorate. They're paying for a trolley service up Dominion Road and through Mr Twyford's electorate. So $5 billion has come out of the State highway budget to pay for a trolley in Jacinda Ardern's own electorate and in Phil Twyford's own electorate. In Selwyn and in the South Island and in the East Coast and in Coromandel and in Northland hard-working families are paying petrol taxes brought in by this Government to pay for a trolley service up Dominion Road that isn't going to do a damned thing for congestion in Auckland.Let's talk about energy costs—let's talk about energy costs—because this Government again came out and announced an oil and gas ban without any consultation without any Cabinet process and without any good analysis that told them it was a good idea and today we've got industry experts saying that we have an energy system that is and I quote "creaking and groaning" under pressure and that is an immediate threat to this economy—an immediate threat to the economy. The guys on that side of the House have no idea how to run an economy that actually benefits New Zealanders.I'll give them a clue: New Zealanders do better when they can get ahead. New Zealanders do better when there are opportunities and a Government that backs them not a Government that's imposing more taxes that's putting up the cost of fuel that's putting up the cost of housing that's seeing their electricity costs go up their food costs go up and their jobs go down. The people of New Zealand can feel incredibly let down by this Government in its first 12 months. Every day when they go the petrol pumps they know that this Government is taking more money out of their pockets because they can't control their own spending."