Hudson BrettBRETT HUDSON (National): Thank you Mr Speaker and happy New Year to you. It seems a bit late to be saying that but this is my first opportunity to speak in the House this year so I do hope that you Mr Speaker and indeed colleagues from all across the House had a very good summer. I hope that if one had to mix work with a break one was—or all people were—able to achieve the right balance.Certainly I had a staycation. I stayed. When one lives in the greatest electorate in the country—when one lives in the mighty Ōhāriu—there is simply no real reason to have to vacation anywhere else. We've got the smartest most vibrant people. We've got innovative businesses. We've got wonderful facilities. We've got great outdoors—great natural attractions. We've got hills—hills—where one can ride their bicycle. I would have said one can ride their bicycle fast; however I'm acutely aware of the Standing Orders and of wilfully misleading the House.SPEAKER: Downhill.BRETT HUDSON: Thank you Mr Speaker. I'm just excited to be back.But I did receive reports of someone driving hell for leather to get away from the place and I suspect it was a probably a good thing they didn't look in the rear-vision mirror; they might have seen that it was mutual. Or it could have been that they were simply seeking to get away in great haste to escape the train wreck that is this Labour - Greens - New Zealand First Government.It is actually the case that they delivered some things last year. For instance last quarter they delivered economic growth that is the lowest that we've had in five years. They delivered 10000 more people unemployed. They delivered a record number of people not in education employment or training with that going up 26000 in that quarter. They found their very good friends the Council of Trade Unions telling them that the cost of living was outstripping wage increases. They had created a pressure on rental charges that saw median rents up $40 a week. They managed to get us offside with China and the European Union. They managed to create only 54 jobs through the $3 billion primary growth slush fund at a cost of nearly $500000 each.They only managed to deliver 47 KiwiBuild homes but they did find one secret: their working groups. In the Government's working groups they have found a perpetual motion machine because aside from the Tax Working Group the most recent working group the mental health working group—it's recommendations are more working groups. They've got a perpetual motion machine where every working group is going to recommend more. We've already had 238 of them at an estimated cost we would say of $290 million and they're going to recommend they have even more. This Government came into office without a plan and they're struggling to even deliver that. When I think of particularly Wellington—because it's dear to my heart—we have been waiting now for pretty much the best part of a year to hear an announcement about something that is important for every Wellingtonian whether they live in and around Wellington City in the Hutt Valley in Kāpiti or even across in the Wairarapa. We were promised and we know because we actually put this train of thought in motion—no pun intended—the Let's Get Wellington Moving initiative. Where is it? It's almost a year late. We're still waiting to hear what will be proposed to what time frame and importantly who is going to pay for it. Some elements appear to have been leaked. Certainly we have reports that the Government is likely to announce that they will fund from the Land Transport Management Fund light rail in its entirety. Now the last study for light rail in Wellington from the railway station to the airport was estimated at $930 million returning lifetime benefits of a mere $46 million to $93 million. Or to put another way that's up to $840 million of taxpayer money lost. So what we've heard is the Government is going to go to taxpayers across the country and say We're going to take your fuel tax"—your fuel excise money—"and we are going to spend it"—because you can't call it an investment—"and we are going to spend $930 million or more of it on a light-rail system for Wellington that will lose $840 million." The Government is lucky that they can't be considered a financial services provider because we've got legislation on the books now that would see them in a whole world of hurt for doing something so reckless with taxpayers' funds.But it is even worse. One could wonder how it could get worse but it can. So apparently—I've heard at least—that the Let's Get Wellington Moving programme will be announced as a 20-year programme. Now it doesn't take Einstein to work out that it doesn't take 20 years to build a couple of tunnels lay some asphalt and if one really wanted to put down a light-rail system although that would disrupt our city for about six years; certainly not 20. So one's left with the thought that says "OK if it's going to be 20 years why would that be?" I have to think that it's because they don't actually have the money. Indeed that's what has been reported as well. It's been reported that although in the past the New Zealand Transport Agency funds State highways the mayors of the Wellington region have been told that the Government will fund light rail to the full extent but expects the cities across the region to stump up with at least part funding if indeed not majority funding for the roads and the tunnels which it is the normal course of events for the Government to fund through the National Land Transport Programme. And it does appear on the face of it that that is why Wellington is still stagnating; that is why we are still waiting to hear what we might finally get.I'm a bit more cynical than that I have to say. I think that the plan is that if one announces roads and tunnels 10 years down the track one has no intention at all of ever actually delivering them—but they'll certainly take all the cash off those motorists in the intervening years. The other point I'd make and time does run a bit short is in the areas of commerce and consumer affairs. I'd first like to congratulate the Hon Kris Faafoi. He is perhaps the hardest-working Minister in the Government. He's certainly the hardest done by because there is no one more worthy than him of a seat in Cabinet and yet the Prime Minister seems determined not to give him that. One can't really fault the premise of what he's been doing in the context of consumer protections. Unfortunately the measures which I think we will see are going to evidence a Government that doesn't understand business doesn't understand how business transacts with its customers and will instead come up with solutions that imperil businesses and ultimately in the long run are detrimental to consumer interests. High-interest loan measures are one example where their advisers are saying that the things that they are looking to do could cause more harm than good. The Prime Minister spun like crazy but we can see through all of that and we're looking forward to the year ahead to address this Government's actions."