Muller ToddTODD MULLER (National—Bay of Plenty): Thank you very much Madam Chair. I rise to give my very first of no doubt many contributions in this extraordinary debate this afternoon. It absolutely does need comprehensive consideration and discussion. I can see the members on the other side shaking their heads. Well this is a very flawed piece of legislation—very flawed. Quite frankly I've heard it on a couple of occasions in terms of the contributions so far this evening. If you knew how to run an economy as a Government you wouldn't need to be able to put a bill like this saying that we need to tax New Zealand to be able to fund roads in Auckland and what's worse—as my colleague Nick Smith has expressed from his constituents' perspective tax the regions to fund the roads in Auckland. It's very very poor legislation but I accept that if you look across and listen to the arguments of the Government it is likely that across their very very slim coalition of three parties they may well have the numbers to get this poor piece of legislation through. So it's incumbent on us to look for opportunities to take a very poor piece of legislation and improve it.So in that spirit of goodwill I suggest an amendment in my name which is affecting clause 5 and specifically relates to a new section 65EA which makes it categorically clear that any regional fuel tax proposal that seeks to establish a regional fuel tax in the Bay of Plenty region must propose to fund the roading of our particular region. This is a very very critical point because the region of the Bay of Plenty—and in particular my community of Tauranga—has an absolute expectation that the road from Katikati all the way through to Tauranga will have a road of national significance and has an expectation that if a regional fuel tax does get passed then we have the opportunity in time to be able to ensure that any regional taxation from our community gets spent on that road and my goodness me does that road and that infrastructure need investment.In fact the previous Government had the first quarter of that road called the Tauranga Northern Link already at the tender stage.Hon David Bennett: What happened?TODD MULLER: Quite remarkably that has been stopped. It is an absolute disgrace. There are accidents every week on that stretch of road—650 accidents in the last seven years. It was at the tender stage and because of the incompetence I would argue of the policy setting of this Government this has not been able to be progressed.So it is absolutely critical that if this flawed legislation passes legislation that is going to tax New Zealanders and tax the regions then certainly I have an expectation that the region of the Bay of Plenty through this I think well-thought-through amendment to insert new section 65EA—and I commend it to the Government side. They seem quite distracted at the moment looking at the ceiling. It'll be an opportunity for reflect on the good thinking that underpins this particular amendment that enables my region to be able to get access to this funding and to be able to build a road that will change people's lives from the moment that it gets built.I can see the smiles on the other side but this actually counts. In actual regional New Zealand this counts. It actually means something to stand behind a commitment and say If we're going to build it we build it." We said that we would build this road. You guys come along and say "You know what? We're not going to build it and we're going to spend the money up in Auckland. And"—what's worse—"we're going to put the capacity to charge the regions to fund the Auckland roads." And then you have the audacity to shout across the Chamber and say this is the way we should run infrastructure funding in New Zealand.It is flawed. It is absolutely flawed and in my opinion it does not pass the smell test of a Government that's done the thinking. It's been rushed and what's worse Madam Chair is that the good Minister to your right the Hon Phil Twyford hasn't had the respect to be able to come down and see this road with his own eyes despite being asked specifically by me to attend."