Genter Julie AnneHon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Associate Minister of Transport): Tēnā koe Mr Chair. It's a pleasure to rise to speak on Part 1 of this bill. The Green Party absolutely supports the Infrastructure Commission. We think it's incredibly important and a great initiative from my colleague the Hon Shane Jones to do this work that will give us independent and objective analysis and advice that can allow the country to prioritise the long-term infrastructure needs of the country. It is really important.As the previous speaker the Hon Phil Twyford said it's actually because previous Governments—the National Government in particular—really politicised the funding of transportation infrastructure that we currently have a bit of a crisis and a deficit. I mean arguably the problem started before that because there was a really ideological approach that separated investment for example from rail and from roads so we couldn't invest in the rail network to help take pressure off the road network when logically they're part of one integrated system.So investment in the rail network benefits those who use the road and vice versa. Investment in the rail network is incredibly important for the future economic productivity of the country and it's also part of how we will improve safety on our roads and will reduce the cost of moving freight around—obviously the cost of moving freight by rail or by sea is much lower per container than it is by road—and there are some times when road is absolutely necessary But the point is that on this side of the House we understand and welcome independent objective evidence and advice about how we can make our infrastructure systems best serve the country. And I think sadly members opposite—based on their speeches—are suffering from a bit of projection where they imagine that we are the ones being ideological when in fact the exact opposite is true. When I was working in the transport sector before I came to Parliament in 2008 when there was a change of Government everyone in this sector was really quite shocked to find that the incoming National Government had already chosen seven roads of national significance and they wanted to post hoc come up with some sort of economic justification for spending the vast majority of new capital expenditure from the transport budget on just those projects. And I note that ten years later those seven projects have not even been delivered. So in nine years they failed to deliver seven projects that were chosen entirely for ideological reasons not based on evidence about—CHAIRPERSON (Adrian Rurawhe): Order! Can I ask the member to come to Part 1 of the bill—Part 1.Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: —what would move people and goods better and that's why this Infrastructure Commission in Part 1 is very important because the Infrastructure Commission as laid out in this bill and particularly in Part 1 where we look at the interpretation is all about having that objective long-term pipeline. I think this Government is bringing finally a sensible balanced approach setting up institutions that will give us independent advice. Actually I'm quite shocked to see the National Party support it because they did not support the suggestion of an independent policy costings unit which would give all political parties the ability to get independent costings. It doesn't serve their interests because their entire political approach is to mislead and I find it incredibly irresponsible. But fortunately this coalition Government is responsible focused on the future and absolutely supportive of investing in infrastructure that is going to protect our climate and enable future generations of New Zealanders to thrive.