Gallagher Martin: Public Transport Management Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Gallagher Martin: Public Transport Management Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 02 September 2008. Volume:649;Page:18255. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MARTIN GALLAGHER (Labour—Hamilton West) 
: 
 I think the Public Transport Management Bill is a very positive bill. I did not have the privilege of sitting on the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee and I want to compliment Mark Gosche and his team on their work. A bill that attempts to better integrate commercial services into a regional transport plan is a good one. In that context I also want to say that this Government has over the years increased spending on public transport by what—1000 percent? By what percentage have we increased investment on public transport? The chair of the Local Government and Environment Committee should know that; I am sure she does. It is by at least 1000 percent. 
One of the reasons why I am interested in greater supervision in respect of the commercial services is the announcement made by Maurice Williamson that we are to be looking at tolling on the Waikato Expressway which would increase the cost to motorists going from Hamilton to Auckland by $100 or $200 a week. Therefore ironically the National Party’s intention to look at privatising and tolling some of our major roads is the real secret agenda. Funnily enough that will be a huge incentive for people to use bus and rail services even if they are commercial services with no public subsidy. Obviously we will take a greater interest in commercial public transport services. I hope we can get a better middle course and not necessarily go down that road. 
I have repeatedly asked the member for Coromandel Sandra Goudie to get up in this House and talk about the National Party’s plans to toll Kopu Bridge but she will not. Dare I say that public transport in the Thames area between Thames and Ngatea is also quite an important factor because that will be another— 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: More desperate scaremongering. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: Scaremongering? That is not scaremongering. That is the truth. How can we be scared of the truth? The member should not be scared of the truth. That is what is in the top drawer of National’s policies. What is scaremongering about Maurice Williamson going on the  
Agenda 
 programme and speaking the truth? 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: He never said that. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: If the member looked at the transcript of the interview he would see that Maurice Williamson talked about $5 a trip and he talked about tolling. I think he talked about 50 bucks a week or whatever. That is what he said. The member should read the transcript of the  
Agenda 
 interview. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: You are making it up. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: That is not making it up. That is not scaremongering. In that context this excellent bill has a certain resonance to it. 
Obviously we will take an interest in commercial public transport services because should National get into office I would say that some of those intercity commercial services will get a whole lot more attractive. Certainly the bus services in the Thames area—and Sandra Goudie needs to take a call on this—just got a whole lot more attractive. [ 
Interruption 
] She will not take a call? She has been in the House but she will not take a call. Is it National’s intention to put a toll on the Kopu Bridge? 
In the brief time I have to speak on this bill I want to emphasise that it is good that the bill will improve the tools available to local authorities for providing public transport services to a set standard in our region. I think the leadership that Environment Waikato if I can speak in terms of my region is providing along with the city council is really good. I think there is some work to do in terms of the control and the working of the buses within our city but I think this gives us a very good template and a very good model on which we can improve our integrated public transport services. 
My final observation is to point out what an incredible achievement we have seen in this country after 9 years in terms of integrated public transport services. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: What a joke. It has gone backwards. Congestion has got worse. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: The Maurice Williamson solution to congestion is tolling. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Build some roads. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: I am speechless. It is not often that I am speechless but I am. These guys have not watched the interview on  
Agenda 
. These guys do not even know what their own spokesperson on transport has in store. They must know what is in store. It will be congestion charges it will be tolling and it will be the Macquarie Bank Waikato Expressway. Can members not see the grand opening? Roger McClay or whoever— 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Jim McLay. 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: Jim McLay; I am sorry I apologise to Roger McClay. Jim McLay and the Hon Maurice Williamson will be at the opening of the Macquarie Bank Waikato Expressway. We can just see it! Commercial bus services between Hamilton and Auckland just got a whole lot more attractive under that terrible scenario. 
Finally I want to commend this bill to the House. It gives a very very good platform for the future management of public transport in our region. I hope the doomsday scenario that I just painted never comes to pass.