Martin Tracey: Telecommunications (Development Levy) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMartin Tracey: Telecommunications (Development Levy) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 21 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3730. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TRACEY MARTIN (Deputy Leader—NZ First): Kia ora Mr Chair. Just taking a quick call in the Committee stage of the bill I understand what Mr Hipkins is talking about—I absolutely do. I have a 20-year-old son his mate who ended up homeless a 17-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter and they complain to me constantly about lag. I am assuming because I am not that up to speed with IT that lag is when everybody is on Dungeons and Dragons or whatever the heck it is that they are playing and there are too many people on the line as such and so it slows down the speed. I understand that.But what I do not actually understand is the argument that the continuation of the levy is not the answer. I am yet to hear—Clare Curran: I’m about to tell you all about that.TRACEY MARTIN: And I hope Ms Curran will stand and tell me what the alternative is. Who will build this infrastructure and how will it be paid for if not in this way? Dr Clark is nodding his head so I am hopeful that those members will stand and take a call—and Dr Woods apparently is also going to stand and give us an alternative way to make this work.Nothing is worse than spending $300 million and then changing direction and spending $150 million in another direction while some people still have nothing. Nothing is worse than that. I take up Gareth Hughes’ contribution around the Commerce Committee and while it is at it have a look at it do a review do an inquiry and let us see how it went. But do not let us not change horse mid-stream after $300 million has been spent. Let us not leave the Robin Dixons and the Ōmaha residents and ratepayers out there on their own yet again with a levy that has been in place since 2011. Let us get real.There is no cause for Spark to raise its charges. Let me just ask you: who actually pays this levy? Spark formerly known as Telecom pays $25 million per year of the $50 million levy because it is a percentage of what its take is of the market. I would say to its customers that if Spark decides to pass on the cost to them which they have already been passing on to them since 2011 then change your provider. Change your provider. That is why we have 22 providers: Vodafone contributes $10 million Chorus contributes $6 million Vodafone fixed contributes $4 million 2degreescontributes $1 million; Orcon TeamTalk Vector FX Networks CallPlus Services BayCity Communications World. Where is the press release from all those providers? Where is the press release from the 21 other providers apart from Spark? The reason why Spark has put out a press release is that it has the largest amount of your business New Zealand and it does not want to pay this levy. But this levy is required in order to deliver for the rest of New Zealand no matter whom you have your business with. So I suggest that to you if Spark is not happy about paying its fair share around infrastructure.New Zealand First agrees that there should be a review on the $300 million. There is nothing to be afraid of if it is doing well and we could learn some lessons about it. What we know from inside our schools is that telecommunications can be a black hole of money. Everybody comes up with another great idea. But what is a sustainable idea are we on the right track and what is the cost of switching horses mid-stream?So I hope Ms Curran will tell us how the Labour Party would fund this infrastructure throughout New Zealand. I hope that Dr Clark and Dr Woods will because right now as far as—Dr David Clark: I hope New Zealand First will change their vote if there’s a good idea.TRACEY MARTIN: If you give a good enough argument Dr Clark you never know your luck. Today is Friday; it could happen. But at the moment New Zealand First stands with the Green Party. This infrastructure is required. The rural areas require it and actually most of the super-city of Auckland requires it. That is the most bizarre thing. Many parts of the super-city of Auckland like Wellsford Te Hana Tapora Ōmaha—these places are in the super-city of Auckland created by this Government—still cannot get reasonable broadband. Sitting in Warkworth—what are we called? We are a satellite town of Auckland. We are going to go from 10000 dwellings to 30000 dwellings in 20 years but apparently we have got lag.So New Zealand First will continue to support the bill but I will be listening to the contribution from the Labour Party. I am looking for alternatives but at this stage we see it as appropriate that the infrastructure is built on a levy that has already been in existence since 2011. They have already passed on the cost. Do not up your prices any more Spark using this as an excuse. We will be watching. Kia ora.