Willis ScottSCOTT WILLIS (Green): Thank you Madam Chair. It's a wonderful thing to be able to take a call for the first time on the repeal of the regional fuel tax bill. As you know I come from Ōtepoti—Dunedin—and the Dunedin City Council has a zero-carbon target by 2030 and in that they aim to change modality in transport. I've noticed here that removing the legislative framework for imposing regional taxes will provide certainty to households and businesses that no regional fuel taxes will be implemented by any other region. Now this is a real concern for our community—for local authorities nationally—because the fuel tax has been an inspiration for other urban areas to make change to deliver for their communities.If I think about the shifts that the Dunedin City Council said they want three main themes to cover how Dunedin's transport emissions can be reduced in three main ways: by supporting people to live well locally by enabling businesses and people to shift to low-carbon transport modes and by improving the vehicle fleet. There are eight key shifts that they talk about: nurture low-emission urban form; target closer destinations encourage closer destinations and inspire longer stays; unlock remote solutions; develop convenient and attractive cycling and walking networks and public transport services; boost transport demand management and support use of active and public modes; shift freight to low-emission modes; electrify light vehicles—ah yeah that's right we've got rid of the low-emissions fee—and decarbonise heavy vehicles marine and aviation. So if we think about what a regional fuel tax could do for urban areas that are taking their own work—we know this Government doesn't care we know this Government wants to destroy the environment but there are cities who are working to decarbonise. There are cities and urban areas that are trying to do their best and there are rural hinterlands that also want to do their best and have the option to do so or had the option to do so taking the example of the Tāmaki-makau-rau fuel tax.Now this is a fuel tax that has enabled public transport it's enabled walkable streets it's given the potential for light rail—and I can't understand why anyone would want to stomp on local initiatives on city initiatives to do well by their communities. Why would central government seek to destroy localism? Why would central government seek to destroy localism when it can provide for their communities when it can provide climate safe communities? This is something that should not be thrown out. This is something that is actually really important. And what this bill does is disincentivise and give the middle finger to every other local jurisdiction around the country to say: We don't care. We're too entitled to let you choose." That's essentially what it says.I am embarrassed to be in a Parliament that allows something to happen like this. This is just a shocking shocking indictment of the climate denialism that we face across the aisle. It's a shocking indictment of the desire for Rapture—you want to head there in an SUV but this isn't going to happen. We need to be looking for solutions and unfortunately the Minister doesn't appear to see what's in front of his eyes which is a community—a community of local government who want this type of solution and have been arguing for it for ever and a day only being overridden by a Government that does not care."