Twyford Phil: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTwyford Phil: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 19 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2425. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.PHIL TWYFORD (Labour—Te Atatū) to the Minister of Transport: Did Cabinet consider a proposal for sealing roads in the Pipiwai area as claimed by Dr Shane Reti; if so why has no funding for this work been announced?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery)on behalf of theMinister of Transport: I would expect the Opposition transport spokesman to know that Cabinet does not make decisions on funding for specific local road projects. It is however I would have thought reasonable for him to know that up to 60 percent of local road funding does come from the Government through the National Land Transport Fund which includes a number of roads as lobbied for by MPs from all sides of the House.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Phil Twyford: Supplementary—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I apologise to Mr Twyford. I have a point of order.Ron Mark: And I apologise too but I do really want to hear the questions. You might have noticed that the sound system was completely different when both members spoke. I had trouble hearing Mr Twyford. Could you have a look at that or have someone look at that please.Mr SPEAKER: We will certainly have a look. I did not notice anything wrong with the sound system. We will certainly have technicians look at it now the point has been raised by the member.Phil Twyford: As transport Minister is he concerned that his parliamentary colleague told the people of Pipiwai that he had taken a proposal to Cabinet for the sealing of their roads and has thus misled the public on his transport policy?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Can I say that many MPs in this House approach Ministers of Transport lobbying them for roads in their particular districts and then write letters to their constituents or in the case of one person I could name goes to the newspaper to say what a wonderful job they have done convincing Cabinet to support their particular road. That is what local MPs do and that is why we expect Mark Osborne to be a very effective MP in the north.Phil Twyford: When he allocated $70 million to 10 Northland bridges recently did he consider alternatives like sealing roads in places like Pipiwai given that the Whangarei District Council says that dusty roads are linked with increased mortality and lung cancer?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I would first point out to my friend over there that in fact this is National Party policy that we will eventually see put into place because that is what Governments are able to do. Suggestions that he makes otherwise are wrong. When it comes to the sealing of roads there is a $16 million project currently set up for Northland over the next 3 years in accordance with the local roading programme sponsored by the regional roading committee and I think that is where you are going to see significant amounts of seal on what are currently dusty roads.Phil Twyford: Is he aware that the 700 kilometres of unsealed road in the Whangarei District Council area has decreased by less than 1 percent over the last 6 years and does he think that bullying locals to stop criticising the Government will work given that they have already had next to nothing from this Government?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Gerry Brownlee—either of those two supplementary questions.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Northland has had 40 percent more funding from this Government than it got from the last Government. What is more when it comes to these dusty local roads the priority that is put on them is put on by the regional council through the regional transport programme and the draft land transport plan which Cabinet does consider.Pita Paraone: Can the Minister please confirm whether Dr Reti has contracted foot-in-mouth disease by his use of bully-boy tactics against hard-working Northland—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. That question is completely out of order.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. No more—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I have not yet called the member. [Interruption] Mr Brownlee will sit down when I rise to my feet. That behaviour creates disorder. There was a point of order raised by Mr Brownlee. I have not heard it because I was asking him to resume his seat but members on this side need to be aware that when a point of order is called it will be heard in silence. Does the member have a legitimate point of order?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: No I will let it go.Mr SPEAKER: He does not.Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I respect that ruling but there was silence at the beginning of Mr Brownlee’s point of order. It was when it was very clear that it was just a straight out political attack that noise started—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No there was noise throughout the point of order to the extent that I could not hear any part of the point of order. But I was on my feet asking Mr Brownlee to resume his seat.Ron Mark: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Points of order are heard in silence.Ron Mark: Could you explain why you have ruled that question out of order.Mr SPEAKER: Because there is no ministerial responsibility for a member of Parliament and a member who has been here before as Ron Mark has should be well aware of that and not have to raise it as a point of order.Pita Paraone: Will the Minister now pledge to help the Far North District Council seal the 70 percent of its local roads that are unsealed along with the 1100 kilometres plus those in Kaipara district that are similarly unsealed; if not why not?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: The record of this Government is to have increased funding for the far north by 40 percent over the last terms of our Government. What is more the member should know that the local roads are the responsibility of the local council and regional council that they set the priorities for the funding which has an up-to 60 percent subsidy provided by the Government. That subsidy will continue and the priority will continue to be set by the far north. And I tell you what it will not matter how much someone called “Winnie in a Bago” goes around promising the earth it will not happen unless the funding is available.Phil Twyford: Does the Minister agree with Shane Reti in relation to the communication of his transport policies that during the by-election the people of Northland should keep quiet even if they have strong concerns about his transport policy and if they do not they will get nothing and does he consider this stance a vote-winner?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Gerry Brownlee—either of those two supplementary questions.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: What I consider a vote-winner is a continuation of the increases in funding for local roads provided by this Government over the past 7 years—and looking forward to doing more in the future.Pita Paraone: Given that this all started with his “bridges over troubled waters” comment will the Minister at least pledge to help the Far North District Council and Kaipara District Council to double-lane the 778 bridges classed as local roads; if not why not?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: As I said before what has to happen in the far north is to continue the funding stream that this Government has increased and that will enable those local councils in their regional priorities to make those decisions. That is their responsibility.Phil Twyford: As Minister is he concerned that the communications of his transport policies in Northland over recent weeks are being characterised locally and in the media as bribery blackmail and now lying?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: I have no responsibility whatsoever for the public utterances of candidates like Winston Peters or the forgotten Labour candidate who constantly make these scurrilous allegations.Pita Paraone: What fate will befall Northland’s iconic “Darby and Joan” kauri trees given the Minister for Economic Development yesterday listed for double-laning the “Darby and Joan”Kauri Bridge—the double-laning of the bridge named “Darby and Joan”?Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: This would be the first time that the “Darby and Joan Party” has asked not to do something for Darby and Joan. They are either for the bridge being double-laned or they are not. Do not ask me to start backtracking on a policy that we have made as a priority in this election and will do our best if we are seeing Mr Osborne on this side of the House to deliver on.Pita Paraone: I seek leave to table a spreadsheet provided to New Zealand First’s research unit by Kaipara District Council detailing the exact locations of the 454 stretches of roads that are unsealed.Mr SPEAKER: On the basis that it is information prepared by the Kaipara District Council I will put the leave and the House can decide its relevance. Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Pita Paraone: I seek leave to also table the infrastructure committee of Far North District Council’s transport strategy an advocacy plan—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The document has been described. It will be on a website and available to members I assume?Pita Paraone: No not that I am aware of. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I am on my feet. The member will resume his—[Interruption] Sit down. It is very important that members who are seeking leave to table documentation actually take the time to find those questions out because I am going to be asking them and I do not want to see a member in a situation when he has not done that research. Leave will not be put.Pita Paraone: Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Is this a further tabling of—is this the last one?Pita Paraone: I seek leave to table a spreadsheet provided to New Zealand First’s research unit by Kaipara District Council detailing the exact locations of the 244—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The document has been described. Before I put the leave is there any other document from the Kaipara District Council the member intends to seek leave to table?Pita Paraone: No sir.Mr SPEAKER: Then I will put the leave and it will be over to the House. It is now a spreadsheet detailing information on the bridges under the control of Kaipara District Council. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.