Joyce Steven: Infrastructure Bill — First Reading 
Joyce Steven: Infrastructure Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:656;Page:5842] 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Associate Minister for Infrastructure) 
: 
 It is an absolute pleasure to rise in support of the Infrastructure Bill and to have the opportunity to talk in the House about infrastructure because I think that infrastructure is such an important underpinner and enabler of economic growth and productivity. I do not suppose that there will be much disagreement in the House about that fact although there may be some. The evidence is all around us in the development of this country of the great ability of the right infrastructure at the right time to assist and encourage economic growth that otherwise perhaps would not have occurred. 
I think of an example like a certain bridge in Auckland the Auckland Harbour Bridge which is probably the most dramatic example in New Zealand’s history. The development that has occurred north of that bridge over the last 50-odd years is absolute evidence of the enabling ability of great infrastructure. Another example that comes to mind is a little place called the Coromandel which is not far from Auckland and a bridge that crosses the estuary there Kopu Bridge. The current piece of infrastructure has had a restricting effect on the development of the Coromandel for so many years. We approved that $40 million project a short time ago. The Prime Minister and I did some sod-turning: he was the turner of the sod; I was the sod. It was such a powerful day to be there— 
Hon Members 
: 9 whole months. 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: —because we did it a heck of a lot earlier than Labour members were going to. That $48 million bridge should have been done years ago. For $48 million it should have been done years ago but it is now under way and will be completed in a couple of years. 
The Victoria Park bottleneck which is the most notorious outstanding bottleneck in Auckland causes the congestion problems on the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is not the bridge that is the problem; it is the Victoria Park bottleneck just south of it. The previous Labour Government had not advanced that project. Each day 165000 vehicles go through that bottleneck. In the New Zealand context that is a massive number. Most of those vehicles go through it at 20 to 30 kilometres an hour if that. This Government not only has proudly stepped up and provided the funding to enable that project to start ahead of time by a year or two but also has done that in the face of a planned postponement and the possibility that the project would be put off because of what the previous Government was proposing to do with State highway investment over the next 3 years. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Was this the Government that was spending more on roads than the current one? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: No actually: the member opposite is wrong. I always worry about the counting ability of the spokesperson on finance for the Labour Party. In the last year around $800 million was spent on State highway infrastructure construction which is to his credit the largest amount to date but it was due to a decline under the Government policy statement of the previous Labour Government to around $650 million a year for State highway infrastructure for each of the next 3 years. If Mr Cunliffe needs me to give him the information I am happy to do so. This Government has increased that amount to $1 billion a year or an additional $1 billion over the next 3 years. Those are the facts. That is the commitment that this Government is placing behind transport infrastructure. 
It is not just roading infrastructure either; it is also public transport infrastructure. Despite the best efforts of the Opposition the public of Auckland know that the Government has followed through on the investment in public transport infrastructure without whacking on an additional 14c a litre—or possibly more given the way that some of the numbers are turning out at the moment—of petrol taxes for the people of Auckland. That increase would have been a direct drain on productivity and economic growth. 
On top of that this Government is prepared to look closely at the cost of infrastructure projects. It is prepared to look at a project like the Waterview Connection which is a crucial project for New Zealand and say that $2.8 billion including the finance costs during construction is too much and that we need to look again and find a better answer. I am pleased to say that the Transport Agency is in the process of finding a better answer. I note that the Labour Opposition has gone very quiet on its commitment to the deep-bore tunnels at Waterview. I invite Mr Cunliffe if he is planning to speak on this bill at some stage to share with us what those members’ current position is on that project. This Government has made the call that the project will come out of the National Land Transport Fund so it will in effect save the Government debt position by the full cost of the project. That is the sort of sensible infrastructural investment that this Government is undertaking. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: When’s the start date? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Well I say to David Cunliffe that we do not know when the start date is yet but I can tell the member that I would even be prepared to put it off for 6 months if it would save me $1.4 billion. I do not know about him but I certainly would be prepared to do that. 
This Government has made big investments in infrastructure. It has made commitments in areas such as the ultra-fast broadband initiative which has been very enthusiastically received—[ 
Interruption 
]—and much to the Opposition’s disappointment and anguish the Government will soon confirm how it will proceed. Although those members are getting a couple of weeks to have a bit of a crack once that is done they will be rather disappointed as the Government proceeds successfully not only on urban broadband but also on rural broadband. Members should not forget that although the previous Government had a few successes late in its reign— 
Hon Member 
: Name one. 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Well it made a bit of a contribution in terms of the ADSL roll-out with Telecom but that did not happen until about 2 years ago. The first 7 years were very very quiet on the telecommunications front. The previous Government was very very quiet on the roading front. But in a late sprint as it was heading to the finish line just before the voters turfed it out it started to do a few things. 
Hon Phil Heatley 
: Were they funded? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Actually a few of them were funded. A lot of them were unfunded but a few of them were funded. The members of the previous Government did a few of these things. Now they have the temerity to suggest that they are as interested in infrastructure as we are and that they understand it. Nothing could be further from the truth. 
This Infrastructure Bill is one of the many things that this Government is doing to support investment in infrastructure. It is not just about the Crown making a contribution although there are some areas obviously where the Crown is well suited to making a capital contribution. It is also about facilitating the development of infrastructure by other people. A lot of what is in this bill is about that. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.