Jones ShaneHon SHANE JONES (Associate Minister of Transport): Madam Chair thank you for that inspired choice. Earlier one of the National Party members Chris Penk—I'm not sure. I think it was King Lear—he invoked the name of King Lear.Hon Member: That's right.Hon SHANE JONES: OK. Of course the great saying from King Lear Madam Chair if you will enable me to respond—as he challenged whether or not anyone on this side of the Chamber knew what he was talking about. What he needs to remember is How sharper than a serpent's tooth is the thankless child." Both that speech and the speech just given by the member Simeon Brown who's resumed his seat were juvenile empty shouting irrelevant—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): Order! The second two might be in order but the Standing Orders are quite clear that you can't refer to the age of members. All members are honourable no matter their age.Hon SHANE JONES: Thank you very much for those words. Perhaps I read too much into what they were saying but perhaps "vacuous" is the best description. This bill enjoys total support on this side of the House. This bill is related to a number of projects that have been consulted upon that were identified both during our time and floating around under the last regime and those projects in Auckland will be funded. They will be funded through a mix of generic funding but they will be turbocharged because this bill introduces a system where a regional fuel tax will pass and create a new opportunity for Mayor Goff and the planners the architects and the visionaries—not unlike my colleague Mr Twyford sitting here who actually want to see transportation issues in Auckland solved.Now in the last nine years the other side of this House had their opportunity. Now let's just think what they did. They waited for the treasurer Mr English to leave the country before they breathed life into former Mayor Brown's vision for the railway loop because they as a party over the last nine years were deeply divided on these issues. They were prepared to dedicate funds out into building four-lane expressways in the mistaken belief that it was going to enhance the productivity of neglected regions and provinces and they did that by purloining the dough out of those neglected regions and this is getting motorists fuel users fuel purchasers to pay whilst they are adding to the congestion and the pressure in Auckland.Now it's been said that the folk from Great Barrier or Waiheke—the member for Auckland Central doesn't want the Waiheke people to actually pay their way in respect of this fuel tax. What does that member think Waiheke people do when they come over to Auckland? Does she think they are on a magic mat? Does she think that they walk on air? Does she think they are as airy-headed as some of the speakers on the other side of the Chamber? They have to actually contribute because they add to the congestion in Auckland.Now it might be said that this falls upon those who are of limited means—financial means. The best option for those families is to enhance the ability of the public sector transportation system to continue to absorb more numbers. That is not going to happen unless we have a deeper well of capital. This is a tried and true approach: create the legislative basis where regional councils against the plan with projects that are identified—not all these whimsical things that are being said about my colleague's visionary scheme for light rail. Light rail will not receive one cent of the proceeds from this tax. It will be subject to a rigorous appraisal process but more importantly it will attract without a sliver of doubt financial capital from other sources at some point in time. It will not receive one cent of this regional fuel tax because the projects that will be supported have gone through a democratic process a transparent process and a very public declaration of where those projects are. For the first time they will be funded and this fuel tax will be a key ingredient."