Falloon AndrewANDREW FALLOON (National—Rangitata): Thank you Madam Chair. I'm very pleased to take a call this afternoon on the Appropriation (2016/17 Confirmation and Validation) Bill. And I'm very pleased because wasn't that such a great period in New Zealand's history: a time of strong Prime Ministers a sensible Government and a rapidly growing economy with positive indications that would all continue. I compare that to what we have now where none of those things exist except for a strong economy—a legacy of nine years of a strong Government.We are discussing the economic development and infrastructure portion of the appropriation and there are two areas in particular that I'd like to address. The first relates to infrastructure. I know that a great many people went down to Dunedin over the weekend for the Ed Sheeran concert. Unfortunately that traffic compounded with vehicles returning from Warbirds over Wānaka and the usual Easter traffic and made for some horrendous traffic times particularly in the mid-Canterbury and South Canterbury area. Unfortunately that was replicated for half of length of the South Island.Now we shouldn't use holiday traffic as indicative of overall traffic and I'm not suggesting that State Highway 1 is anywhere like what it was over the weekend but it is clear that strong economic growth over recent years has meant that the road is getting more and more busy. That will only increase with the continued success of PrimePort in Timaru the expansion of the inland port at Rolleston and the continued growth of the primary sector in the central South Island.The time is now to invest in extending the road to four lanes between Christchurch and Ashburton.Matt King: And Northland.ANDREW FALLOON: Already as the local MP—I'm getting to you Matt—I've regularly met with people particularly those who are recently retired who are already too scared to travel on that road. With more and more trucks and more drivers new to that road it is becoming more dangerous.The second thing I want to speak about is regional development. In the 2016-17 appropriation you will find the Regional Growth Programme but what you won't find is a Shane Jones slush fund. For an interesting exercise recently I went through all of the programmes and investments that have been made by Shane Jones in recent months. It won't surprise you that more than half of those investments have been made in one region alone—the region of Northland where New Zealand First are once again pinning all their electoral hopes. Now I have to say that Matt King is a very good friend of mine—a very good friend of mine—but gosh if Shane Jones thinks so highly of him that he's investing $1.5 million over the next three years to try and beat him he must regard him even more highly than I do.But I am bitterly disappointed that of the funds allocated so far only around 4 percent are going to the South Island. We all accept that the Government are focusing on Northland and other areas of high need but a regional growth fund cannot be seen to be credible if only 4 percent of it is being invested in the South Island. I suggest to Shane Jones that if he is keen on splashing $3 billion around the country over the next three years there are things on the Mainland that he could be investing in. His first visit should be to the office of Mr Phil Twyford. Unfortunately it looks like Mr Phil Twyford this afternoon as Minister of Transport is going to take money from the National Land Transport Fund and put it into Auckland rail projects. That will put in peril important roading improvements like State Highway 1 through Canterbury like the Belfast to Pegasus highway improving the Queenstown to Milford road and the second bridge over the Ashburton River. If Mr Jones was serious about regional development all across New Zealand he'd be getting in behind these important projects which would keep our regional economies moving. Thank you very much.Reports relevant to the Economic Development and Infrastructure Sector noted.