Falloon Andrew; Rurawhe AdrianANDREW FALLOON (National—Rangitata): Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I'm pleased to be able to take a call this afternoon my first contribution on this Budget debate. We've come into this year with very very high expectations. The Prime Minister herself has said that this will be the year of delivery. She apparently forgets that the Government were in office all of last year or perhaps it's just an admission that they didn't get up to much of substance at all. She said that this will be a transformational Government and that this will be the first wellbeing Budget. Well let's check that lofty rhetoric with reality. Last year the Government cut $5 billion from the State highway network to put into Auckland cycle and rail projects. The roads of national significance that had been put forward by the previous National Government were cancelled. The new highway north of Auckland up into Northland which would have been hugely transformational for the Northland economy was cancelled. The Woodend bypass which is incredibly important for keeping people north of Christchurch safe was axed and in my part of the world in the Rangitata electorate that I serve the Christchurch to Ashburton four-lane highway was cancelled. The existing road between Christchurch and Ashburton is not fit for purpose. Traffic volumes have doubled in the last two decades as more tourists come to experience a beautiful part of the world in the South Island. More people are commuting for work. We have more people coming from Rolleston and Christchurch down to the Ashburton District where there's an unemployment rate of just 1.8 percent. On the back of a strong primary sector more and more trucks are criss-crossing the district to grow our primary sector ferrying goods feed animals and crops. Growth at PrimePort in Timaru has continued and with the new inland port at Rolleston there is more heavy traffic travelling between Timaru and Rolleston. All of this growth has made the road between Ashburton and Christchurch more dangerous. The road is now the second-most dangerous stretch of highway in the country for fatalities and serious crashes according to the Government's own statistics. Just this morning there was another crash just north of Ashburton. Fortunately it wasn't a fatal crash but the road was shut for more than an hour. So I was hopeful that in this Budget in this Wellbeing Budget we'd finally see some action because what could be more wellbeing than keeping mid-Cantabrians safe on the roads? Now the Minister responsible for road safety Julie Anne Genter seemed to agree. She said that road safety is one of the highest priorities that this Government has. Well how do we match that with the reality of this Budget? In this Budget they've cut $10 million from road safety programmes. This Budget does not match the rhetoric. This Budget and this Government have failed to deliver on their promises to New Zealanders. It's not like they don't have the money. In the hours after the Budget this Government and this Parliament passed two further petrol tax increases to further increase the cost of fuel on all New Zealanders. It's now heading back towards record prices. All New Zealanders have to pay that—not just those who are motorists but every single person who buys any good that is moved by truck. In fact very very few New Zealanders are even benefiting from these new petrol tax increases because it isn't just those important highway projects that have been cancelled. It isn't just those important highway projects that have been affected by the cuts; it's also other important regional roads that people in mid-Canterbury and South Canterbury and Southland and Northland and the Taranaki have to drive on every day. The cuts that this Government have made mean there's less money for important intersection upgrades like the one at Rangitata just south of the river. Residents there have witnessed numerous crashes and have literally had to pick up the pieces of the aftermath. The intersection desperately needs widening and under this Budget and under this Government it's less likely to happen because there's less money available to do it. As the local MP I've tried to meet with the New Zealand Transport Agency to discuss upgrading the road with them. I met them twice last year in January and again in June. Early this year I sought another meeting with them but it's been turned down. The Government have prevented me from meeting with the New Zealand Transport Agency. The Minister of Transport Phil Twyford says they're too busy to meet with me. Too busy to meet with me twice a year—how incredibly petty. There is of course more to this Budget than just transport. I do commend the Government for investing more in mental health. As an MP representing a provincial area I'm keen to ensure that those new resources aren't just handed out to the major centres and that the money is distributed across the country. Last year 20 farmers took their own lives; 18 of them were blokes. We have a serious problem in New Zealand—particularly in rural areas—with mental health. Prior to the last election Chris Hipkins promised New Zealanders that in the Government's first Budget they would end the need for school donations. Last year we searched high and low for that pledge in the Budget but it wasn't there. I had schools in South Canterbury who contacted me very alarmed at the fact that they'd budgeted for the fact that they were going to receive this money. They hadn't asked for school donations from parents and therefore they had a hole in their budget last year because the Government didn't live up to their pledge. They had holes in their budgets and this Government is responsible. This year again the Minister has failed. Only decile 1 to 7 schools will be included with disadvantaged families at other schools missing out. Despite the promise Chris Hipkins made before the election there's nothing in this Budget for schools in Methven nothing for Mount Somers nothing for Pleasant Point—nothing for more than a dozen schools across my electorate. This Government again are failing to deliver on their promises to New Zealanders. Not surprisingly people are upset and it's not just teachers—it's not just those employed in education. Many people feel duped by the promises that the Labour Party made before the last election that are now not being delivered on. My colleagues across this side of the House this afternoon have run through some of those: KiwiBuild a failure; maintaining a strong economy now going backwards; and homelessness and child poverty where the Government have not yet been able to move the dial. We in this House wonder why politicians are one of the least trusted professions in this country. It's because of promises made and not delivered. It's because of people who say one thing before an election and something else after. It's because of parties who promise the earth before they're elected to Government and then don't deliver. We won't be supporting this Budget from a Government failing to deliver on their promises to New Zealanders. ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): I understand this is a split call.