Collins JudithHon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura): How would the member who's resumed his seat Duncan Webb know it's an excellent bill? I'm sure he didn't see it until this afternoon as well. He certainly is in a situation—as we all are over this side—of not having had the opportunity to see this bill until 1.20 p.m. this afternoon? Hon Scott Simpson: That's correct.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: So it was 1.20 p.m. when a copy was sent through to my colleague Hon Scott Simpson and our leader of the National Party—Leader of the Opposition Todd Muller—to have a look at. On 5 May this year—what's that about five weeks ago?—I wrote to David Parker and I asked him if he could please forward us a copy of the bill as soon as possible because he'd certainly been speaking about it in the media. I also asked about the select committee process and how long the select committee would have to review this because media reports had said that there was actually going to be a one-week process which is absolutely disrespectful to all of those groups who have a good contribution to make in this. What has happened in the last five weeks? Well everything that we hear is that there has been a dysfunction within the Government around trying to get the Greens and New Zealand First and Labour all on the same page for this bill. When I wrote to David Parker I indicated that the Opposition would like to be able to agree with the bill but we would need to see it. I also made some suggestions around the time that the select committee would take. But I also made some suggestions about whether or not given the financial and supply chain effects that could occur over many years following the starting of some of these projects that it would be useful to have the Leader of the Opposition actually be in the room when these decisions are made about which of these projects are going to take the resources the person power the actual supply chain issues but also the money that would be spent.I've looked at the 11—mere 11—projects that are listed as going to be the projects that this bill is going to affect a mere 11. Eleven out of the 1924 projects directed to the Infrastructure Commission which the Government set up to advise them on infrastructure—11 only. When I look at these several of these are ones that I know quite a lot about actually. One is the Papakura to Pukekohe rail electrification and as MP for Papakura I of course am very happy to see that there. What I also know because I was there is that three years ago this was announced by the then National Government where it was announced as a project which would be started and completed within this term of Government if we were elected. So what we've seen though is that all these projects were put on hold by the Minister of Transport Phil Twyford. So they didn't even get started. So it's a bit rich to come and say Well we need to get them all consented." There's been plenty of opportunity to get them started and nothing's happened. Then we have the other Papakura to Drury State Highway 1 improvements. Well the only improvements that have gone on in that State highway anywhere near Papakura have been under the National-led Government which took a long time for this to happen because it covered 22 bridges that had to be rebuilt on the Southern Motorway while the Southern Motorway is operating. It also had the extension for a lane each way on both sides of the motorway plus a cycleway and really these were safety improvements as well that were needed. That took around $280 million to get that done. It took time because it was operating but there is nothing to stop this Government from starting the consenting processes for the extension from Papakura through to Drury. They could have done that but again all on hold. Then there's another one here that I know something about: the Unitec residential development. That's the big KiwiBuild one that Phil Twyford—oh why is it always Phil Twyford? Hon Scott Simpson: He got promoted!Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Phil Twyford who has today been promoted to number four in the Labour Government—Labour-led Government number four. It's amazing. It's amazing the opportunities available at number four.Hon Member: Meritocracy.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Meritocracy. Clearly it's because he obviously represents a group underrepresented in the Labour caucus. Anyway it must be people who understand about transport and housing. Well Phil Twyford announced 5000 KiwiBuild homes in the Unitec residential development. That was a hiss and a roar announcement all announced three years ago. And what has happened? Or nothing much? Nothing much at all. In fact what we said at the time was "Well this is going to be interesting because the whole of the waterways in that area that part of the Unitec development in the Point Chevalier area or Western Springs area has this issue with storm water and sewage not being separated." So that all has to happen; that's about a billion dollars. I don't see that in here as being in here—Lawrence Yule: It wouldn't be; it's not thought through.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: —in the projects that need to be done.Hon Scott Simpson: Conveniently.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I don't think that's going to be happening Mr Yule or Mr Simpson.Hon Scott Simpson: Conveniently omitted.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Conveniently omitted. Well that actually has to happen because you've got—what he's proposing—5000 households. Well that's more than 5000 people all adding to the issue that is in that area of Auckland of no separation between sewage and storm water. What happens when it rains in Auckland—and it often does as we all know—is that the sewage goes right through on to the Meola Reef on Point Chevalier and it pollutes the water and I would have thought that the Green Party would still have some sort of semblance of respect for that but apparently not. So I would like to see what would happen there. Catherine Delahunty is actually sorely missed in the Green Party at the moment and I have no idea what she would be thinking about that. There are all the other things that we could be talking about: the Britomart East upgrade the Wellington metro upgrade programme—all of these things all of which by the way have already been announced. This has become the Government of announcements: making an announcement one day waiting for another year making another announcement and then just before the election making another announcement. Having had a look at this bill we are going to support it to select committee and my view is that the Minister has lost an opportunity. He could have sent this earlier to us under a draft or embargo where we could have looked at it more thoroughly and possibly improved—well we would have definitely improved it. But he chose not to. He had an invitation from us to do that to involve us and he chose not to. He chose to ignore every opportunity to work cross-party on this and then today he turns up saying "I think we would like the Opposition's support." Well this is the same Minister's office who told media and who of course told me that the National Party had to support it. Well—a bit difficult to support something you haven't seen a bit difficult to understand it. This Minister's view is—and he stated it in select committee—that it's no different than the Kaikōura legislation that National brought through. Hon Nathan Guy: Which Minister was saying that?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: That was Mr Parker actually. He said—so he's basically copied the Kaikōura legislation. It's sort of his words—very close to that.Hon Scott Simpson: Cut and paste.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Cut and paste the Kaikōura legislation and then added into this. But he's missed the opportunity.So with the review of the Resource Management Act (RMA) that has been going on for a whole year and that was supposed to have come back to him with its report—oh it was about three weeks ago. We still haven't seen that. Now we're told it's not available or he hasn't seen it either. I wonder how much he hasn't seen. But when I think about that wouldn't it be the opportunity now if he had any—any—conviction at all that this new piece of legislation that he needs to bring would actually do the job why wouldn't he wait and put it all in the one? And the answer must be he doesn't think it's going to do what it needs to do. So the National Party is going to support this to select committee. We will be asking the questions. I know that my colleague the Hon Scott Simpson and the rest of the team from the National Party on that select committee will be asking difficult questions hard questions and actually the right questions because this is something that should have been done years ago. If a Government can't get their developments through what hope for private developers? What hope indeed? Hon Scott Simpson: None zero.Hon JUDITH COLLINS: No hope. And that is an admission of massive failure by a Government that did everything it could to stop a National-led Government from ever changing the RMA in the way it needed to be changed."