12. Question No. 12—TransportCHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Associate Minister of TransportQuestion No. 12—Transport12. CHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Associate Minister of Transport: Does she stand by all of her statements policies and actions on road safety?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Associate Minister of Transport): Yes. In particular I stand by this Government's policy to invest $4.3 billion in road safety over the next three years including $1.4 billion to upgrade thousands of kilometres of unsafe roads across New Zealand and increased funding for road police to fill the 110 vacancies left unfilled by the last National Government.Chris Bishop: Has she had a conversation with her colleague Stuart Nash the Minister of Police about why Vote Police in Budget 2019 contains only $331 million for the road safety programme—a cut of $10 million down from $341 million the year before?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Yes I can understand the member's confusion and concern. I have discussed it with my colleague. The figure used by the police is simply a placeholder figure only.Hon Members: Oh!Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: The $331 million figure if members are interested in hearing—and I think members opposite will be quite interested to hear that the New Zealand Transport Agency and police are currently finalising the development of a new road safety partnership programme which will confirm the investment levels in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 financial years. So the Government has already approved an indicative road policing funding allocation of $1.045 billion over three years. That is an $85 million increase on the last National Government's road policing budget.Chris Bishop: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was not related to the answer. The question was about whether or not the Minister had a conversation with her colleague the Minister of Police. I didn't hear that addressed in the answer at all.SPEAKER: Well it was addressed right at the beginning. Chris Bishop: OK. I missed it. Will she commit to more breath tests being conducted in 2019 compared with 2018 which was only 1.4 million?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: It does take time to rebuild after years of neglect—[Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! I'll just ask the member to sit down for a second. [Minister continues] No I'm going to ask the member to sit down. Mr Brown you're not normally one of the noisier members but you are just behind an open microphone so we're hearing you especially as well as a number of other members. So can we please just settle down a bit.Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: So police have already invested an additional $2.8 million to purchase 2700 new breath-testing devices which will be phased into use in 2019-20 after of course the under-funding meant there was a significant reduction in road policing and enforcement under the last National Government.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Minister is this information available on a computer site? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Yes the information for the Estimates is available on a computer site. The member could access that. Hon Simon Bridges: Can she also confirm that Winston Peters will also be saying that that's a serious criminal activity as well?SPEAKER: The member will now stand withdraw and apologise. He knew that question was out of order.Hon Simon Bridges: I withdraw and apologise.Hon Stuart Nash: Is it true that under the last Government road policing numbers were cut by 111 but by July of last year under this Government road policing numbers were up to full muster again?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: That is absolutely correct. Chris Bishop: Does she stand by her tweet about car fascists and what is the definition of a car fascist?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I think the member will find that I admitted that was over the top. It was not the right language to use. But the way the member and many of his colleagues have been misleading about what I meant in that tweet I think is also unhelpful. I think that it's very important that all New Zealanders have a right to get around safely especially our young people. They should have a right to walk and cycle safely and anyone who opposes safe infrastructure is opposing that choice.Chris Bishop: Does she stand by her statement that a huge percentage of the community are much more comfortable travelling at the safe and appropriate speed … and would be quite happy to not be under pressure to drive at 100km/h"; and is it correct that the basis for the statement is a survey of the Aro Valley Green Party transport subcommittee?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: In fact it is not. When it comes to the targeted safety reviews that we are progressing on the most dangerous roads in New Zealand there has been overwhelmingly strong community support for the safer speed. In fact I receive a large number of letters and correspondence from communities around New Zealand who would like to see safer speeds. But I want to emphasise that this Government has at no time had any policy of blanket speed reductions. What we are talking about is targeted speed reductions on the most dangerous roads—the top 10 percent—and that is where people are dying."