7. Question No. 7—TransportHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 7—Transport7. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of Transport: How much more money is expected to be raised over the three financial years 2018/19 to 2020/21 as a result of increases in fuel excise duty and accompanying increases in road-user charges and how much money is the Auckland regional fuel tax expected to raise over the three financial years 2018/19 to 2020/21?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport): The increase in fuel excise and road-user charges is funding road safety improvements to save lives and much-needed infrastructure to get our cities and regions moving. Auckland Council's regional fuel tax is funding roads that are vital to support urban growth and public transport that is giving people real choice and helping to unlock Auckland's potential. Over the three-year period I'm advised the increase in fuel excise and road-user charges is expected to raise $1.056 billion and the regional fuel tax will raise $450 million.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he realise that in Auckland the fuel tax rises amount to nearly $2000 per household?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well the best advice that I have from the Ministry of Transport is that all three rises in Auckland together will cost families $2.50 a week all up and the lowest-income families only $1.24 a week and we are of course as a Government always looking to ease the cost of living. That's why our Government is making over 384000 lower- and middle-income New Zealand households an average of $75 a week better off because of the Families Package. We've increased the minimum wage to $17.70 an hour giving 209000 people a much-needed pay rise. We've passed legislation to enable the Commerce Commission to investigate anti-competitive conduct in the retail fuel market. Hon Paul Goldsmith: Does he understand the frustration of motorists who are being told they should pay more than $1.5 billion more in fuel taxes and the only thing they can look forward to is lower speed limits?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: No the message that I get back from Auckland motorists is that they at last have a Government that's willing to do something about fixing the chronic congestion that over nine years brought the country's biggest city to a halt and that was causing the city to lose $1.3 billion a year in lost productivity. Aucklanders just want us to get on with fixing the problem and that's what we're doing. Hon Paul Goldsmith: When he agreed with the Hon Julie Anne Genter's question yesterday Can he confirm that the best way to invest in capacity for our motorway networks is to invest in the complementary alternatives" did he understand that he was in effect agreeing that the best way to invest in the capacity for our motorway networks is not to invest in our motorway networks? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I invite the member to consider the case of the Northern Busway which currently now brings as many people in to the central city every morning on the bus as travel by car. A relatively cheap bit of transport infrastructure put in place under the Clark Labour Government has meant that the Auckland Harbour Bridge moves relatively freely every morning and the country has been spared the expense of multiple billions of dollars for an additional harbour crossing—that would have had to have happened several years ago now—without State Highway 1 jamming up completely. The best way to get better productivity out of the existing motorway network is to have rapid transit and public transport running alongside it. Kieran McAnulty: What reports has he seen on claims of how much revenue these increases will raise? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: I note that the number Mr Paul Goldsmith used yesterday in the House on this issue and the number that the Leader of the Opposition has been using this morning—$1.5 billion not including the regional fuel tax—is off by $450 million and I think it's disappointing that—SPEAKER: I'm also disappointed at the approach taken by the supplementary question. In fact members know that it is out of order to do a supplementary question of that type for the sole purpose of bringing up something that the Minister is not responsible for—there's a warning. Hon Paul Goldsmith: How can he say as he did yesterday that his Government brings a balanced approach to transport when it is refusing to build any—any—major new roads in the next three years? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well if we take the Auckland example we are currently completing the improvements in the southern corridor to State Highway 1 the upgraded Takanini Interchange and the Lincoln to Westgate project on State Highway 16. There's a long list of roading projects that we're building; it's just that we're not a Government that believes that only roads and motorways are worth investing in. We believe in a truly multimodal transport system and that is the definition of a balanced transport policy. Hon Paul Goldsmith: So 20 months into Government does he have any timetable about when work would start on light rail down Dominion Road? Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well as the member knows it's a multibillion-dollar rapid transit project. We're determined to take the time to get it right but what distinguishes this Government from that Government is that we are actually investing in rapid transit to get our cities moving."