King Annette: Urgent Debates — Toll Holdings—Rail and Ferry Purchase 
King Annette: Urgent Debates — Toll Holdings—Rail and Ferry Purchase 
[Volume:647;Page:15864] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Transport) 
: 
 The National Party is totally absolutely opposed to the purchase of rail by the Government. It is absolutely and totally opposed to it but it will not sell it. Have members heard of the television programme  
The Vicar of Dibley 
? There is a character in it who says: “Yes no yes no yes no no yes.” That is the National Party. That is John Key and Bill English put together. They say: “Yes no yes no yes no yes.” They do not know whether they want to sell the railways. We have just heard a passionate speech from Maurice Williamson. He is always passionate about things. He passionately told us that National members are opposed to the purchase of rail. They are opposed to the purchase but Maurice Williamson did not say: “But we won’t sell it.” because he would not actually be in favour of them selling it buying it back or whatever. He would not have been on the page to begin with. He is always off the National Party page. He has his own approach and I like it because at least he is honest about what he thinks. At least he tells the people of New Zealand where he stands when it comes to transport. I do not always agree with him but his leader does not know whether he is Arthur or Martha. 
National members would like the public of New Zealand to believe they would never sell another asset. You see they did their polling. They found out that the people of New Zealand do not like the sale of State-owned assets—infrastructure that is important to New Zealand. It is not about a few trucks; it is about the only railway system we have. They find that the public of New Zealand does not like it to be sold off so because it is election year John Key has told big Bill English to be quiet and not to support the sale of State-owned assets just now. He said: “Wait until after the election and if we’ve got the Treasury benches then just watch what we’ll do!”. I say to the people of New Zealand that they should listen to what the National Party is saying. They should listen to its words because those words are weasel words. We have just heard it really from Maurice Williamson. He said it all. He said that National does not support the Government buying back rail. National would love to sell it but it will not tell us that before the election because people might not vote for it. That is what it is all about. People might not vote for National if it told them the truth which is that it would like to sell State-owned assets. National has always supported the sale of State-owned assets. 
I have to say that I almost got the giggles when I listened to the speech from the Leader of the Opposition John Key. He was the man who was opposed to the Government buying back Air New Zealand but this week he is telling New Zealand that he supports it and that it was his idea to buy back Air New Zealand. What short memories those members over there have. I thought that people who are listening to this debate would be interested in the debate that was held when Air New Zealand was bought back by this Government. The debate was held on 13 September 2001. This is what Bill English said about buying back Air New Zealand. He said that it had “sent the commercial credibility of New Zealand and New Zealanders down the tubes”. That is what he said buying back Air New Zealand did. He went on to say: “The Government has now placed us in a very difficult situation and it is this: there is no path ahead for Air New Zealand and the Government says that in its statement today. It has committed NZ$500 million and there is no path ahead for Air New Zealand. It is a crippled airline at the bottom of the world with a huge taxpayer liability around its neck. Where does that money come from? Well $600 million …” comes from the “Superannuation Fund. I have been saying to audiences: ‘Wouldn’t it be hard for the Government to resist the temptation to invest that in Air New Zealand?’ and that is exactly what it has done. The first investment of the Superannuation Fund is to invest … in a risky loan to Air New Zealand.” 
National opposed the purchase of Air New Zealand and now today its members are telling New Zealanders that it supports it that it has always supported it. Well the record shows that National opposed it. Members opposite said they could not run an airline if they were the Government. Maurice Williamson has just told this House that the Government cannot run State assets. Well this Government has shown that State assets can be run successfully. New Zealanders are very proud of their airline because it is run successfully and in a business-like manner. And so it will be with the railways of New Zealand. 
Maurice Williamson likes to talk about the old days of rail and he filled us with great funny stories about the things that went wrong with New Zealand Rail. What he forgets is that the straightening up of New Zealand Rail happened under the fourth Labour Government. So when National became the Government—Richard Prebble actually does not take credit for straightening out some of New Zealand Rail—it was able to sell it off because there was something to sell off. It sold if off to its rich mates. The sale of New Zealand Rail to Fay Richwhite was the biggest scandal in New Zealand. It was a sale that was not worth its value—not the value of that company as it was when it was in Government hands. National sold it to its rich mates at a bargain basement price and they stripped out the assets of rail in New Zealand. It ensured it did not invest in rail upkeep. Nor did it invest in rolling stock and we saw the use of rail to move freight in New Zealand deteriorate because the railway was deteriorating. 
Everybody knows that one has to invest in one’s asset. When there is an owner who only wants to strip the profits out to send overseas to its overseas foreign owners then that owner will not invest in its asset for the benefit of the people of New Zealand. This Government believes that one has to invest in assets that are for the benefit of New Zealand. I say to the National Party that we do not believe it nor should the people of New Zealand believe it when it says it will not sell rail. We know that National will sell rail at the first chance it can because it is philosophical. National believes that the Government cannot run a business enterprise. Well we have proved National members wrong because Air New Zealand is operating in the international market winning awards as a top operating airline and it is majority Government-owned. 
New Zealand Rail will once again be moving freight and passengers around this country. I will tell members why. This Government will invest in rolling stock and in line upkeep in New Zealand because that is what is needed. What the National Party has not told people is that the company that owns rail now Toll was not interested in keeping lines open in provincial New Zealand. It was not interested in the upkeep of railway lines that go to our provinces where our provincial people live—people who need good networks in transport. It was not interested in keeping those lines open unless perhaps there was a subsidy or two that could be put in its pockets and sent overseas to its foreign owners. So this Government said that there is a point when this particular piece of infrastructure ought to be owned by the people of New Zealand when we ought to invest in this infrastructure and make it work for the people of New Zealand. The New Zealand public will see given the opportunity and led by this Government that rail in New Zealand will once again be moving freight around New Zealand. It will be moving passengers and supporting the people who live in our Timarus our Gisbournes our Whangareis and our small parts in New Zealand because we actually think they count as well. 
I support the purchase of rail. I am delighted we own this piece of infrastructure. It is so important and crucial to our transport system. I say to the people of New Zealand that they should think long and hard because the National Party today showed its real colours. National members speak out of both sides of their mouths but what they are saying is that they do not support the ownership of Air New Zealand or of rail. If they get the opportunity they will sell it—mark my words. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.